The Declaration Of Independence And Freedom Of Speech

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” is stated by Martin Luther King, Jr. This powerful quote speaks for all thirteen colonies wanting to separate themselves from Great Britain. Fifty-six men were determined to fix multiple problems by introducing the fundamental ideas through a document. The belief that was brought to attention was all men are created free and equal and own the same inherent, natural rights. The Declaration of Independence presents ,through grievances, the abuses toward the colonies by the King. The cruel acts the citizens of the colonies experienced were truly horrific, some more than others. Grievances displaying the most harm ,in my mind, are the 24th, 25th and

The Declaration of Independence is one of the most remarkable documents of the United States of America. The elaborate document contains almost fourteen-hundred words including a basic structure divided into two parts and within the two divided parts contains four main ideas within seven components. The declaration is not just any standard written document; it is a work of art painted by colonists who are driven by rage because of King George III of Great Britain injustices’ toward the colonies. This exemplifies that colonists took control and took part in creating the Declaration of Independence by voicing their opinions, hoping to acquire the freedom they deserve, “through time, to come together in one place, in one time, and in one

In order to find truth to anything, one must make multiple suggestions, ask many questions, and sometimes ponder the unspeakable. Without doing so, there would be no process of elimination; therefore, truth would be virtually unattainable. Now, in our attempts to either find truth, express our beliefs and opinions, or generally use the rights we are given constitutionally, we are often being criticized and even reprimanded. Our freedom to voice our opinion(s) is being challenged, as critics of free speech are taking offense to what seems like anything and everything merely controversial and arguably prejudice. As people continue to strive for a nation free of prejudice and discrimination, where everyone is equal, safe and

The Declaration of Independence written on July 4, 1776, was the first of the three documents written. When reading this document it is hard to ignore the emotion it exudes of a people not just longing for independence, but rather who’ve grown tiresome of the lack of equality compared to that of those on the motherland. The Declaration of Independence is the autonomous stance of a people declaring not just independence, but claiming their right to disassociate themselves from under the leadership from whom they consider a tyrant and therefore, “unfit” to be a leader of the free land. Unlike the US Constitution, this document discusses and/or lists in depth the atrocities and unconstitutional acts displayed by the ruler of England, the King and its theme is more so a grievance.

After reading the transcript of the speech, “The Spirit of Liberty”, given by federal judge for more than 50 years, Learned Hand, who served most of the time on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York, my idea of what it means to be an American was slightly shifted. The statement made by Hand which really caught my attention was, “What do we mean when we say that first of all we seek liberty? I often wonder whether we do not rest our hopes too much upon constitutions, upon laws and upon courts. These are false hopes.” I agree with Hand in the sense that the constitution can only serve purpose to our country if we, as Americans, learn to be truly accepting.

Freedom of speech is a fundamental human right. Whether or not on a college campus, people (especially college students) should have the right to speak freely. Everyone does have the right to speak freely, because it is one of the twenty-seven amendments. Colleges all around the United States are now home to many restrictions on free speech. For example, the idea and use of “free speech zones” has made its way to colleges everywhere. A “free speech zone” is a sidewalk sized place where students are allowed to speak their minds freely on college campuses. I know what you’re thinking. This sounds ridiculous. Why are there specific places for people to speak their minds? Aren’t colleges suppose to be a place where students speak their minds and learn new things? Universities should not be able to put any restrictions on free speech.

