Dbq 13 American Independence

On July 4, 1776, an independent and fervent nation was born. Our Founding Fathers used an overwhelming sense of integrity and determination to fabricate the Declaration of Independence - a historical document that pleads King George III for independence and stresses the importance of freedom, equality, and natural rights. Though the Declaration of Independence signifies the birth of America and represents a powerful landmark in our history, when looked at from a broad spectrum, it can be seen as arrogant, ironic, and controversial. The Declaration states, “ … 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 declaration”,

One of the most important parts of the Declaration of Independence is its preamble, and, more specifically, certain phrases contained within the preamble. Thomas Jefferson does an excellent job of explaining why the colonies are doing the things they are doing, and is very clear in stating what he and his associates think are the “unalienable rights” of the American people. Among these are “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Probably one of the most famous lines in American history, I have chosen to focus on this phrase and what those three things might have meant to Thomas Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers as they prepared this document, as well as what they mean to us today.

There are many reasons why the Americans were able to win the battle for independence. The many successful American tactics and the British downfalls are major factors that contributed to the Patriots winning the war. One major factor being the geographical make-up of the colonies. The British fleet was well-trained and equipped with all of the proper weapons to defeat any army it faced. In contrast, the colonial army lacked experienced, financially challenged, and unprepared.

In the years leading up to the American revolution it was evident that a new identity was developing for colonist. Stemming from the Seven Year’s colonists were slowly discovering a new way of viewing the mother country and themselves. By the eve of the American revolution most colonist had adopted the identity of British citizens fighting to protect their liberties. A strong bond of unity can be seen from colonists’ shared opinions and agreed course of action, while a large loyalist population supports that this bond took time to build.

After years of mistreatment from great britian, America finally had enough and declared independence from Great Britain. Great Britain had many large debts shortly after the french and indian war. Their way of getting rid of them was to pass many laws and acts against the american colonies ,such as the townshend act, tea act of 1773, and the stamp act. All three of these acts made the american colonies lives miserable while under the Britain's rule , which eventually led to conflict between the two sides. After bickering back and forth with little to no change,about the acts passed the conflict eventually erupted and turned into the american revolution.

By the eve of the revolution, the colonists developed a strong identity and a unity as americans by british representation, boycotting british law and fighting for their rights.

The Declaration of Independence was of crucial importance in relation to the development and finding of the United States of America.Written by Thomas Jefferson, the letter stated that the thirteen American colonies considered themselves free from British rule.. The Declaration listed the reasons for colonial dissatisfaction, and a list of injustice’s due to the King’s unfair and unlawful ruling. When examined closely, the Declaration of Independence shows a relatively new philosophy: that “governments are institutions established with the consent of the governed, not the divine rule of kings…” philosophers such as John Locke had suggested this principle, and the writers of the Declaration established it as the basis of their new nation,

American Independence in the late 1700’s The movement of American Independence from Great Britain in the late 1700’s formed a lot of different opinions, therefore there was many side to this movement. Some citizens felt that their was no hope for the movement due to the back and forth fighting between America and The Great Britain. Others looked at it more legalistically or they looked at it with optimism, unlike the ones who began to threaten and antagonize the citizens of the citizens of Great Britain and America. All of these opinions changed from 1763 to 1783 because of the movement and the way people contributed toward it.

Question 2. That the colonists wanted more independence to be equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities and they were willing to fight for it. The colonists had enough and were taking matters into their own hands. The Colonists were willing to make forceful or violent efforts to get the equality and independence they wanted. Another common theme during all the protests were destruction of English property.

The struggle that weighed heavy on America after independence was the constant battle toward creating and maintaining a stable central government. Through various conventions, compromises, and plans, the United States Constitution was finally ratified. A key component of the constitution, which has been shown to be a compelling guide to the basic fundamentals expressed throughout this document, is the preamble. As the introduction to the precedents/ principles of the federal government , the preamble holds immense importance, because of its emphasis on the strict beliefs of which America is built on.

The Declaration of Independence was written justifying the reasons for revolting against the British rule. It served three purposes, outlining its theory of government, listing complaints, and declaring war. The main complaint was the passage of unfavorable laws in England that affected the colonists yet they were not represented within the English Parliament to air the opinions while such laws were being passed. Though appearing like a logical argument, the British might have viewed it as diluting their power within their own parliament. Another complaint was the King’s role in making it difficult for the Colonists to participate in governance; this might also have been seen as undermining the British power in America and then there was forbidding laws that would have established significant judiciary powers. The King being the supreme source of justice might have viewed it as undermining

In comparing Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists, The Declaration of Independence, and U.S. Constitution, it is evident that the basis of all three documents is the idea that all human beings possess God-given fundamental rights and that government is created to protect those rights. The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, is the first of the three documents penned. This is important because it defined the rights of liberty and equality of all American citizens as outlined in John Locke’s natural law thesis (Martin, page 113). In addition to providing an itemized account of the grievances colonist’s held against King George III of England, it served to justify the colonist’s quest for independence and separation from British rule. The Declaration of Independence conveyed to the crown that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, which among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The Founders’ of the New World understood that their pursuit of liberties and autonomy specified in the Declaration of Independence could not come to fruition without instituting decrees. In 1787, the U.S. Constitution, was written to replace the Articles of Confederation with a better defined series of stringent laws that would legally uphold the freedoms and privileges established in the Declaration of Independence. The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights in

This leads to the Declaration of Independence which was adopted July 4, 1776. This document was meant as a self-esteem boost for the new Americans; giving them inalienable rights. “The most important statement in the declaration is the human rights, where the life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are extolled” (Gaynor). “He [Thomas Jefferson] wrote: "... it was intended to be an expression of the American mind" (Early America). Jefferson meant that the American people wanted freedom from high taxes and the big government in England.

In the year 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence due to the unfair treatment of the American colonist from the King of Britain. In the document, Jefferson used the expressions, “unalienable rights” and “self-evident truths”. Jefferson uses these expressions to explain all people are equal the day they are born are created equal, and certain rights should not and cannot be taken away from them. All men have the right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness which is given its validity through the belief that all men come from the same creator. The author also uses pathos and logos to clarify the importance of the American independence by stating facts with a passionate tone of voice throughout the document. While

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These words should sound familiar to most people. They were included in the Declaration of Independence, which was mainly written by Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration announced America’s separation from Britain, tyranny, and the monarchy.