Book : What Is The Declaration Of Independence? (what Was?).

-Titulo Original : What Is The Declaration Of Independence? (what Was?)

-Fabricante :

Penguin Workshop

-Descripcion Original:

Step back in time to the birth of the United States of America and meet the real-life rebels who made this country free! On a hot summer day near Philadelphia in 1776, Thomas Jefferson sat at his desk and wrote furiously until early the next morning. He was drafting the Declaration of Independence, a document that would sever this countrys ties with Britain and announce a new nation-The United States of America. Colonists were willing to risk their lives for freedom, and the Declaration of Independence made that official. Discover the true story of one of the most radical and uplifting documents in history and follow the action that fueled the Revolutionary War. About the Author Michael C. Harris is a freelance writer and college writing instructor based in Evanton, Illinois, where he lives with his wife, two soccer-loving sons, a dwarf hamster, a gecko, and a really weird cat. He has written a number of books for kids-including Cool Science titles about artificial intelligence, weird diseases, and spare body parts for humans. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. What Is the Declaration of Independence? June 26, 1776, Philadelphia The June heat in Philadelphia was blistering. Even before the sun came up, it was hot. Thomas Jefferson of Virginia did his best to stay cool as he wrote in the room he had rented on Market Street. He was writing a letter. But it was no ordinary letter. Along with Jefferson, important men from all thirteen American colonies had come to Philadelphia. They planned to do something brave and dangerous. The colonies were declaring their freedom from Great Britain. They were going to create a new country-the United States of America. Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write a public letter to the British king listing all the reasons why people in America were rebelling. Jefferson also wanted the letter to show other countries in Europe why this was the right decision for America. It took Jefferson-with help from others-only a couple of weeks to finish one of the most important documents in history: the Declaration of Independence. Sending an announcement like this-a declaration-meant that the colonists in America would go to war. The British army was large and powerful. The colonists didn’t even have an army. The chances were slim that the Americans could win. Many would certainly die. And even if by some chance the colonists did win their freedom, could thirteen different colonies create a new country together? For two weeks Jefferson worked on the Declaration of Independence. He sat at the small desk that he had made by hand. He wrote in ink on large sheets of paper with his quill pen. Each day Jefferson would discuss the ideas for the declaration with some of the other men who had gathered in Philadelphia. After these talks, Jefferson would sometimes tear up his most recent draft of the declaration and start over. He wanted to get every word just right. The declaration had to explain more than why the colonies could no longer live under British rule. More importantly, it had to tell the world what this new country hoped to stand for. It would not have a king. It would set up a government in which ordinary men decided the laws. After the Declaration of Independence was finished, it was signed on July 4, 1776. It has become one of the most important statements of freedom. It has inspired people around the globe to fight for their freedom as well. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” This meant that this new United States would treat everyone the same. Jefferson may not have realized how powerful those simple words would be for hundreds of years to come. Chapter 1: A Battle for America After Columbus set foot in the “New World” in 1492, many European countries wanted to rule different parts of North America. Great Britain, France, and Spain controlled almost the entire continent. Great Brita