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
In the mist of 1776-1877, did the United States carry out all the goals that were stated in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution? The Declaration of Independence and Constitution had many different goals and ideas in mind for the United States at the time. The United States partially realized the some of the values stated in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, but also did accomplish some the goals mentioned in the documents. The principles in the Declaration of Independence were applied to some, and the major goals in the Constitution were not wholly realized. Some of the goals that were partially realized were equality and women’s rights, some might say that these
They didn’t want to follow in Britain’s footsteps, so they created the Articles of Confederation to give people more rights and keep equality among the people. The American government found these influences beneficial and necessary in a society. The Declaration of Independence’s influence is still prominent in our government today. The Declaration of Independence has been an inspiring and guiding document in the development of the American
The Declaration of Independence is a document that has ideas on how the United States
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.
The American Declaration of Independence has affected the foundation of the United States more than any other event or document in American history. The Declaration of Independence was the basis for what the country was established on. The document was a way for the colonists to emancipate themselves from the cruelty of King George. This document had such an impacting effect because it was such a new way of bringing up concerns. It was the first of its kind in the history of America in the aspect of liberation of a group of people.
In addition to defining the government’s powers, the Declaration of Independence helps to define America’s nationhood. The Declaration of Independence was the first document composed. It declared the colonies’ independence from Great Britain which meant that it was the beginning of a new free nation. “Lincoln used the Declaration of Independence to construct national identity” (Farber, 2007). He says that the Declaration of Independence is the foundation on which the United States was formed which
The Declaration of Independence, completed and signed in July of 1776, marked the official separation between the 13 colonies and Great Britain. An armed struggle between the colonies and Britain had begun just over a year before, with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The formal declaration of independence established the new American revolutionary government and officially declared war against Great Britain. The primary purpose of the declaration was to assist the Second Continental Congress in obtaining aid from foreign countries. The document also clearly outlines the history of abuses the colonists had suffered under British rule since the end of the French
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary that someone must judge another to reassure their own position as a superior being. It is at this time, those that threaten individuality and culture be reminded that they are made of the same matter that nature intended for us as humans, and these oppressors of unique must now swallow it.
The American Declaration of Independence has affected the foundation of the United States more than any other event or document in American history. The Declaration of Independence was the basis for what the country was established on. The document was a way for the colonists to emancipate themselves from the cruelty of King George. This document had such an impacting effect because it was such a new way of bringing up concerns. It was the first of its kind in the history of America in the aspect of liberation of a group of people.
Some may believe that the Declaration is more important than the Constitution because Americans would not be independent, and would still be ruled by Britain, without it. This is true, however, the political laws that kept Americans under secure rule ensured that America would maintain what was was gained with the writing of the Declaration. Any place, whether it be a country, a workplace, or a school, needs to have laws, or rules, to keep the establishment running well. Without these laws, complete pandemonium would have erupted. The governmental laws found in the Constitution have kept this from happening in the United States. To elaborate, the principles in the Constitution guaranteed many things. One of these things is that all of the power
The Declaration of Independence was to be legal approval in 1776, to be followed by the Constitution of the United States of America. And the idea for a national framework of structural importance to American history, democracy set out in these documents were to have a great impact on legislator and political thinkers
“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” is a phrase nearly every American knows as being the three unalienable rights that cannot be revoked by the government. These self-evident truths first appeared in the Declaration of Independence, a document written to rid the United States from its torrid oppressors. Liberty, however, is the most important of the three, seeing as if American did not have it, residents would simply be slaves to their government and could not be truly free-thinking citizens.
The Declaration of Independence states that every citizen is granted the right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. Furthermore, it marks the groundbreaking turning point in American history where the United States gained its independence from the British Government. Since then, the Declaration of Independence argues on the people’s behalf for civil protection, and to a certain extent, negates government power. Embedded in the Declaration, it states “whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends (revolution), it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it” and “it is their right, it is their duty to throw off such government and to provide new guards for their future security” (Week 2 Foundations and Contradictions ppt.). However, counter to all of the positives in the Declaration of Independence, which is perceived as a well-respected document that ensures each person’s right to life, liberty and
Like most momentous declaration documents in the history of governments, the American Declarations of Independence is a document that represents a specific historical era. The universal human right concept occupies over 20% of the document while the rest of document details the alleged atrocities that the colonial government had committed. The list of the grievances is long. This paper looks at the most critical points in the declaration and those that the writer does not think as very important.
First of all freedom is essential, a condition that allows a person to live independently. Everyone has the right to be free, the right to built their own world, and decide what he or she wants to become. The government