PRIMARY SOURCES A primary source is an artifact document or other source of information that was created at the time being studied Primary sources include speeches photographs newspapers letters paintings and even buildings Primary sources are very important to the study of history They provide a window into the past and give us a firsthand view of historical events The most accurate information about our history comes from studying primary sources A letter that John Adams wrote to Thomas Jefferson is an example of a primary document Adams and Jefferson helped write the Declaration of Independence 4
The Declaration of Independence is an important primary source document It is a piece of evidence from the beginning of the United States of America Most books and articles about the Declaration of Independence are secondary sources A secondary source interprets a primary source for its audience The Declaration of Independence is on display at the U S National Archives in Washington D C The thirteen original colonies used the Declaration of Independence to formally announce their separation from Great Britain Why would it be important for the colonies to formally announce their separation with such a document Think About It 5
WHAT IS THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE The Declaration of Independence is the founding document of the United States The document said that the thirteen original colonies of America were free and independent states from Great Britain The people in the colonies felt that Great Britain was not treating them fairly They had protested for The original Declaration of Independence is securely preserved for public viewing 6
many years but the king would not listen to them Finally they went to war against the British in 1775 In 1776 they decided to call themselves independent even as the war continued The Declaration of Independence first lists the complaints against the English king and then makes the actual declaration The preamble states that there are rules of humankind that are accepted as truths That all men are created equal that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness An engraving made by printer William J Stone in 1823 shows the Declaration of Independence 1776 A preamble introduces a document and often gives the reasons for the parts that follow Vocabulary 7
