The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, announcing that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were no longer a part of the British Empire. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson, and revised and approved by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the Declaration is a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to obtain independence.

The Declaration of Independence provides examples of the following tropes:

• The American Revolution: Although the Revolution had been in progress for about a year before the Declaration was written, the Declaration was intended to justify it in terms of expelling an occupying army serving a tyrant.
• Follow the Leader: it inspired a lot of similar Declarations of Independence during the following century.
• Have a Gay Old Time: Manly Firmness.
• List of Transgressions: Committed by the King and his forces and representatives in the Colonies.
• Long List: It goes on for quite a while.
• La Résistance: Was essentially an explanation of why the colonies had a right to form one.
• We ARE Struggling Together!: Pretty much describes the process of getting the Colonies (or rather, their representatives in Congress) to agree to it.
• You Bastard: Was an extended version of this trope to King George III.

The Declaration of Independence plays an important role in the following works:

Film - Live-Action

• 1776 is story of how the Declaration came to be -- and a Musical Comedy that is still somehow both suspenseful and reasonably historically accurate.
• In National Treasure a copy of the Declaration holds a clue to the whereabouts of a fantastic treasure trove.

Theater

• The original stage version of 1776, mentioned above.

Western Animation

• This document was part of the plot of one of the nineties era Johnny Quest episodes, also featuring the Jersey Devil, where it served as the MacGuffin.