On June 11th 1776 the Continental Congress tabbed five men who were given the task to write one of the most important documents in America’s history; The Declaration of Independence. During a time of immense diversity people living in the colonies of what was soon to be The United States of America were yearning for something that could place them under one large umbrella. This committee of five men consisted of John Adams from Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert R. Livingston of New York, Roger Sherman of Connecticut and of course Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. These five men made an impeccable team that together drafted the Declaration of Independence, the document that represents the ground of what American political …show more content…
But when put into context with the rest of the document an auspicious view of America and its people are created by the reader. The “course of human events,” is most likely meant to imply the American Revolution; and by doing so establish the feeling that the altercation between Britain and America is not a small political disagreement, but rather an important and large event in the history of the modern world. There is no aspect in the entire length of the Declaration of Independence where persuasion is the voice being heard, instead the Declaration did just that; declared. It did not declare in the tone of an interpretation, instead in the tone of observation. In doing this it left no room for controversy over specific …show more content…
“We, therefore, the Representative of the United States of America, in general congress… appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World… do, in the Name and, by the authority of the good People of these Colonies… That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, Free and Independent States”. Again, no room for misinterpretation is left, and the statement that the colonies are “free and independent states” is exactly that, a statement. But the most important part in the entirety of the document is the last sentence. “…we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” The word placement is exact and generates the most efficient meaning in the sentence. The use of “our” in this instance and all throughout the document creates a connection between the reader, the Declaration, and the idea of freedom.
The confidence that the Declaration of Independent is written with cannot be argued, and the clarity behind each sentence is obvious. Both aid in making it one of the most memorable, meaningful, and strongest pieces of American
After it was written, 56 delegates coming from all of the 13 colonies signed the Declaration of Independence in order to make it official. This document served great justice during the Atlantic Revolution; it sought to make a difference as to how the colonies were in terms of their alliance with Britain. The Atlantic Revolution was able to make this happen, for it opened up the space for change. Through the document, we can see how the colonies determined to separate themselves from the British Empire. Some things to pay attention to in the writing is that they mentioned things like “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”. The goal of this statement is to make sure that even though the men make up the government and the people must be okay with them, at the end of the day the people have the right to make sure that their government is not being destructive and is aiming towards their rights. The Atlantic Revolution brought forth new ideas of government and the liberation of the colonies from the
The Declaration of Independence refers to “our constitution”, in this respect they were referring to the Ancient British Constitution. The United States was expressing the fundamental aspects of British politics; among these were Classic Republicanism, Enlightenment Liberalism, and Protestant Christianity. In the Declaration they balanced all of these English traditions; expressing what they believed to be the true spirit of the British Constitution. As Edmund Burke would say, “(the Revolution) was carried out not to create new liberties but to preserve old ones” (Wood, p. 58). The main issue that the colonies had with the British following 1763, was England’s belief in the doctrine of
All men were created by God with certain God-given rights, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is the right of the people to eradicate this form of government when it becomes destructive to these rights. The Declaration then goes on to state many things that the king of England has done wrong or against America. He has not allowed Governors to pass laws that are of great importance. He has made judges dependent upon him for their salaries; they must do what he says is right in order to get paid. He has cut off their trade from other parts of the world. He has waged war against them. He has done numerous things that have not been taken care of after multiple petitions have been set out to be received by the king. They want to be enemies in times of war and friends in times of peace. It is the right of these colonies to be free and independent states, and they have freedom to do that of which all independent states have to do. They end with the statement that they have a firm belief that this is the Providence of God to be
In conclusion, without struggle and without sacrifice this country would not have gained the independence and prove that united we stand and divide we fall. Thomas Paine quite elegantly put it “however strange it may appear to some, or however unwilling they may be to think so, matters not, but many strong and striking reasons may be given to shew, that nothing can settle our affairs so expeditiously as an open and determined declaration of independence” (Paine 111).
The declaration of Independence is an amazing document. It’s authors portrayed their anger, their disappointment, and their dream in a new government through this document. A government meant to protect the people's rights. They manifested this dream. they used logos and pathos along with other forms of rhetoric to show the people the urgency of their situation.
