Declaration of Independence: was it a major turning point in the U.S., what changed and what remained consistent from the period immediately...

The Declaration of Independence was clearly a turning point in United States History. The Declaration of Independence stated that we were no longer a part of the British Empire. It said we were free from British rule. We were now an independent country based on the words of the Declaration of Independence. We went from being British colonies and British citizens to having our own country and becoming American citizens.

What changed after the Declaration of Independence was that we were now at war with Great Britain. The British weren’t going to allow us to just walk away from British rule without a fight. As a result, the Revolutionary War began. We were now fighting for our freedom. The Second Continental Congress was now acting as our official government. While it was functioning as a form of government before the Revolutionary War, the British were still ruling us. Once we declared independence, the Second Continental Congress acted as our government. Thus, the Second Continental Congress was an example of a change since it was now our official government. However, it also is an example of what remained consistent because it was functioning as a form of government before we declared independence.

Once we declared independence, we were now responsible for many things that the British had done for us. We had to deal with other countries. We had to develop our system of money. We had to supply our army and train our troops. The British were doing many of these things before the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. These were significant changes for us.

We did continue to carry on our normal business before and after the Declaration of Independence. Our industries continued to make products, and our farms continue to produce various crops and farm products. Americans continued to believe in the ideals that a government must protect our rights and be of service to the people it represents. These were some ideas that remained constant before and after the Declaration of Independence was issued.