<P> A less partisan appreciation for the Declaration emerged in the years following the War of 1812, thanks to a growing American nationalism and a renewed interest in the history of the Revolution . In 1817, Congress commissioned John Trumbull's famous painting of the signers, which was exhibited to large crowds before being installed in the Capitol . The earliest commemorative printings of the Declaration also appeared at this time, offering many Americans their first view of the signed document . Collective biographies of the signers were first published in the 1820s, giving birth to what Garry Wills called the "cult of the signers". In the years that followed, many stories about the writing and signing of the document were published for the first time . </P> <P> When interest in the Declaration was revived, the sections that were most important in 1776 were no longer relevant: the announcement of the independence of the United States and the grievances against King George . But the second paragraph was applicable long after the war had ended, with its talk of self - evident truths and unalienable rights . The Constitution and the Bill of Rights lacked sweeping statements about rights and equality, and advocates of groups with grievances turned to the Declaration for support . Starting in the 1820s, variations of the Declaration were issued to proclaim the rights of workers, farmers, women, and others . In 1848, for example, the Seneca Falls Convention of women's rights advocates declared that "all men and women are created equal". </P> <P> A key step marking the evolution of the Declaration in the nation's consciousness is the now well - known painting Declaration of Independence by Connecticut political painter John Trumbull . It was commissioned by the United States Congress in 1817 . 12 - by - 18 - foot (3.7 by 5.5 m) in size, it has hung in the United States Capitol Rotunda since 1826 . It has been often reproduced, and is the visual image most associated by Americans with the Declaration . </P> <P> The painting is sometimes incorrectly described as the signing of the Declaration of Independence . In fact, the painting actually shows the five - man drafting committee presenting their draft of the Declaration to the Second Continental Congress, an event that took place on June 28, 1776, and not the signing of the document, which took place later . </P>

The reason for writing the declaration of independence