In the years leading up to the history-altering events of July 4, 1776, public sentiment had been building in the British colonies of America to separate themselves from the monarchy of the King of England. Acts of rebellion such as the Boston Tea Party indicated that the colonies no longer considered the British Empire to be legitimate, at least in America, with its tendency to engage in oppressive policies that stoked the anger of citizens.
As tensions grew, a young Thomas Jefferson was tapped to put such sentiments into words in a formal document so that the Continental Congress could debate its specific features.
Jefferson closed himself up in a room, in immense heat, to hammer out the document in June of 1776.
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