The Declaration begins with a short introductory statement called the Preamble that explains the reason for the document, which is to "declare the causes" that have created the need for the colonies to "dissolve the political bands" with England and reinvent itself as an independent nation.
The second section begins with a list of "truths" that the persons being represented by the Declaration consider to be "self-evident." This list sets out rights, or ends, that all people should expect to be granted and states the rights people have when those rights are not honored.
