The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Independence \In`de*pend"ence\, n. [Cf. F. ind['e]pendance.]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. The state or quality of being independent; freedom from
      dependence; exemption from reliance on, or control by,
      others; self-subsistence or maintenance; direction of
      one's own affairs without interference.
      [1913 Webster]

            Let fortune do her worst, . . . as long as she never
            makes us lose our honesty and our independence.
                                                  --Pope.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Sufficient means for a comfortable livelihood.
      [1913 Webster]

   Declaration of Independence (Amer. Hist.), the declaration
      of the Congress of the Thirteen United States of America,
      on the 4th of July, 1776, by which they formally declared
      that these colonies were free and independent States, not
      subject to the government of Great Britain.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

independence
    n 1: freedom from control or influence of another or others
         [syn: independence, independency]
    2: the successful ending of the American Revolution; "they
       maintained close relations with England even after
       independence"
    3: a city in western Missouri; the beginning of the Santa Fe
       Trail

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

159 Moby Thesaurus words for "independence":
   Communist threat, Declaration of Independence, Western imperialism,
   abstention, affluence, anythingarianism, aplomb, arrogance, assets,
   atrocity story, autarchy, autarky, autonomousness, autonomy,
   banner, battle hymn, bloody shirt, boastfulness, bottomless purse,
   bulging purse, colors, composure, conceit, confidence, constraint,
   control, cop-out, crostarie, disassociation, discipline,
   disconnection, discreteness, disjunction, disjuncture,
   dissociation, easy circumstances, embarras de richesses, evasion,
   expansionism, face, fence-sitting, fiery cross, fortune, free will,
   freedom, gold, gonfalon, gratuitousness, handsome fortune,
   haughtiness, high income, high tax bracket, home rule,
   immateriality, impartiality, imperialist threat, impertinence,
   inapplicability, inappositeness, inconnection, inconsequence,
   individualism, inner-direction, internationalism, internationality,
   irrelation, irrelevance, liberty, lucre, luxuriousness, mammon,
   manifest destiny, martial music, material wealth, money,
   money to burn, moneybags, mugwumpery, mugwumpism, national anthem,
   nationalism, nationality, nationhood, neutralism, neutrality,
   nonalignment, noncommitment, noninvolvement, nonpartisanism,
   nothingarianism, opulence, opulency, pardonable pride, pelf,
   peoplehood, possession, possessions, pride, pridefulness, property,
   prosperity, prosperousness, proudness, purse-pride, restraint,
   riches, richness, rugged individualism, self-action, self-activity,
   self-assurance, self-command, self-confidence, self-conquest,
   self-consequence, self-containment, self-control, self-denial,
   self-determination, self-direction, self-discipline, self-esteem,
   self-government, self-help, self-helpfulness, self-improvement,
   self-mastery, self-possession, self-reliance, self-respect,
   self-restraint, self-sufficiency, self-sustainment, separateness,
   six-figure income, sovereign nationhood, sovereignty, spontaneity,
   spontaneousness, statehood, stiff-necked pride, stiff-neckedness,
   strict neutrality, substance, treasure, unconnectedness,
   unforcedness, unrelatedness, upper bracket, vanity, voluntariness,
   voluntarism, voluntaryism, volunteer, volunteering, war song,
   wealth, wealthiness, yellow peril



Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

INDEPENDENCE. A state of perfect irresponsibility to any superior; the
United States are free and independent of all earthly power.
     2. Independence may be divided into political and natural independence.
By the former is to be understood that we have contracted no tie except
those which flow from the three great natural rights of safety, liberty and
property. The latter consists in the power of being able to enjoy a
permanent well-being, whatever may be the disposition of those from whom we
call ourselves independent. In that sense a nation may be independent with
regard to most people, but not independent of the whole world. Vide on of
Independence.