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 Declaration of Independence (1776) was written to proclaim the colonists’ independence from Great Britain and announce the rights of its citizens and the role of government, among other declarations. The most famous phrase “…all men are created equal”, authored by Thomas Jefferson, was a statement affirming that tyranny under the rule of King George III and the English Parliament would be met with opposition by the colonists who would protect their liberties in the new republic.
The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents produced by an American thinker. Reading The Declaration of Independence presents the reader with a window into the world of revolutionary America. It conveys the dynamic nature of the time better than any written work of the period. The real importance of The Declaration of Independence lies not in the purpose for which Jefferson created it, to declare independence from Great Britain, but rather how future generations have interpreted Jefferson's words. Jefferson's document originally guaranteed basic rights for a select segment of the American population. Today it has become a document which has been interpreted to guarantee the basic rights of everyone living in America and abroad. In a way it has become a document with a life of its own. It has become something far more substantial than anything Jefferson or his contemporaries, writing within an eighteenth century mindset, could ever have believed it would become.
The signers of the Declaration are to be thanked on behalf of the American people, the courageous sacrifices they showed in defending the people’s rights and standing their ground despite the consequences they faced, is certainly oddly astonishing. How outstanding is it that letters came to be mightier than swords and weapons? How glorious is it that such sacrifices were given for some words? Words that set free a whole society and abolished another? The Declaration is objectively a set of words, which were strong enough to end persecution under the mighty rule of monarchy, once and for
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.
In 1776, the tyranny of King George III made it necessary for all thirteen colonies to unite, declare independence and to sever political ties between Great Britain. The under-represented people of America needed something strong which showed how colonists need to free of the English rule. The colonists did that by writing a “list of grievances” by stating their reasons for rebelling against Britain’s tyranny. If it wasn’t for Thomas Jefferson’s brilliant idea of creating the Declaration of Independence, who knows how America would have turned out today? However, the real importance of the Declaration of Independence lies not in the purpose for which Jefferson created it, to declare independence from Great Britain, but rather how future generations have interpreted Jefferson’s words. Ultimately, the Declaration of Independence has become a document that has been interpreted to guarantee the basic rights of everyone in America and abroad. Who would have thought that this one document could have created this much of an impact today? The Declaration of Independence still was, and still is, the most important part of America’s history because of its historical influence. The Declaration of Independence is still very relevant – it still plays a significant role in today’s society.
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.
Eleven score and nineteen years ago, we became the United States of America after the Continental Congress signed the final draft of the Declaration of Independence. This document would change American history forever by being a factor in America gaining its freedom from Great Britain. This document was the United States’s way of telling Britain we were declaring independence and gave justification as to why they were. The document was written by Thomas Jefferson, a member of the Continental Congress; but it was edited several times by other members of the congress such as Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. The Declaration of Independence had many significant event that led to its creation, arguments that were parallel to other famous documents
The Declaration of Independence is the document American colonists used to express their ideas and beliefs for necessary freedoms that were not being obtained under British rule. In 1776 a committee made up of future founding fathers gathered together to draft the declaration. This committee included Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston; however Jefferson is widely regarded as the main author of the document. Jefferson uses a plethora of rhetorical devices throughout this three page document defending basic human rights. He adopts an agitated yet hopeful tone throughout the declaration to ensure that the English know that the American people will not take King George’s tyranny lying down any longer. The document did have the intended effect on the audience because this led to the Revolutionary war, which then led to America’s eventual independence. Given the time period in which
The declaration of Independence was written up in 1776 by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston and Thomas Jefferson. Three of these men (Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson) are known for being part of the founding fathers. At this period of time, America was in conflict with Great Britain for freedom and at the same time it was also part of the age of enlightenment. Until today, the Declaration of Independence remains the most important writing in America, and American history. It separated the colonies from the rule of King George the third, gave the United States a fundamental ideal way of government based on natural rights, and it gave America its own cultural identity.