Liberty is defined as freedom from arbitrary or oppressive control, that mandates one’s way of living. A document commonly associated with this concept, is the United States Declaration of Independence, due to its assertion that all men are equal and have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration of Independence even goes on to state that men have the right to alter or abolish their government if they feel their government does not grant people the natural rights that they are entitled to. These two points were crucial to the document, as they explained why the United States thought of itself as an independent nation, not a colony, under the domain of Great Britain. When drafting the declaration, Thomas Jefferson borrowed from other documents, like the English Declaration of Rights, and the writings of John Locke, as both explained the limits of absolute authority. Due to the nature of the declaration, the document and the principles discussed in it would not influence the law of the United States. Additionally, when the founding fathers promised equality to all, they mainly meant to people similar to themselves, white men of property. The hypocrisy with the statements made in the declaration were acknowledged by some nineteenth century social reformers and activists. Though these activists agreed with the principles in the Declaration of Independence, they thought that Liberty could only be

On July 4th, 1776 the Continental congress declared freedom by adopting a document named “the unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America” (traditions and encounters). This document included 4 parts including why the thirteen colonies were separating from the British Empire. The most important part of this document was the justification of the rights of American citizens. It declared that “men are created equal and are endowed by their creator with certain and unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (traditions and encounters). This quote still rings true with Americans to this day.

When the founding fathers wrote the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, they wrote them with the future in mind. In the newspaper and TV headlines today, many of the topics in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are even more relevant and hotly debated today than back then. But they each have a different purpose and handle many topics differently. This essay will compare the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution in three areas: style, structure, and tone, the topic of religion and government, and the issue of African slavery.

During the American Revolution, the thirteen colonies needed freedom from England because of the unbearable, heavyweight taxes. The authors of the Declaration announced, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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.” Demonstrating a quantity of Enlightenment Ideals, this quote displays the ideal of natural rights because natural rights entitle everyone to live once they are born, to do anything they want unless it conflicts with the

The Declaration of Independence states a strong exclamation that structures the rights of citizens as well as the formation of our history. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,” clearly emphasizes the value of each person in the United States. In addition, it institutes that as an independent nation, the United States can only go forward with and by the people. Back in our nation’s history, the Declaration was written as proof that each person had rights, and without protection or consent, citizens cannot be ruled. The United States has built up by the basis of rights and actions of citizens, because of the principles that define and can declare those actions.

The Declaration of Independence was published on July 4, 1776. It was published during the Enlightenment era, a time in which politics, philosophy, science, and communications were reestablished. The enlightenment brought numerous books, essays, inventions, scientific discoveries, laws, wars, and revolutions. The American Revolution was a direct result, as people began to question traditional authority, such as the king. Before the king had sole power which he derived from God. In this era, however, that authority was called into question. The thinkers of the enlightenment did not believe that governments should exist to solely give power to kings. Alternatively, the governments should protect the rights of its citizens. Therefore, the king

Throughout the history of our country there are a handful of documents that have stood the test of time, however the documents that have remained relevant are ever more important today then when they were originally drafted. The U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptist Church are three documents that are still hold relevance in today’s societal discussions. These three documents hold truths, principals and ideologies that were and are crucial to the continuation and the development of the United States. The very ideas and tribulations that led to the development of the United States are expressed loudly in these three documents. While these documents are vastly different in content, they do all hold the same basic principals that create the framework of the United States.

The Declaration of Independence brought America its independence, and it self, as well as our constitution. The declaration of independence had many positive effects on America. The Declaration of Independence is the usual name of a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. This stated that the thirteen American colonies, called themselves the thirteen newly independent sovereign states, and that they were no longer a part of the British Empire. Instead of staying in the British Empire, they formed a new nation; the United States of America. Many people wanted independence, but John Adams really believe in and pushed for independence. America’s independence was approved on July 2, 1776. A committee of five had already wrote a draft of the declaration, so it was ready when Congress voted on independence. The term "Declaration of Independence" is not used in the document itself, but is explained and perceived.

The founders of the United States government tried to protect our liberty by assuring a free press, to gather and publish information without being under control or power of another, in the First Amendment to the Constitution. We are not very protected by this guarantee, so we concern ourselves on account of special interest groups that are fighting to change the freedom of expression, the right to freely represent individual thoughts, feeling and views, in order to protect their families as well as others. These groups, religious or otherwise, believe that publishing unorthodox material is an abuse of free expression under the First Amendment. As we know, the Supreme Court plays an important role in the subject of free speech and