Declaration of Independence

887 Words2 Pages

Thomas Jefferson is probably the most important person of the American Revolution. Many other prosperous and expressive young people were radical and serious; however the Congress’s most significant task was given to Thomas Jefferson - to compose the Declaration of Independence. People from the committee of the congress such as, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston selected Jefferson to compose the Declaration’s first draft. They were all aware that he was able to produce powerful and striking sentences. Thomas Jefferson did not get to the basis of the Declaration of independence by meditation or prediction, nor by his own experience. He was clever and capable enough to use what he had learned from many leading thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment and philosophers in general. Every word in the Declaration of Independence is so carefully chosen that has an obvious background in the works of those brilliant minds. What he did mean by stating that “All men are created equal, no matter to which religion they belong people have rights such as life, liberty and pursuit of happiness” was of course a carefully summarized knowledge of previous researchers to serve the most noble cause; leading his own country into independence and creating a better version of the world. Thomas Jefferson believed that he was given the task to convince people i.e. the common people that all men are created equal. “It was claimed over the years that this was not only not self-evident but not true. Or, if true only vaguely or mystically equal before the law or equal in God’s eyes.” He deeply delved into analysis of existence of moral sense, virtuous actions, viewing of justice, depending on the circumstances and opinions of di... ... middle of paper ... ...ss are universal and timeless sources of philosophical thought, contemplation, the viewing and acceptance of a certain attitude which depends exactly on the period in which they are analyzed. Thomas Jefferson was educated, aware and skillful enough to put everything that was crucial for a serious legislative document. Or, as Mercy Otis Warren said “A declaration of the independence of America, and the sovereignty of the United States was drawn by the ingenious and philosophic pen of Thomas Jefferson, Esquire, a delegate from the state of Virginia.” http://books.google.mk/books?id=V-XP_riSQU8C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false http://www.thefederalistpapers.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/The-Declaration-of-Independence.pdf http://www.biography.com/people/thomas-jefferson-9353715?page=2#drafting-the-declaration-of-independence

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