The Declaration of Independence

It was only with great courage and perseverance that the fifty-six delegates of the Second Continental Congress successfully and unanimously approved the Declaration of Independence yesterday, July 4, 1776. The document was, in fact, adopted on the second of July, but editing continued through the fourth.
Earlier this year, delegate Richard Henry Lee introduced to Congress a resolution calling for the thirteen colonies to be "free and independent states, absolved of all allegiance to the British crown." Two of the leading men in the drafting of the document representing the idea of the Lee's resolution, John Adams of Massachusetts and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, both of whom were interviewed by the Philadelphia Gazette, provided some insight as to why this cause meant enough to them to willingly risk their lives and future prosperity.
John Adams related to the Philadelphia Gazette the events leading up to the approval of the Declaration. …