Legal independence required constitutions, confederation, and foreign treaties, not just a declaration

Evidence

During the first four months after the declaration of American independence, the British obsession with securing New York City and its environs gave time and space for Congress and the states to advance the process of realizing what the delegates in Philadelphia had proclaimed. As John Adams had argued for months, rather than arising solely from a declaration by Congress, independence required new state constitutions, a formal confederation of the states, and treaties with other nations recognizing American sovereignty. These steps moved forward even as the battles raged in New York. — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 267

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies what ‘independence’ legally required beyond the Declaration itself — foundational for understanding the Declaration’s operative legal meaning.
• XREF: Connects to the reader’s constitutional law course on how founding documents gain force through institutional implementation. — connects to: Adams ranked state constitutions and foreign treaties above any declaration in defining independence — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 164; Jefferson valued drafting good state constitutions over declaring independence itself — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 190; Louverture’s constitution functioned in practice as a declaration of independence — Dubois, Laurent, Avengers of the New World_ The Story of…, 871 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Independence required each colony to first form its own republican government #expands (0.85) — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 162
• Louverture’s constitution functioned in practice as a declaration of independence #qualifies (0.75) — Dubois, Laurent, Avengers of the New World_ The Story of…, 871