ABSTRACT
The Declaration of Independence was a signed statement by fifty-six colonial leaders stating their reasons the thirteen colonies should separate from British rule. Today it remains both a symbol of, and a symbol to, the nation. There are many dimensions to the meaning of equality, and the debates that have evolved from these have had a profound impact on American history. First, Thomas Jefferson saw the principle of equality as recognizing that no person had the right to rule any other person by nature-that is, by birth. The second principle, consent, evolved directly from the principle of equality. The third principle, also central to the Declaration, is the right to revolution. In the last part of the Declaration, Jefferson included a bill of particulars: a list of reasons justifying the break with England. Accordingly, the American independence movement exemplified by the Declaration has inspired most of the major movements for independence in the world since 1776.
