问题：

UnitedStatesDeclarationofIndependence（4.0分）

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答案：

The Declaration of Independence is the statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting （第二届大陆会议） at the Pennsylvania （ 宾夕法尼亚州 ） State House (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia （费城） on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with the Kingdom of Great Britain, regarded themselves as thirteen newly independent sovereign states, and no longer under British rule. Instead they formed a new nation—the United States of America . John Adams （约翰 · 亚当斯，前美国总统） was a leader in pushing for independence, which was passed on July 2 with no opposing vote cast. A committee of five had already drafted the formal declaration, to be ready when Congress voted on independence. The term "Declaration of Independence" is not used in the document itself. John Adams persuaded the committee to select Thomas Jefferson （托马斯 · 杰斐逊，美国第三任总统） to compose the original draft of the document, which Congress would edit to produce the final version. The Declaration was ultimately a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War （美国独立战争） . The next day, John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail （阿比盖尔） : "The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha （时代） , in the History of America." But Independence Day is actually celebrated on July 4, the date that the Declaration of Independence was approved.