U.S. Gazetteer Counties (2000):

Independence -- U.S. County in Arkansas
   Population (2000):    34233
   Housing Units (2000): 14841
   Land area (2000):     763.781051 sq. miles (1978.183758 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    7.792729 sq. miles (20.183074 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    771.573780 sq. miles (1998.366832 sq. km)
   Located within:       Arkansas (AR), FIPS 05
   Location:             35.757476 N, 91.587049 W
   Headwords:
    Independence
    Independence, AR
    Independence County
    Independence County, AR


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Independence, MO -- U.S. city in Missouri
   Population (2000):    113288
   Housing Units (2000): 50213
   Land area (2000):     78.328220 sq. miles (202.869151 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.126088 sq. miles (0.326566 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    78.454308 sq. miles (203.195717 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            35000
   Located within:       Missouri (MO), FIPS 29
   Location:             39.079805 N, 94.406551 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     64050 64052 64053 64055 64056 64057
                         64058
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Independence, MO
    Independence


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Independence, CA -- U.S. Census Designated Place in California
   Population (2000):    574
   Housing Units (2000): 342
   Land area (2000):     3.997508 sq. miles (10.353498 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    3.997508 sq. miles (10.353498 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            36350
   Located within:       California (CA), FIPS 06
   Location:             36.805770 N, 118.202307 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     93526
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Independence, CA
    Independence


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Independence, OH -- U.S. city in Ohio
   Population (2000):    7109
   Housing Units (2000): 2726
   Land area (2000):     9.585923 sq. miles (24.827425 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    9.585923 sq. miles (24.827425 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            37240
   Located within:       Ohio (OH), FIPS 39
   Location:             41.381870 N, 81.640959 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     44131
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Independence, OH
    Independence


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Independence, OR -- U.S. city in Oregon
   Population (2000):    6035
   Housing Units (2000): 2131
   Land area (2000):     2.333914 sq. miles (6.044808 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.090369 sq. miles (0.234055 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    2.424283 sq. miles (6.278863 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            36150
   Located within:       Oregon (OR), FIPS 41
   Location:             44.853101 N, 123.191388 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     97351
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Independence, OR
    Independence


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Independence, IA -- U.S. city in Iowa
   Population (2000):    6014
   Housing Units (2000): 2610
   Land area (2000):     3.708116 sq. miles (9.603975 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.134959 sq. miles (0.349542 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    3.843075 sq. miles (9.953517 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            38100
   Located within:       Iowa (IA), FIPS 19
   Location:             42.470191 N, 91.893898 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     50644
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Independence, IA
    Independence


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Independence, KS -- U.S. city in Kansas
   Population (2000):    9846
   Housing Units (2000): 4747
   Land area (2000):     4.974332 sq. miles (12.883459 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    4.974332 sq. miles (12.883459 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            33875
   Located within:       Kansas (KS), FIPS 20
   Location:             37.228251 N, 95.711392 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     67301
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Independence, KS
    Independence


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Independence, KY -- U.S. city in Kentucky
   Population (2000):    14982
   Housing Units (2000): 5391
   Land area (2000):     16.772507 sq. miles (43.440592 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.006417 sq. miles (0.016619 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    16.778924 sq. miles (43.457211 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            39142
   Located within:       Kentucky (KY), FIPS 21
   Location:             38.953668 N, 84.546990 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     41051
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Independence, KY
    Independence


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Independence, LA -- U.S. town in Louisiana
   Population (2000):    1724
   Housing Units (2000): 735
   Land area (2000):     2.231891 sq. miles (5.780571 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.001764 sq. miles (0.004570 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    2.233655 sq. miles (5.785141 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            37025
   Located within:       Louisiana (LA), FIPS 22
   Location:             30.635293 N, 90.504005 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     70443
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Independence, LA
    Independence


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Independence, MN -- U.S. city in Minnesota
   Population (2000):    3236
   Housing Units (2000): 1115
   Land area (2000):     32.582634 sq. miles (84.388631 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    2.002520 sq. miles (5.186503 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    34.585154 sq. miles (89.575134 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            30842
   Located within:       Minnesota (MN), FIPS 27
   Location:             45.017562 N, 93.699325 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Independence, MN
    Independence


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Independence, VA -- U.S. town in Virginia
   Population (2000):    971
   Housing Units (2000): 497
   Land area (2000):     2.338944 sq. miles (6.057837 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    2.338944 sq. miles (6.057837 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            39528
   Located within:       Virginia (VA), FIPS 51
   Location:             36.622906 N, 81.151735 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     24348
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Independence, VA
    Independence


U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Independence, WI -- U.S. city in Wisconsin
   Population (2000):    1244
   Housing Units (2000): 619
   Land area (2000):     1.270999 sq. miles (3.291871 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.039539 sq. miles (0.102406 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    1.310538 sq. miles (3.394277 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            36800
   Located within:       Wisconsin (WI), FIPS 55
   Location:             44.358425 N, 91.422217 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     54747
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Independence, WI
    Independence