<P> The sources and interpretation of the Declaration have been the subject of much scholarly inquiry . The Declaration justified the independence of the United States by listing colonial grievances against King George III , and by asserting certain natural and legal rights , including a right of revolution . Having served its original purpose in announcing independence , references to the text of the Declaration were few in the following years . Abraham Lincoln made it the centerpiece of his rhetoric ( as in the Gettysburg Address of 1863 ) and his policies . Since then , it has become a well - known statement on human rights , particularly its second sentence : </P>
<P> The sources and interpretation of the Declaration have been the subject of much scholarly inquiry . The Declaration justified the independence of the United States by listing colonial grievances against King George III , and by asserting certain natural and legal rights , including a right of revolution . Having served its original purpose in announcing independence , references to the text of the Declaration were few in the following years . Abraham Lincoln made it the centerpiece of his rhetoric ( as in the Gettysburg Address of 1863 ) and his policies . Since then , it has become a well - known statement on human rights , particularly its second sentence : </P>
what was the first purpose of the declaration of independence
what was the first purpose of the declaration of independence
announcing independence
announcing independence