Linked from

The 53 pages that link to United States Declaration of Independence, each with the reason it gives.

• American RevolutionBroader topic: It converted resistance into a formal claim of national independence.

• John LockeRelated: Its language of natural rights and government by consent echoes themes associated with Locke.

• Social contractBroader topic: Its language of consent and the right to alter government echoes Lockean contract theory.

• Thomas JeffersonRelated: Jefferson drafted its central text, including its enduring claim about human equality.

• Natural lawBroader topic: Its appeal to self-evident truths and unalienable rights reflects natural-law language.

• Benjamin FranklinRelated: Franklin was one of five members of the committee that drafted it and helped revise Jefferson’s text.

• United StatesRelated: It announced the break with Britain and articulated principles later central to national identity.

• American Revolutionary WarRelated: It made independence the stated objective of the war.

• Popular sovereigntyBroader topic: It declares that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.

• Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the CitizenRelated: Its language of inherent rights and legitimate government formed part of the declaration's intellectual context.

• Natural rightsBroader topic: Its claim that people possess unalienable rights became a landmark statement of natural-rights reasoning.

• PhiladelphiaBroader topic: The Continental Congress adopted it in Philadelphia’s Pennsylvania State House.

• George IIIRelated: It denounced George III and became a founding text of the United States.

• Thirteen ColoniesBroader topic: It formally transformed the colonies’ resistance into a claim of national independence.

• Continental ArmyRelated: After independence was declared, the army fought for a nation rather than reconciliation within the empire.

• ParallelismBroader topic: Its paired clauses use balanced syntax to state principles and grievances.

• Seneca Falls ConventionCompared with: The Declaration of Sentiments deliberately echoed its language while exposing women’s exclusion from its promises.

• Consent of the governedBroader topic: It declares that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.

• Norman LearRelated: Lear founded the nonprofit People for the American Way Foundation to promote public engagement with the document.

• The American DreamRelated: Its language of equal rights became a lasting foundation for the ideal.

• Charles CornwallisRelated: Cornwallis fought to defeat the independence movement the declaration had proclaimed.

• Finnish Declaration of IndependenceNarrower topic: Finland’s text was an instance of this political form.

• Declaration of SentimentsRelated: The declaration adapts its structure and language, especially the famous equality claim.

• Thomas PaineRelated: Paine’s arguments helped build public support for the declaration’s cause.

• Act of AbjurationRelated: Its grievance-based case for ending allegiance echoed arguments found in the Dutch declaration.

• Virginia Declaration of RightsRelated: Both texts express natural-rights arguments, though the Virginia declaration addresses state government.

• Continental CongressRelated: Congress adopted this declaration as its clearest assertion of national authority.

• Gettysburg AddressRelated: Lincoln’s phrase “all men are created equal” echoes its declaration and gives the war a founding-era standard.

• Atlantic revolutionsBroader topic: Its language of equality and consent shaped later arguments for self-government and exposed exclusions.

• Battle of Long IslandRelated: The battle followed independence by weeks and tested the new nation’s ability to defend itself.

• Eastern United StatesRelated: It was adopted in Philadelphia, one of the region’s founding political centers.

• Haitian Declaration of IndependenceCompared with: Unlike the U.S. declaration, Haiti’s proclamation followed a revolution led by formerly enslaved people.

• History of the United StatesBroader topic: Its claims about rights and popular sovereignty became enduring sources of political argument.

• Province of New YorkRelated: Its adoption marked New York’s break from the royal government.

• American LoyalistsCompared with: Its claim to separation made neutrality and continued allegiance politically consequential.

• Central African Republic independenceRelated: The Central African Republic’s independence was formally proclaimed in August 1960.

• Declaration of ArbroathCompared with: The 1320 letter argued for an existing kingdom’s independence rather than announcing a new state.

• Treaty of Alliance (1778)Related: France’s treaty recognized the independence proclaimed in this earlier document.

• Centennial ExpositionRelated: The exposition commemorated its hundredth anniversary.

• Liberty BellRelated: The bell’s inscription quotes Leviticus, later linked to the Declaration’s language of liberty.

• Province of Massachusetts BayRelated: Massachusetts’s revolutionary government ended the province as it asserted independence.

• Province of New HampshireRelated: New Hampshire delegates helped declare independence after the province’s royal government collapsed.

• Two Treatises of GovernmentBroader topic: Its language of rights, consent, and resistance echoes themes associated with Locke.

• Colonial history of the United StatesBroader topic: It announced the colonies’ formal break with the empire.

• National dayRelated: Many national days commemorate the declaration that announced a nation’s independence.

• Robert R. LivingstonBroader topic: Livingston served on the committee appointed to draft the declaration, though he did not sign its final text.

• History of liberalismBroader topic: It made liberal claims about rights and consent central to a revolutionary founding.

• History of VirginiaRelated: Virginia delegates helped draft and approve the declaration that made independence national policy.

• Imperial and US customary systemsRelated: The political separation preceded Britain’s formal creation of the Imperial system.

• Jefferson MemorialRelated: Its language appears in the memorial, linking Jefferson’s authorship to national ideals.