Declaration Of Independence's Influence On The US Constitution

The Declaration of Independence is made up of five distinct parts: the introduction, which states that “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” (McClellan, 2000, p. 183 ), and why the United States should be free from Britain’s rule. The preamble, “that set out principles that were already recognized to be

Since the beginning of this great nation, the american people have been greatly influenced by the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble of the Constitution. The Declaration of Independence justifies the reasons why the 13 colonies were breaking with Great Britain and establishes a foundation of principles to lay their new government on. The Preamble to the Constitution declares their acknowledgement of Justice, Liberty, and Posterity that would be elaborated in the Constitution. The Declaration was written in 1776, its purpose was to explain to foreign nations why the colonies had broke with Great Britain. The Preamble, written in 1787, explains why the makers of the constitution made our government a republic. Between the Declaration and the Preamble, the Declaration better influences the American People in today's society.

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

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 was the cornerstone of American freedom and equality. By writing this document, the American Colonies could now begin the process of starting a new way of life and a new government. Obviously, at the time the Declaration of Independence was written the concept of “equality” was more limited than it is today. Certainly, all members of colonial America did not share equal status. However the concepts of the Declaration of Independence have evolved more fully over the centuries

The Declaration of Independence itself was actually heavily influenced by the ideals held in the Magna Carta, which in term affected the United States Constitution. Some examples of these ideals are the people having freedom and guaranteed rights that the government cannot take away, as well as other government limiting tactics. This is shown from a quote directly from the Magna Carta, “No freeman shall be taken or imprisoned or disseised, or exiled or in any way destroyed, nor will we go upon him or send upon him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the Law of the Land.”. This is also shown in the Constitution in multiple parts, however some stand out more than others. “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States...” (U.S. Const. amend. XIV) is one of these instances. This quote in particular stands out as it states that there are certain rights that cannot be taken away, whilst still maintaining a governmental

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.

The Declaration of Independence has influenced the United States Constitution in many ways. In the Declaration the government was “corrupt” and unjust, it was also written as if we were united but that was not true and the Constitution justifies these wrongs. This paper will explain how the United States Constitution was influenced by the Declaration of Independence because the king was not doing his job and by implying that all men are created and treated equally.

The Declaration of Independence set the basis for our constitution and government today. The Declaration of Independence not only shaped the United States, but shaped many other countries all over the world as well. The Declaration was a long list of grievances against the british which recognized America’s succeeding from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence has multiple ideals, but which are more important? Some of the more important ideals in the declaration of independence include Equality, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, consent of the governed, and being able to alter or abolish the government. However, the most important ideals are Equality, consent of the governed, and the right to alter or abolish the government.

The Declaration of Independence was written in the point of view of people against the British colonist rule in The United States. According to this document, when America achieves independence from Britain, the people will be able to live under “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. The Declaration of proves that Independence is important to being an American because without freedom from the grievances afflicted by Britain on America, the citizens would not have the liberty to pursue what makes them happy in life. Furthermore, The Bill of Rights, which is told from the perspective of the American people, states that “powers are that are not delegated to the federal government are retained by the states and the people” which explains that as much power as possible should be given to the people and the independent states. The decision to have the people and the states they live in to make their own separate and independent choices helps extends the knowledge on how independence defines what it means to be an American. The Documents The Bill of Rights and The Declaration of Independence further explain that independence is an important part to what it means to be an

The Declaration of Independence was written over 200 years ago, but still remains influential to the nation today. This document was written in order for the colonists in North America to separate themselves from the crown, and establish a working theory of how a government should be run. The declaration states four key ideas about how a government operates. While all are important, which one affects us the most? Today in our American society, the ideas of equality, unalienable rights, and the right to alter or abolish corrupt governments are important, but having the powers from consent of the governed is truly critical for this country to function.

The Declaration of Independence holds great value to the history and to the people of the United States. It has been the center structure of how our government is formed today. It has changed a bit since it was created though. Some of those changes include how the people now treat Native American and African American people, they are (obviously) no longer enslaved or looked down upon (unfortunately there are still some people who choose to disrespect others for no good reason though.) But in present time, people are more equal generally. Most people do not look at one race being more dominant than the other, and that is very good. Another change in America sense the Declaration of Independence is very obvious, we are no longer trying to escape

The Declaration of Independence helped gain our natural rights, our equality, and our freedom everyone deserves in America on July 4th, 1776. For example, “A decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to separation.” (Jefferson, 1) clearly stated that no one can question or sent to jail by our opinions that our opinions count which, is an example of freedom of speech, that an enlightenment thinker named Voltaire believed in. This line allows us Americans say what we want to say without being penalized. The Declaration of

This is the major difference between positivist and natural law thinkers. Natural law is the combination of laws and morals while legal positivism is the seperation of laws and morals. Legal positivism declares that morality is irrelevant to the identification of what is valid law and that the criteria for the validity of a legal rule or law in a society is that it has the warrant of the sovereign and will be enforced by the sovereign and its agents. Raz, a positivist, stated that ‘the validity of a law can never depend on its morality’ 6 Positive law or positivism is

The declaration of independence was one of the most important documents known to the history of the US. Even with being written hundreds of years ago, it remains the symbol and document declaring America the free country that it is. The words on that single page set an example for all other democratic countries around the globe.