United States Declaration of Independence
- proper noun
- /juːˈnaɪtɪd steɪts ˌdɛkləˈreɪʃən əv ɪnˈdɪpəndəns/
- Formal
:
Declaración de Independencia de los Estados Unidos
- Many historians regard the United States Declaration of Independence as one of the most important documents in American history.
Examples
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The United States Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, marking the colonies' freedom from British rule.
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The principles outlined in the United States Declaration of Independence influenced other countries seeking freedom.
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As the United States Declaration of Independence says, each of us has the selfish right to our life, our liberty, and our pursuit of happiness.
Blog text (6)
Synonyms
53
3.0
A formal statement made on July 4, 1776 declaring the thirteen American colonies independent from Great Britain
Surface Forms
Morphology
united + state + declaration + of + independence
The phrase is fully compositional: 'United States' names the nation, 'declaration' is a formal statement, and 'of independence' specifies that the statement proclaims freedom. A B1 learner who knows these constituents can readily infer this refers to the formal document in which the United States proclaims independence, and the construction is cross-linguistically common.
Etymology
United States Declaration of Independence was the big written paper the American leaders wrote and signed on July 4, 1776 to say they would no longer be ruled by Britain. The word declaration means a public statement and independence means 'to be free', so the paper's name shows it was a public statement that the colonies were now free.