The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson provides some very valid arguments. These claims are useful for many reasons. They also offer valuable insight into the current National Security Agency (NSA) domestic spying program controversy. Jefferson is a very persuasive writer for many reasons. He employs many rhetorical strategies throughout his argument. This text is considered a classic, one that was important in the time it was written, and equally important now. The Declaration of Independence is an ongoing and viable model to put to use for the current NSA domestic spying program controversy. Jefferson crafts numerous arguments throughout this text. He believes that citizens have the right to disband their current government when it begins to restrict their freedom. Also, he explains that citizens have the right to enjoy their lives without being constrained by the government. Furthermore, Jefferson implies that the government was originally created to protect our rights not limit them. In addition, he suggests that in order to maintain their happiness and safety, citizens have the right to abolish the old government and institute a new one. Jefferson also insinuates that humankind is more likely to suffer than to change the sufferable conditions. He hints that to protect future generations from having to endure what the current generation has endured, it is their duty to overthrow the current government. These arguments are significant for many reasons. They allow Americans to understand that they do not have to tolerate a government that restricts their freedom. Also, the arguments explain that citizens deserve to live happy lives. They reveal that sometimes the government attempts to take advantage of its citiz... ... middle of paper ... ...as written and equally important now. Works Cited Ball, James, Julian Borger, and Glenn Greenwald. "Revealed: How US and UK Spy Agencies Defeat Internet Privacy and Security." Theguardian.com. The Guardian, 5 Sept. 2013. Web. 06 Nov. 2013. . Gellman, Barton, and Ashkan Soltani. "NSA Infiltrates Links to Yahoo, Google Data Centers Worldwide, Snowden Documents Say." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2013. Web. 06 Nov. 2013. . Jefferson, Thomas. "The Declaration of Independence." The Norton Reader. 13th ed. Ed. Linda H. Peterson, et al. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2012. 804-06. Print.
Jefferson, Thomas. "The Declaration of Independence." The McGraw-Hill Reader: Issues Across the Disciplines. 8th edition, Ed. Gilbert H. Muller. New York: McGraw Hill, 2003. 305-308.
Our Declaration of Independence, was penned most notably by Thomas Jefferson in response to the atrocities committed by the British Crown against the citizens of the American Colonies. At the time of the drafting of The Declaration, Jefferson was widely known to be a successful practitioner of Law as a lawyer, and an eloquent writer. It is due to this, that although Jefferson was a member of a five-man committee charged with drafting the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was tapped to be the main author.
The second paragraph of the Declaration maps out Jefferson's beliefs on the equality of man and the natural rights we should all have endowed. He holds that, "it is self evident that all men are created equal," and that each man has certain natural rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." He goes on to say that the role of the government, after being instituted my man, is to support and secure these rights for all the citizens. If however, the government is not providing the security that the citizens feel they need, Jefferson claims that they as a collection have the right to overthrow the existing government and create a new one that is founded on these principles of natural rights and equality.
Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence is one of the most famous influential documents ever produced. The declaration led to the freedom of the Thirteen Colonies which in turn sparked the independence of much of the Western Hemisphere. “When in the course of human events” and the following text are now some of the most recognizable words in all of historical documents.
Jefferson, Thomas. "The Declaration of Independence." Language Matters. Third ed. Southlake: Fountain Head, 2010. 247-50. Print.
In the beginning of the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson wrote about how when any form of government becomes “destructive”, it is the right of the people “to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new government…” Jefferson wrote very passionately about how all men have rights which are “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”. Jefferson recognized that these rights are not always attainable, but when a government repeatedly ignores these rights completel...
Jefferson, Thomas. The Declaration Of Independence. 02 July 1776. What Thomas Jefferson meant by the terms “unalienable rights” and “self-evident truths” is that since all men are created equally, they are entitled to their freedom, to do such that makes them happy and that they own the right to live. Each and every person has the right to select or vote who governs him or her and also have the right to remove who is already in power. “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” (3). Each individual should not have their rights taken away from them to chose who they believe will lead their nation in the right direction and will act or show care and thought for their future. Jefferson emphasizes
In early June 2013, Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old former defense contractor who had access to NSA database while working for an intelligence consulting company, leaked classified documents reports that the National Security Agency (NSA) is recording phone calls of millions of Americans along with gathering private data and spying foreign Internet activity. The Washington Post later broke the news disclosed PRISM, a program can collect data on Internet users. The leaked documents publicly stated a vast objection. Many people were shocked by the scale of the programs, even elected representatives were unaware of the surveillance range. A nationwide debate over privacy rights have been sparked. Although supporters claim that the NSA only does its best to protect the United States from terrorists as well as respecting Americans' rights and privacy, many civil rights advocates feel that the government failed to be clear about the limit of the surveillance programs, threatening Americans' civil...
The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson (with the help of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, as well as many others), was signed on July 1st, 1776 in Philadelphia. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence to appeal to the British Parliament and King and explain why the American Colonies wanted independence from England. Thomas Jefferson and the other delegates from the Second Continental Congress agreed that, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator certain unalienable rights” (p. 112) which became the base for nearly all of the points made in the document. Logical and emotional statements were used throughout the document to make impactful statements that would convince the audience of the seriousness of the matters they were presenting.
The Declaration of Independence is focused for the most part toward King George III and the British Parliament. Jefferson wanted them to understand the reasoning behind the American's decision of independence. From paragraphs 6-32 he lists all the acts of tyranny that King George III forced upon the Americans. The list is longer than all the other parts of the document put together. It demonstrates how much emphasis Jefferson placed on providing reasons. But, this list is not only directed at Jefferson, it is a reminder to all Americans and the whole world of what disturbing times have been overcome in the past.
The Declaration of Independence was brought forth in a unanimous act to Declare the thirteen United States of America to become Independent. This was taken place on July 4, 1776 by the Second Continental Congress for the citizens of the United States. It was then published on January 18, 1777. At this time in history, the values, attitudes, and beliefs held within the country are introduced to us the same as our present day because we as a country still base our freedom and ways of life through political terms within the Declaration of Independence. This quote simply portrays how the people at this time felt and today what we follow, “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”.
When writing this document, they had to be careful not to do a few things. First, they didn't want this to sound like a rebellion. They tried to make it sound like it was a moral and justified thing to do. The goal was to make this rebellion a justified act. Rebelling against a king is seriose. So they had to be careful. They couldn't just make this against their own king of Britian, instead they wanted it to be a generelized statement for all kings. Otherwise, no one would pay any attention to it, for its only against one king. What Jefferson had to do was formulate a general political philosophy that affirms the right ofna people to establish and overturn it';s own goverment, which is also formulated in the first part of the second paragraph of the decleration, saying that all men are created equal with rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Intro: The Declaration of Independence shapes our ideal vision in America by letting every individual have unalienable rights, not having to live under a tyrant, and having equality. These rights are to be protected by one government that is willing to secure these rights for the people. Due to not being responsible towards the people’s happiness, this government will be overthrown and replaced with a new one in which the people will be satisfied with.
Vesterman, William, and Thomas Jefferson. "The Declaration of Independence." Great Interdisciplinary Ideas: A Reader for Writers. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. 189. Print.
Gonchar, Michael. “What Is More Important: Our Privacy or National Security?” New York Times. New York Times, 17 Sept. 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.