In the Declaration of Independence, colonists expressed their discontentment about the English government and inequality they faced at the time, such as a limit to natural rights. In the Declaration, the colonists felt certain rules were crucial to their happiness and freedom.
The Declaration states, “All people are created equal”, but at the time, this excluded women and slaves; so, were “all people” really equal?
In class, we learned that the Bill of Rights was a contributing factor in enforcing the Declaration, even though it was passed after the Declaration in 1787; we are still using this bill in 2017. There are many reasons that led me to believe that we aren't equal in the U.S . Discrimination is an infestation that has manifested from morons in this country who are preventing us, as a nation, from coming together. For instance, pewresearch.org states that, “ 64% of black adults say blacks are treated less fairly than whites in the workplace, compared with 22% of whites who say the same – a 42-percentage-point gap. Blacks are also considerably more likely than whites – by margins of at least 20 points – to say that blacks are treated less fairly than whites in dealing with the police, in the courts, when applying for a loan or mortgage, in stores and restaurants and when voting in elections.” Statistics show how blacks are perceived in a more negative light than whites. There are many current events that support this Statistics. For Example, Nandi Cain was continuously beaten because of jaywalking allegations. He was initially being arrested for resisting arrest but was out the next morning whereas the cop was placed on paid administrative leave. Why was the cop being placed on paid administrative leave for beating someone who was allegedly jaywalking? It's no secret, it's obvious, it's because he's black. In 2016, Jeremy King and Lourdes Glen had a similar case. Court documents stated that their free speech rights were violated and the cops ignored the white people who had also jaywalked at the time. Their encounter was recorded and it showed unnecessary force the six officers used to “contain” the situation. The attorney clearly says that the officers, and I quote, “ acted in a racist manner because
The Declaration of Independence was formed resulting from the treatment of 13 colonies from the British government without representation after subsequent denials to be represented and treated equal. This historic document was revolutionary because it’s what began the transition of our government into a democracy unlike that of parliament in the 1700’s. The British government and their ruling made decisions that didn’t involve what was right for the people; only what was in the best economic interest of parliament. This caused significant hardships on the American colonies which eventually led to them coming together as a people and forming this declaration.
Franklin continues to support the fact that “All Men are Created Equal” in the Declaration of Independence even after eleven years prior to the signing. Owen Brown, writer of the Declaration of Liberty on July 4, 1859 even states, “That No Man had any right to deprive his fellow Man, of these Inherent rights, except in punishment of Crime.” He then continues to go on with, “The history of Slavery in the United States, is a history of injustice & Cruelties inflicted upon the Slave in every conceivable way, & in barbarity not surpassed by the most Savage Tribes.” (Doc. D). Both Owen Brown and Benjamin Franklin both agree that if “All Men are Created Equal” (Doc. A), then slavery must go. It has become a savage and cruel part of our history and is hypocritical otherwise. It is amazing that even after eighty years, the United States Declaration of Independence continues to anchor its way to current politics.
One reason that The Declaration of Independence was so influential was that Thomas Jefferson’s claims against the King of England were easy to understand and logical. Typical complaints include “For quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us;” and “For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent.” Jefferson uses plain language that everyone can understand to point out large injustices done by the king. His statements about the King are short and to the point. He does not waste any words or bore the reader with abstract writing or excess words and thoughts. He goes from one point to the next to the next in such a fashion that the reader’s concentration is never broken. His points are logical and everyone living in the colonies at that time and many people around the world probably had some idea of the incidents behind all his grievances against the king. Jefferson raps up the injustices done by the king by declaring the United Colonies to be free and independent states.
The Declaration of Independence was a letter written to King George III, stating that the 13 colonies were declaring that they were leaving the rule of Great Britain, and that they were becoming a free nation. It was important for the Declaration of Independence to be written first because it represented the creation of our free nation. It made it possible for Americans to have the rights that we have today.
