Reflection On The Declaration Of Independence Essay

The U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are two very important documents in the founding of our nation. This essay compares how these two documents are linked together, but also how they are clearly different. Though both documents were created near the same time, the Declaration of Independence was actually written first. It was written by Thomas Jefferson and was adopted by congress on July 4, 1776, what we know today as Independence Day. The U.S constitution though, was not adopted until eleven years later in 1787. After these two documents were written, Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to the Danbury Baptists in 1801.

One of the most significant lessons that I have learned in class was learning the true meaning of the Declaration of Independence. After sitting through years of long history courses I have never actually read the document. Prior to reading the document, I knew that America wanted to be free from Great Britain. That was all I needed to know. But to be prepared for the class discussion I knew I needed to know more than that. So, I translated the document so that I could understand the document enough to discuss it.

The Declaration of Independence was written for the purpose of separating the American colonies from the British Empire. In context of history, The Declaration was the first step into a modern representative democracy. In addition, the makers of the declaration, primarily Thomas Jefferson, constructed an argument to state the problems they had with Britain and tell how the new American government was going to deal with the problems. The argument Jefferson constructed was one made with all the wrong evidence; however, he built the argument in such a way to rally a people for war. The Declaration of Independence is a well-written example of argument and persuasion with its use of structure as a whole, use of specific fallacies, and use of appeals.

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

In order for one to understand American Constitutional law, one must first look to the Constitution; and therefore, look to the federal government established in the Constitution. The federal government is purposefully divided into three branches: the legislative branch that makes the laws, the judicial branch that interprets the laws, and the executive branch that puts the laws into effect. Article VI, Clause 2, sets up the Constitution as “the supreme Law of the Land;” and therefore, legislators, judges, and presidents must comply with the standards set in the Constitution. Judges, then, have the function to interpret what the Constitution means and have the responsibility to ensure laws adhere to the Constitution. Thereby, the

Prior to the American Revolution the colonists sent a series of grievances to King George III between 1754 and 1776, addressing their complaints against the government in Britain. After the people of America were urged to separate from the Crown, they formally compiled their charges against the government in the Declaration of Independence, which made the split from Great Britain valid due to social, political, and economic reasons. Although, some may think it was not a necessity to separate from Britain because the Americans were better off economic and land wise, the colonists perceived their arguments extremely valid, therefore making their claims justifiable.

With America being a new country, the founding fathers created the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution in order to establish the goals for the young country. During the time period of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, there are many occurrences such as slavery that took place, which represented America following the sacred documents. Slavery was when white males bought black men and women, then made these human beings undergo terrible treatment and work all day and night. However, these slaves were not considered to be citizens during the time period. Also, major events such as the Whiskey Rebellion supported the roles of these important documents. The Whiskey Rebellion was when westerners rebelled due to the tax on whiskey,

In 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote one of the most important documents in history, it basically broke us up with Britain. His reason of writing this document was to become free from England and he wasn’t the only one, he had thousands and thousands of men and women who wanted to become free from England. Thomas wrote many reason why the US wanted to break up with them and they were legit. The declaration of Independence supported the ideal of equality.

Through course readings, lectures, class examples and so forth, we have identified multiple flaws in some of our oldest documents, which have served as the foundation of the United States of America. Throughout history we’ve witnessed events, presidential terms, and cultural and demographical evidence that show how the Pillars of Citizenship have not successfully worked toward executing the achievement of important milestones amongst nationalization, globalization and equality up to this very day.

The reasons for such an influential text as the Declaration of Independence can be defined in its written structure. First listed were the most important abuses and usurpations the colonists felt they had suffered at the hands of Great Britain. The 27 grievances forced the British to not only face their own crimes, but for the rest of the world to face them as well. To bolster the evidence of the colonies’ failed attempts at nonviolent reconciliation, requests for previous negotiations were expressed in the second section. Finally, an ideal picture of the new government to be put in place once free from British rule was presented, granting rights denied by the Crown.

The Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution are two major documents that changed the history of America. These documents changed the United States of America from a colonized nation to an independent nation that has its own government. The Declaration of Independence was written towards Great Britain on July 4, 1776, to show America is now a free state and no longer a colony of Britain (Ferling 222). On the other hand, the United States Constitution was signed in 1878 led to the formation of federal governments, which provided the right for each state to practice its own rule under the US Constitution (Ritchie 11). Without either of these documents, the United States government wouldn’t be as strong as it is today and probably

John Stuart Mills, a 19th century utilitarian, formulated an argument that helped to explain the idea of the inalienable right to liberty written about in the Declaration of Independence. Daniel Callahan reformulated this argument making it into an explanation of the inalienable right to life rather than liberty, using the same idea in the premises. Callahan’s argument concludes that the right to life and the right to commit suicide are not compatible, therefore euthanasia is not permissible without the right to suicide. However, I believe that this is not the case and in this paper my goal is to prove that because of misunderstood terminology, the right to life and the right to choose death are, in fact, completely compatible.

The Declaration of Independence is still a profoundly relevant document for our time, in the political philosophy it espouses, as well as it’s keen view of human nature and its examination of our desire for freedom and happiness. It is also a known document that binds our nation together as one for “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” I believe the Declaration of Independence still accurately reflects America’s political philosophy and its way of life as we see today. Because the Declaration of Independence can be seen as a product of the Enlightenment containing universal ideals that continues to resonate today. Secondly, by looking at how the timeless principles of the Declaration of Independence have come to include minorities, the poor, and women, in ways that, though not originally expressed directly, are the logical extension of it’s philosophy. Lastly, I will be talking about the Declaration’s place in the history of our nation and the manner in which it was reinvigorated as a founding document in Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

The United States is built upon a certain set of ideals and values , written seemingly clearly within the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Yet, despite this, there are various disagreements in how political promises to the people of the country play out. The unifying factor of what I believe American politics is, is the development to live up to these ideals and values. It is a nation built on the stifling of true, direct, democracy of the masses, built upon favoring wealth and an elitist system, but despite all this, it takes its Creed very seriously. Though interpretations may differ on how this is accomplished, the basic politics surrounding the United States, combined with a shared national identity and history, demands an attempt, or at least a show of fairness, equality, responsibility, and representation. It may never succeed in living up to the ideals of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” but that does not stop the demand of both policymakers and citizens to uphold and defend these rights.

I hope things in England are well. Here in the colonies things are not going to well. Today is August 14 1776. There has been a ton of fighting and arguing over certain things. Our King George, made a law called the Intolerable Acts. There are four acts that go with that. One of them was when the Boston Harbor was closed until the Boston paid for the runned tea. The next one is the massachusetts charter was canceled the govern decide if and when legislature could meet. Another was is Royal officials accused of crimes were sent to britain for trial this let them face a more friendly judge or jury. Lasly A new quartering act required colonists to a house british soldiers.I liked to watch the boats come into the harbor I did it every time they would come. One day I went down there and there was not a boat there. I went back home and asked my mom why there was no boats coming in. She told me that there was a new law that the harbor was closed until bosten paid for the ruined tea. I was not happy about this and my mom wasn't either. There was a lot of conflict that were angry with this new law some even protested against the Intolerable Acts.