Replies

"[I stated]...The Declaration of Independence is an exptremely important and formally binding document which was debated and voted on during the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. (I refer those who doubt this to the recent biography of John Adams).

[you replied]Interesting, in what year did this occur? I've always thought that the DoI was an important historical document, I wasn't aware that it had any legal provisions within."

The Declaration of Independence as passed on July 2, 1776, and printed and published on July 4th. Didn't you ever wonder what the 4th of July was all about?

It was passed by the Continental Congress after much debate. In fact, prior to the Declaration, there were months of debate as to whether the 13 colonies should declare their independence. There was a lot of resistance, due to the fact that the British dealt harshly with rebels, primarily by hanging them.

[I said]"It was formally adopted by Congress, and was a the proximate cause of the war between the United States and Great Britain.

[you replied] The war of 1812? There were no wars between the USA and Great Britian before then."

Just who do you thing we fought during the Revolution? You have to be kidding with this question.

The Declaration of Independence as passed on July 2, 1776, and printed and published on July 4th. Didn't you ever wonder what the 4th of July was all about?

It was passed by the Continental Congress after much debate. In fact, prior to the Declaration, there were months of debate as to whether the 13 colonies should declare their independence. There was a lot of resistance, due to the fact that the British dealt harshly with rebels, primarily by hanging them.

I am well aware of the historical significance of July 4th. I was wondering how it was any kind of legally binding document, as it was drafted and submitted when the thirteen colonies involved were still a part of the British empire. For the DoI to be a legally binding document it would have needed approval from the British government. The British government did not approve the document and as such did not recognize the independence of the colonies.

The Declaration of Independence was the thirteen colonies of North America declaring to Britian, "We don't want to be a part of you anymore, so we are no longer a part of you.", but officially they couldn't be recognized as independent without the blessing (even if forced) the British.

[I said]"It was formally adopted by Congress, and was a the proximate cause of the war between the United States and Great Britain.

[you replied] The war of 1812? There were no wars between the USA and Great Britian before then."

Just who do you thing we fought during the Revolution? You have to be kidding with this question.

"We" did not fight anything during the Revolution because "we" (the USA) did not exist until after the Revolution, whereupon the British government officially recognized the independence of the colonies (and even then the British tried to reverse the position later, hence the War of 1812). Regardless of what people think of the Revolutionary War, it was originally a civil war between an empire and thirteen of its colonies (with other countries joining in where they could find an interest on one side or another) much like the Civil War of the US was a war between states of the same countries; it wasn't a war to reclaim lost independence, it was a war to establish the USA's independence.