Continuing on with what exactly “men” means, what men were allowed to have the power in the situation given at the time The Declaration was written? Well, let’s take a look at the main author of this document, Thomas Jefferson. He was male, white, educated, a lawyer, and many other things. In other words, he had power. He had a recognizable position in government. Benjamin Franklin was male, white, educated, a well respected man, and other things. He also had power; he was appointed by the Continental Congress to help write The Declaration. Then there are men like John Hancock who signed the document itself, who were obviously important to be signing such an important piece of paper to the United States of America. What about the men who didn’t mean as much? The merchants? The farmers? The slaves? The blacks? When Jefferson states in the second paragraph “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal” does he really mean all men? Or only the men who matter? Obviously anyone of a skin color other than white were not equal. Slaves weren’t free until almost a century later when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. Even
Though term was yet to be coined, these rights give birth to the "American Dream." The bulk of The Declaration is specific in making complaints to and about King George the III. All the complaints are in violation of some basic right or another. The Declaration of Independence in essence says to England, "we are free men, and potentially a great nation, we will not be restricted and bound by your unjust and inhumane laws any longer."
The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson one of the founding fathers, who fought for the liberty and the pursuit of happiness from Great Britain. In the preamble, the Declaration of Independence states that the reason why the colonies had to choose their independence from Great Britain because they did not want to have a tyranny. The colonies wanted to be separated
The Declaration of Independence is a document, saying how the British government wanted to halt their authority, thus wanting to construct their own government . It starts off, by saying that it introduced reason it was created- colonists beliefs about the purpose of the government. Also, complaints against King George lll, actions he took that the colonists believed violated their rights and principle of government. Finally, the colonists officially declared the United States as a independent nation. "The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not" (Thomas Jefferson).
First of all, Declaration of Independence was written because the colonies wanted independence from Great Britain. The colonists’ had been
These elections of representatives foreshadowed the coming of a new government among the American colonist. Many colonists favored independence from Britain and by 1776 the American revolutions for independence was in place. Although the colonists where outnumbered by the British they refused to give up. This same year, a statement written mostly by Thomas Jefferson became adopted by the Continental Congress. This statement was the Declaration of Independence which stated why that the colonist rejected their main ruler and why they have decided to become an independent
Enlightenment ideas helped the Americans fight against British rule and create a new nation. With the fight for their new nation came the Declaration of Independence. This document is based on the beliefs of John Locke. John’s teachings mostly focused on self-government and natural rights. John Locke Believed that everyone was created equal with the same three natural rights. The Declaration of Independence argued for natural rights and equality as well. The Declaration of Independence was influenced by Locke’s idea of Equal rights and self-government. They liked the idea of a Democracy, the rule of the people. The United States’ Declaration of Independence states. The American colonist separated from Britain because King George 3rd was not governing the people correctly. For example, he created “Taxation without Representation”. Taxation without Representation is when the American Colonist were being taxed unfairly. John Locke believed the government was there to protect the people, and if they were not being protected they have the right to rebel against the ruler. This is exactly what the American colonist did. The document by the colonies declaring separation from Britain, stated. John Locke’s beliefs of self-government influenced the colonies to rebel and become it’s own
The Declaration of Independence was the first document to be adopted by the founding fathers in 1776. Its main purpose was to separate from the British Monarchy. The colonists knew this would be a clear step towards a new form of practicing self-government. The form in which the colonist decided to move towards was a Democracy. Which was shown in the U.S Constitution. This meant that everyone would have a part in the new government system unlike the British where one had little to no say. With this declaration, the 13 Colonies became the United States of America.
Their first reason for the declaration was their desire for “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This is not to say that it is the responsibility of the government to provide every citizen with happiness, but it was believed that the British were preventing the colonists from being happy. In this time, happiness meant property. Many of the colonists could not own
One of the ways that europeans fought for political liberation is by petitioning the king. The colonists petition the king because they didn’t like the way he was treating them. The king was being funny and making the public meetings in far, uncomfortable, and alias places. After the colonists petition the king Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. So the colonists can do what they want. It was written, adopted, and ratified on July 4, 1776. The reason it was written to separate the 13 colonies from english rule. The problem it solve was the colonies can now run itself without being
The Declaration of Independence was written to explain, why colonies chose to separate from Great Britain. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson explains that if the government becomes unfair and controlling, a body of people have the right to change governments. Jefferson organized his argument in a format of writing an essay. He organized his document with an introduction, body, and conclusion.