

These gentlement ‘assume to themselves an unalienable right of talking nonsense’. He further insulted the Declaration by professing, ‘but to say that a man with life hath a right to be a man with life, is so purely American, that I believe the texture of no other brain upon the face of the earth will admit the idea’. Next, the author wrote that to declare that the writers of the Declaration were ignorant to the meaning of words, particularly the statement that all men have an unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Since all American colonists would be equal to their fellow British subjects. First, the author argues that if all men are created equal, then shouldn’t that be an argument for staying with Britain rather than declaring independence. The author had much to say about the famous preamble of the Declaration. The Declaration was printed with a running commentary. The Scots Magazine is the oldest magazine in the world. The American Declaration of Independence was printed in the August 1776 edition of the magazine. The Newcastle Chronicle published the Declaration without comment, but The Scots Magazinedid not hold their tongue. Newcastle Chronicle | Saturday 24 August 1776 As mentioned above, the Declaration of Independence was published on 24 August 1776 in the Newcastle Chronicle, seven weeks after the adoption of the Declaration by the Continental Congress took place in Philadelphia.

To understand the reaction in Britain to the Declaration and not the overall Revolution, we focused our search on August 1776. For example, Obfervations instead of Observations. Therefore, if you are searching the newspapers and cannot find what you want, try replacing the S with an F. Three tips to remember when searching the British newspapers for events from the American Revolution.ġ – There would have been a delay in the news reported, in the case of the Declaration of Independence, it was not printed until 24 August.Ģ – America was not the United States or USA at that point, most papers would have referred to the country as the American colonies.ģ – In 18th-century newspapers, the letter S resembles the letter F. Shrewsbury Chronicle | Saturday 24 August 1776 The press also printed letters and reports from the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

They were often reported through correspondents from those living in the colonies. You can follow the events of the American Revolution through the newspapers. However, many did believe that the rebellion would be ended quickly and the colonists would go back to being loyal subjects of the Crown. The rebellious sentiments of the American colonists were not unknown amongst the British public. Extracts of the text were printed in the Caledonian Mercury.Ĭaledonian Mercury | Wednesday 17 April 1776 A pamphlet which explained the colonists’ natural right to declare independence. In the six months leading up to the Declaration of Independence, the colonists and British were reading Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. Plenty had been written and discussed in the British press about the American rebels along with daily reports and accounts of the American militia and movement of British troops. America’s RevolutionĪt the time of the Declaration of Independence, America and Britain had been at war since the battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775.
#When was the declaration of independence signed archive
The event was met with celebrations in the colonies, but what did the British think of this declaration? We will look through The British Newspaper Archive to understand the reaction of the British press to America’s Declaration of Independence.

The day commemorates the date that the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in 1776. Today, millions of Americans are celebrating the 4 th of July, America’s Independence Day. American Declaration of Independence, Philadelphia, 1776
