Historical Influences: The Good, Bad, and Ugly In terms of great historical documents, it is hard to argue that the United States Declaration of Independence is perhaps one of the greatest pieces of writing in existence. Many have viewed it as a “grand experiment” and an attempt to create a civilization unlike any that came before it. However, the Declaration of Independence was the culmination of ideas and ideological principles spanning many generations and even after it was drafted, it was far from complete or whole. Interestingly, though, it was not simply an idea that just miraculously generated out of thin air; the building of the “New World” was the result of a great many attempts and failures, many of which provided both positive …show more content…
While there are a number of documents that could likely be referenced as relevant or influential in the creation of The Declaration of Independence, The Mayflower Compact and Bacon’s Manifesto are two documents that I believe exemplify both positive and negative elements that influenced the creation of the Declaration of Independence; while both are heavily centered around the subject of government, they are drastically different from one another in what they each represented to their respective historical point in time and to the …show more content…
While The Mayflower Compact never referenced a complete abandonment of British rule, in stark contrast, Bacon’s Manifesto was a document that challenged what Nathanial Bacon and his supporters felt was a corrupt and bloated governing body, both locally and by the British Crown. Numerous references throughout Bacon’s manifesto inferred that the will of the people of Virginia Colony were essentially being tossed aside in favor of maintaining peaceful relations with Indigenous populations and that the localized governing body of Virginia was not using taxes for the betterment of the colony. Strictly from the standpoint of the challenges laid down to the governing body of both Virginia Colony and the English Crown, this can be seen as one of those pivotal and positive influences upon the eventual drafting of The Declaration of Independence; another core principle put forth by the founding fathers when they drafted the declaration was that the people of the thirteen colonies had the right to govern themselves and implied that said governing body needed a system of checks and balances. In many ways, Bacon’s Manifesto served as a means of highlighting the need for a system of accountability and this is an important attribute of The
Bacon’s rebellion was a messy but important experiment in expressing the people’s will under the colonial rule of England. History is still developing its interpretation of its causes and effects, but there is no doubt that without Bacon’s actions America’s history might be different today. His actions pointed to a general desire for the kind of self-determination that democracy provides, even if it didn’t quite produce it like the American Revolution did.
In the making of the United States, there were many events that are important. This paper intends to highlight a few of those events including; Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and the Federalist Papers. Many events in America’s history helped to establish the United States as a free and independent country. The Declaration of Independence in particular explains the rights and freedoms that Americans. Each document is like a stepping stones that leads to the next and building upon the pervious document.
Why was the Declaration of Independence written? The Declaration of Independence was written in 1776. We all know that day as Independence Day. It was accepted on July 4, 1776. On that day, the United States had freedom. There was a long, hard process to get the Declaration of Independence where it needed to be. It took several people, and several reviews to get it just right.
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.
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.
When in the course of the household we, the teens, have always had the responsibility of doing the chores around the house.When oneself has to do chores one has to miss out on hanging out with friends, going to the mall, et cetera. Of course we do not wish to be disrespectful toward our parents but it is now time that we write our own Declaration of Independence. It is important that our parents or guardians know how everyone feels about the chores that have been placed on us and why we should be independent.
There are many events that have happened in our history that have helped shape our country into what it is today. One of those events that helped change our country was the Decleration of Independance. The Declaration of Independence was written on July 4th, 1776. And this document was written so we were separate from England and so we weren’t under their power anymore. It meant that we were going to become a self-governing country. This was the very first big step we took to become our own country. And if we hadn’t have separated from England we wouldn’t be the country we are today. This helped build our nation and bring us closer together so we were united as one. This is when we realized we could be something bigger than what we were.
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.
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.
The Declaration of Independence includes four parts. The first part is the Preamble, which explains why the Continental Congress drew up the Declaration. They felt their reason should be explained to England.
During the late 1700s British citizens traveled by boat and explored what we now call the United States of America. King George still claimed that he had power over the colonists in America even though they were separated by the Atlantic Ocean. King George began to send mercenaries to raid, loot, and collect taxes. This led to many repeated pleas that developed into the Declaration of Independence. Amendment two, four, and five are indirectly addressed in the Declaration of Independence.
Vesterman, William, and Thomas Jefferson. "The Declaration of Independence." Great Interdisciplinary Ideas: A Reader for Writers. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. 189. Print.
When it comes to the Declaration of Independence, it affected not only the people of the colonies, but in fact, affected people around the globe and still affects people to this very day. This single document helped inspire nearly half of the 192 nations apart of the United Nations to have their own declaration of independence (Armitage, 2007). The Declaration of Independence is seen as one of our nation’s most prestigious document and this is because it is the document that declared our independence from Great Britain and the Royal Crown. It is essentially the marking of the United States’ birth.
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 was written to declare that the thirteen colonies were claiming themselves as independent states. Then U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights were written. These important papers spell out freedoms guaranteed to Americans and the laws that protect those freedoms. They talk of a government that works for the people.