1775-1783

Every year more than a million people troop into the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C. to see the Declaration of Independence. It is perhaps this country's most famous document. Its 56 signers knew they were risking their lives by putting their names on it. But they believed so strongly in the cause of independence that they were willing to take the risk. Today's viewers may not be aware of the trials and tribulations that the document itself went through before arriving at its permanent home in 1952. It survived invasions, environmental dangers, even the threat of bombing. Now it serves as a constant reminder of the ideals that the United States is based on.

The year 1765 was an exciting time in the American colonies. The British Parliament passed the Stamp Act, putting a tax on items ranging from newspapers to playing cards. This action infuriated the colonists. Patriot groups known as the Sons of Liberty rallied them against this Act. Angry mobs roamed city streets, trashing officials' houses and threatening stamp distributors. Delegates from several colonies met in New York for the Stamp Act Congress. The representatives at this Congress worked together to discuss how to oppose what they believed to be a British injustice toward them. They created a Declaration of Rights to express their complaints and concerns. The Stamp Act Congress was an important event in American history. It was the first of many steps that would lead to the American colonies declaring their independence from Great Britain.

"Fireworks! Parades! Shows! John Adams said that Americans should have all of these things to celebrate the Declaration of Independence. Adams was jubilant when the Second Continental Congress voted to declare independence from Great Britain. It had been a long journey for the Congress to agree to separate from their mother country. And it would be a still longer journey before the fight was over. Many of the most important decisions for the new United States of America were made by the members of the Second Continental Congress during the first eighteen months it met in Philadelphia. This is the story of that Congress."--Provided by publisher.

As an English corset-maker's son, Thomas Paine was expected to spend his life sewing women's underwear. But as a teenager, Thomas dared to change his destiny, enduring years of struggle until a meeting with Benjamin Franklin brought Thomas to America in 1774 and into the American Revolution.

"Step back in time to the birth 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 country's 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"--Provided by publisher.

Presents a concise account of the life of Thomas Jefferson, discussing the private world and public career of the U.S. statesman.

Traces the history of the Declaration of Independence, the statement by which the United States broke free from British rule, and discusses its significance to the people of the United States.

Uses primary sources to explain the meaning and significance of the Declaration of Independence to young readers.

"At the heart of Ben Franklin's life was his infamous relationship with his [illegitimate] son William. Born when Franklin was only 24, the boy was adopted by his father, raised and educated to be his aide. William rose to be the Royal Governor of New Jersey a decade before the Revolution. Politics then pulled them apart, the famous patriot and the loyal Tory governor, and what had been a loving bond was destroyed forever ... Epstein reconstructs the loving but complicated relationship between Ben and William, shedding light on a little-known side of Benjamin's life, as well as on the motives that caused William to become a leader of violent counter-revolutionary guerillas"--Provided by publisher.

Introduces readers to the powerful symbolic, historical, and practical meaning of the Declaration of Independence, whose signing on July 4, 1776, marked the birth of the United States.