Thomas Jefferson's Unalienable Rights

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 the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of the United States, explains to his readers why the colonies chose to abolish Great Britain’s government. His goal is to inform the readers that the government has certain responsibilities to the governed and that the British failed to adhere to its responsibilities to its colonists. His second goal is to justify their actions by explaining why it was not considered treason. By establishing his credibility and appealing to ethos, pathos and logos, Jefferson successfully wrote an informative, impactful, and inspirational document.

On June of 1776, the Declaration of Independence was born. Drawn up by Thomas Jefferson and based on the works of John Locke, the general purpose of the document was to clarify that governments have conditional, not absolute authority over the people; that human beings possess natural rights that can’t be taken from them and government is created to protect those rights. The phrases “unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” and “all men are created equal” were the main theme of the social contract written for the small colonies of what would be the basis of the United States of America to declare independence from Great Britain and its tyrannical king. However, “unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” and “all men are created equal” did not apply to African Americans, enslaved or free for the coming years.

In the year 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence due to the unfair treatment of the American colonist from the King of Britain. In the document, Jefferson used the expressions, “unalienable rights” and “self-evident truths”. Jefferson uses these expressions to explain all people are equal the day they are born are created equal, and certain rights should not and cannot be taken away from them. All men have the right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness which is given its validity through the belief that all men come from the same creator. The author also uses pathos and logos to clarify the importance of the American independence by stating facts with a passionate tone of voice throughout the document. While

Ethos- Jefferson makes ethical appeals to his audience by referencing God’s will over the separation of the colonies and Britain, stating, “...becomes necessary...to dissolve political bands...the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God entitle them…”. Knowing full well that the majority of his audience, including King George III of Britain at the time, were Christian, Jefferson claims that God has entitled the colonies to separate from Britain. This claim makes it much more difficult to argue with the Declaration, as if a colonist were to argue with the Declaration, they would be directly going against God’s will. Also, the fact that Thomas Jefferson was the Secretary of State to George Washington at the time lended quite a bit of credibility to his opinion.

a. Jefferson states that the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are unalienable.

The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, was an important document that helped the colonists while their rights weren’t being respected by the government or the King. He continued by saying they didn’t take necessary laws into consideration or they abolished the laws they desperately needed. Jefferson argues that everyone should be treated equally and have the same rights, these were known as unalienable rights. In the letter, Jefferson uses logos, pathos, and ethos to further explain himself and convince the colonists to join him in declaring their independence. Jefferson begins by stating, “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.”

One of the most important parts of the Declaration of Independence is its preamble, and, more specifically, certain phrases contained within the preamble. Thomas Jefferson does an excellent job of explaining why the colonies are doing the things they are doing, and is very clear in stating what he and his associates think are the “unalienable rights” of the American people. Among these are “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Probably one of the most famous lines in American history, I have chosen to focus on this phrase and what those three things might have meant to Thomas Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers as they prepared this document, as well as what they mean to us today.

CM: The striking similarity to Jefferson’s claim to “certain unalienable Rights... [of] Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” is blatantly obvious; the parallels in these two pieces that guarantee these irrevocable rights are almost word for

Thereupon, Jefferson augments the credence of his claim that divine rights should be well protected by producing a counterclaim, indicating that “governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes,” which validates that Britain’s malpractice is indeed substantial and noteworthy enough for his colonial audience to rebel against it. Not only does Jefferson utilize a counterclaim to strengthen his argument, but he also implements aggressive, negative language such as “abuses,” “usurpations,” and “absolute despotism,” to appeal to his comrades, firing them up and rallying them to form a new government. Also maintaining this idea is Jefferson’s statement, “it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government,” in which the repetition of “it is” at the beginning of the clauses gives all readers no doubt that mankind has the right to overthrow any corrupt leadership. This new idea is portrayed when Jefferson states it is necessary “to provide new guards for their future security,” which engenders the reality of a government that protects and provides for its citizens without infringing upon inviolable rights. Lastly, Jefferson reveals his previous indications that he is speaking of the British crown when disclosing that, “such has been the

Jefferson understood “unalienable rights” as fixed rights given to us by our Creator rather than by government. The emphasis on our Creator is crucial, because it shows that the rights are permanent just as the Creator is permanent. It is the impact that these rights have on our lives and community that is so important to our

“We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” Thomas Jefferson believed those words as he chose to write the Summary View of the Rights of British America, The Declaration of Independence, and the Virginia Constitution. Jefferson retained many powerful beliefs about the freedom and rights of America. Jefferson was an amazingly gifted writer. He knew what he wanted to express and how to put it into words. These writings along with many more played an immense part in gaining America the freedom we enjoy today.

Jefferson makes an appeal to logos, otherwise known as logic, by claiming, “Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish, and to institute new government” (19). American Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson, firmly believes if the government that is created to protect the rights of the people is not fulfilling its job, it is only right for the people to establish a new government. To Jefferson, the government's role is to insure that people can live their lives, not dictate how they do it. He also claims that, “They are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Jefferson 18). Many of his emotional appeals are to call for a sense of sympathy from the colonists and the British crown. His words are carefully selected in an attempt to set up a sense of frustration within the colonies. The Declaration of Independence contains numerous uses of rhetoric strategies for

Jefferson uses logos and pathos to convey the idea that the colonies should separate themselves from the English throne. Jefferson establishes himself as a colonist while also justifying the colonist's position. He points out that “Laws of Nature... impel them to the separation” (Jefferson 575-576). Thomas Jefferson must provide viable evidence for separation because the colonists do not have the weapons, allies, or trade connections essential to war. Jefferson states that he has a "decent respect for the opinion of mankind" (576). This establishes his credibility and his openness to other ideas. The idea of freedom from a repressive government a “right of the people” exemplifies Jefferson's use of logical appeals (576). This reassurance to the colonists is important while establishing his credibility.

In 1796 prior to retiring his position as president, George Washington had warned that the creation of a political government would most certainly lead to (crisis), perhaps because of their discrepancy of opinions. However Thomas Jefferson the 4th president of the United States also known as the father of the constitution and Alexander Hamilton who was the author of the majority papers written as well as the leading member of the constitutional convention the both of them took part in creating the(factions) that lead to the political systems also known as democracy being introduced.