You’ve probably heard of the Declaration of Independence. It’s the big one. It’s the one with the fancy calligraphy and the July 4th fireworks attached to it. But there is another document, written exactly one year earlier, that basically explains why the American Revolution even happened in the first place without actually saying "we’re leaving."
It’s called the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms.
If the Declaration of Independence was the "breakup letter," this document was the "I’m putting my shoes on and heading to the driveway" letter. It was issued by the Second Continental Congress on July 6, 1775. Just think about the timing for a second. The Battles of Lexington and Concord had already gone down. Bunker Hill was a fresh, bloody memory. The colonies were effectively at war, but they hadn't quite committed to the idea of being a new country yet. They were in this weird, violent limbo.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a miracle this document even exists in its current form because the two guys writing it—Thomas Jefferson and John Dickinson—couldn't have been more different if they tried.
The Odd Couple of the Revolution
Jefferson was the young, hot-headed Virginian. He wanted fire. He wanted to tell the British exactly where they could shove their taxes. Dickinson, a lawyer from Pennsylvania, was the "Olive Branch" guy. He was terrified of a full-scale war with the world's greatest superpower.
The Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms is the result of their awkward collaboration.
Jefferson wrote the first draft. It was intense. He basically called the British government a bunch of tyrants who wanted to turn Americans into literal slaves. Dickinson looked at it and probably had a minor heart attack. He toned it down, added some "we still love the King" vibes, but kept the core message: we are armed, and we aren't putting the guns down until you stop messing with us.
It’s a fascinating piece of political tightrope walking.
On one hand, the document says, "We have no desire to dissolve the union." On the other, it says, "We would rather die as free men than live as slaves." It’s that specific tension that makes the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms so much more human than the polished, finalized version of 1776. It’s the sound of people who are scared, angry, and still hoping they don't have to burn the whole house down.
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Why 1775 Was the Real Point of No Return
People often think the Revolution started because of a few cents on tea. It’s a bit more complicated than that. By the time this declaration was read to Washington's troops in Cambridge, the colonies felt like they were being pushed into a corner by a "ministerial conspiracy."
That’s a phrase they used a lot.
They didn't necessarily blame King George III yet—that would come later. They blamed the advisors and the Parliament. They felt that the British Constitution, which they actually loved, was being violated.
Imagine you’re a farmer in Massachusetts. You’ve spent your whole life thinking you’re a proud Brit. Then, suddenly, there are soldiers in your barn and you can’t trade your hay without a stamp from a guy in London you’ve never met. You’d be pretty ticked off too. The Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms was the formal way of saying that this wasn't a riot; it was a principled defense.
The "Slavery" Rhetoric
One thing that’s kinda jarring to modern readers is how often Jefferson and Dickinson use the word "slavery."
They weren't talking about the actual chattel slavery existing in the colonies at the time—which is a massive, glaring hypocrisy we have to acknowledge. They were talking about political slavery. To them, being taxed without consent was the same thing as being a slave because you had no control over your own property or future.
It’s an extreme comparison. But it shows you the headspace of the Continental Congress. They felt that if they gave an inch, they’d lose everything.
What the Document Actually Said
If you sit down and read the full text—which, honestly, you should—it follows a pretty specific logic.
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First, it lists the grievances. It talks about the "unlimited power" claimed by Parliament. It mentions the suspension of trial by jury in many cases. It brings up the Coercive Acts (or Intolerable Acts), which basically shut down Boston.
Then, it gets to the "Necessity" part.
This is where the teeth come out. The document explains that the colonies tried to petition. They tried to be nice. They sent the Olive Branch Petition (also drafted by Dickinson around the same time). But because the British responded with more troops and more threats, the colonies felt they had no choice but to fight back.
"Our cause is just. Our union is perfect," the document famously declares. It’s a bit of bravado, sure. The union was definitely not "perfect" in 1775. The colonies were bickering constantly. But for that one moment, they stood together.
The Audience
Who was this written for?
- The British People: They wanted the average Joe in London to know that the colonists weren't just rebels; they were Englishmen defending their rights.
- The Continental Army: Washington had just taken command. These guys needed a reason to potentially die. Reading this aloud at camp gave the struggle a moral framework.
- The King: It was one last "please listen to us" before things got even worse.
Comparing 1775 to 1776
Most people get these two mixed up, but the differences are huge.
The Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms is basically a legal brief. It’s defensive. It says, "We’re fighting because you hit us first."
The Declaration of Independence is a philosophical manifesto. It’s offensive. It says, "We’re leaving because we have a right to exist as our own thing."
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You can see the evolution of thought in just twelve months. In '75, they were still trying to fix the marriage. In '76, they were filing for divorce and moving to a different state.
The Legacy of the "Other" Declaration
Why don't we talk about this one as much?
Probably because it’s a bit messy. It doesn't have the clean, soaring rhetoric of "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." It’s bogged down in legal arguments about the administration of justice and the "unfortunate" necessity of bloodshed.
But if you want to understand the mind of the American Revolution, this is the document to study. It shows the hesitation. It shows the genuine regret many of these men felt about breaking away from Britain.
Dickinson, in particular, is a tragic figure in this story. He wrote some of the most powerful defenses of American rights, yet he refused to sign the Declaration of Independence a year later because he still hoped for reconciliation. He was a man of deep principle who got caught in the gears of history.
Taking Action: How to Dig Deeper
If you're a history buff or just someone who wants to understand how movements actually start, don't just take my word for it. Here is how you can actually engage with this history today:
Read the Original Text Side-by-Side
Go to the National Archives website or the Avalon Project at Yale. Open the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms in one tab and the Declaration of Independence in the other. Look for the phrases Jefferson "recycled." You'll see his fingerprints all over both, but you'll also see where Dickinson’s lawyerly hand smoothed over the rough edges in 1775.
Visit the Sites of the 1775 Conflict
If you’re ever in Boston or Philadelphia, skip the tourist traps for a second. Go to the sites where this document would have been read to the troops. Standing on the ground where people first heard these words makes the "necessity" feel a lot more real.
Understand the Legal Precedent
Research the "rights of Englishmen." That’s what these guys were actually fighting for. They weren't trying to invent new rights; they thought they were defending old ones that dated back to the Magna Carta. Knowing that context changes how you see the entire Revolutionary War.
The Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms isn't just a dusty old paper. It’s a snapshot of a moment when the world was about to change forever, but nobody was quite sure if they were doing the right thing. It’s human, it’s complicated, and it’s the real story of how America began.