The Declaration of Independence announced that the American colonies were separating from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Its July 4, 1776, resolution declared the Thirteen Colonies to be “free and independent States.”
The kingdom was the political state ruled by King George III and governed through institutions that included the British Parliament. Colonial resistance had intensified over taxation, parliamentary authority, and what many colonists saw as violations of their rights. The Revolutionary War had already begun in 1775 when the Declaration was issued.
“Great Britain” is the standard short answer, while “Kingdom of Great Britain” is the formal name intended by the question. It should not be confused with England alone: Great Britain consisted of England, Scotland, and Wales. Nor was the Declaration announcing separation from France, Spain, or Portugal.
The Declaration stated the political case for independence; military victory and the Treaty of Paris in 1783 ultimately secured and recognized U.S. independence.