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Declaration Of Independence Dbq Essay

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There is one document that any American can point to and say, “This is what lead to the great country of The United States of America” and that is the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence is important because it lists the grievances colonial Americans had with Britain, but more importantly it lists the ideals of the USA. There are many important ideals in the Declaration of Independence. Some of these ideals are natural rights , the right to alter or abolish government , and the consent of the governed. The most important ideal of the Declaration of Independence is the consent of the governed, not natural rights or the right to alter or abolish government. An important ideal of the Declaration of Independence is natural …show more content…

Andrew Sullivan breaks down why these rights are important one by one in his article titled, This I Believe. Andrew says he believes in life because it is a “mystery” that “should never be destroyed (Andrew Sullivan , Document B). Andrew also mentions his belief in liberty when he says, “I believe that within every soul lies the [ability] to reach for its own good...” (Andrew Sullivan , Document B). The last thing Sullivan mentions are his beliefs on the pursuit of happiness and that people should not focus on the pursuit and not its “attainment” or its “final definition” (Andrew Sullivan, Document B). Natural Rights cannot be the most important because without the consent of the governed, countries cannot have natural rights. This has been proven throughout history but especially true in the USSR. The citizens of the USSR were not granted life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Sullivan states that life “should …show more content…

The Tea Party is a movement started in 2008 that supported a smaller government, lower taxes, and reduction of the national debt (Document D). The party says that the right to alter of abolish government is important because it “restore[s] the policies, which are proven to safeguard liberty and prosperity for all.” (Declaration of the Tea Party of Independence, Document D). The Tea Party could not try to alter government if there was not any consent from the people to be governed. For example, in the British Empire (before the signing of the Magna Carta) the king ruled without the consent of the people and people were not allowed to alter or abolish government. Only the king could alter or abolish government, not the

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