Sheffield Declaration facts for kids
The Sheffield Declaration, also called the Sheffield Resolves, was an important document from Colonial America. It was like a strong letter or petition against the unfair rule of the British government. It also clearly stated the rights that all people should have.
This declaration was created in the town of Sheffield, Massachusetts, on January 12, 1773. It was later printed for everyone to read in a newspaper called The Massachusetts Spy on February 18, 1773. The meeting where this declaration was made happened at the Colonel John Ashley House. This house is a special historical place in Ashley Falls, a part of Sheffield, Massachusetts.
What Was the Sheffield Declaration?
The Sheffield Declaration was a set of statements, or "resolves," that people in Sheffield, Massachusetts, agreed upon. These statements were a way for them to protest against the British government's actions. They wanted to make it clear that they believed in freedom and individual rights.
Who Wrote the Declaration?
A group of eleven local citizens worked together to create and approve the Sheffield Declaration. These important people included:
- Deacon Silas Kellog
- Col. John Ashley (who led the committee)
- Dr. Lemuel Bernard
- Aaron Root
- Major John Fellows
- Philip Callender
- Capt. William Day
- Deacon Ebenezer Smith
- Capt. Nathaniel Austin
- Capt. Stephen Dewey
- Theodore Sedgwick (who actually wrote the words of the declaration)
What Did the Declaration Say?
The very first statement in the Sheffield Declaration was very powerful. It said that "Mankind in a state of nature are equal, free, and independent of each other, and have a right to the undisturbed enjoyment of their lives, their liberty and property."
These words are very similar to a famous line in the United States Declaration of Independence, which was written three years later by Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration of Independence says: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
This shows how important the ideas in the Sheffield Declaration were. They helped shape the ideas of freedom and rights that became central to the founding of the United States.
