Question

Was the Declaration of Independence intended to be a formal declaration of war? Why or why not? A. Yes. Though fighting preceded the writing, it was
intended to be a formal declaration of war. B. No. The war started a year before the Declaration of Independence was written. C. Yes. The Declaration of Independence formally united the militias of the individual colonies. D. No. There was no need to declare war, as this power had yet to be established.

Answer 1

The Declaration of Independence intended to be a formal declaration of war:

A. Yes. Though fighting preceded the writing, it wasintended to be a formal declaration of war. 

Conflicts between American colonists and British soldiers started in April 1775, however the formal Declaration of Independence happened on July 4, 1776.

Answer 2

The correct answer is B. The Declaration of Independence wasn't intended to be a formal declaration of war, because  the war started a year before it was written.

The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America was a document that marked the birth and independence of the nation, signed on July 2, 1776 and made effective on the evening of July 4, 1776. In it, the Thirteen Colonies declared their independence from the British Empire by exposing the reasons that led them to this act; with this declaration the United States of America were officially born.

Then, it was a exposition of reasons rather than a declaration of war, since the war had begun a year earlier, on April 19, 1775.