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The Declaration Of Independence, By Thomas Jefferson, And Martin Luther King Jr.

Decent Essays
Chris Layton Mrs. Brown English 101- Honors English 12 2 October 2015 Every person has their own characterization of freedom. Depending on time, place, religion, and race, this meaning varies. Eventually it comes back to one specific point, all men, regardless of anything, created equally, and therefore have the right to be free. The “Declaration of Independence,” written by Thomas Jefferson, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech both address the problem of not being free. Even though Thomas and Luther were alive 150 years apart and had very different lives, they both faced the same issue of human equality that drove them to write some of the most influential works in American history. Although they bear some superficial similarities, the difference between the Declaration of Independence and “I Have a Dream” speech are pronounced. Thomas Jefferson, and a group of other rich white men, thought it was necessary for the colonies to separate from Great Britain so they created the Declaration of Independence. The decided to make the Declaration of Independence to overthrow the government that was in power of the colonist because it was becoming too powerful and destructive. Jefferson states, all men are created equally and all have the natural rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. In Jefferson’s thoughts, we all have such rights that are given to us by nature so these rights are called our “unalienable rights” of the people. For the protection of
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