John Adams was the leader of Independence advocates, which was unanimously confirmed on July 2. A committee of five had already devised an official declaration that would be ready when Congress voted on independence. The term "declaration of independence" is not used in the document itself.
Adams persuaded the committee to select Thomas Jefferson to create the original concept of the document, which Congress would later edit to create the final version. The declaration ultimately provided a formal explanation for why Congress voted to declare independence from the United Kingdom more than a year after the outbreak of the American War of Independence. The nation's birthday, Independence Day, is celebrated on July 4, though Adams wanted it to be July 2.
After signing the document on July 4, Congress released the Declaration of Independence in multiple forms.
Adams convinced Jefferson to write the Declaration, saying that Jefferson is 10 times better writer than he is.
By 1900 the United States had overtaken Britain in manufacturing, producing 24 percent of the world's output. After 1870 both Russia and Japan were forced by losing wars to abolish their feudal systems and to compete in the industrializing world.
