The Declaration of Independence.

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Primary Source

Declaration of Independence (Primary Source Document). 8/1/2017, p1. 5p.

*COLONIES
*COLONIAL United States, ca. 1600-1775
*NATIONAL self-determination
*HUMAN rights
*HISTORICAL source material
*DESPOTISM
*CONSTITUTIONAL history
*INTERNATIONAL relations -- To 1900
*CODIFICATION of civil rights
*DECOLONIZATION
CAUSES of the American Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
SOURCES

The article presents the text of the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified in Congress on July 4, 1776, and was the unanimous decision of the 13 United States of America. The document begins with the phrase "When in the course of human events..." and introduces the idea of unalienable rights with the phrase "We hold these truths to be self-evident..." The American colonies are seeking independence from Great Britain because of the king's tyranny and state that they are absolved from any allegiance to the British Crown.