The French brought aid to the Americans who desperately needed their help to win this fight. The document brought together the colonists to revolt against the British. The Declaration also stated all the universal principles the colonists lacked. All these interpretations attributed to the creation of the Declaration of
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.
Also that colonial blood had already been shed trying to defend these rights. The French & Indian war was the war that shed colonists blood to defend their rights. The Declaration of Independence served three major purposes. 1. Preamble and reasons for separation. Among the reasons for separation were statements about the king, George III. It said that he was a harsh and evil king and that the colonists shouldn’t have to be under his rule. It also said that the citizens were patient, submissive, and long-suffering people. These statements were made to win the public support of the people for the Declaration. 2. A theory of government. In this part of the Declaration, Jefferson stated the basic principles of democracy. They were "all men are created equal, They are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable1 rights; . . . among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". The purpose of the government was to secure these rights. 3. A formal declaration of war. This basically stated that war did exist. If the Patriots failed to win independence, the leaders of the revolution could be judged guilty of treason against the British Crown and executed. The result of the Declaration of Independence was that colonists gained their freedom. They had freedom of religion and had a better government. Look
Composed by Thomas Jefferson and the representatives in the general congress on the historic date of July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was an expeditious response to the many acts legalized by the British Parliament prohibiting the colonists’ freedom, and a dismissal of a partition to the King by the First Continental Congress. Not only did it oppose British acts of tyranny, but it was also an incentive for many other universal revolutions. Within Jefferson’s argumentative masterpiece, “The Declaration of Independence,” he both condemns the British for their repressive actions, and appeals to all developed countries, although predominantly to both the cruel
In 1776, the Continental congress elected that Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston help write what many now know today to be The Declaration of Independence. The whole point of this document being written was to declare to Great Britain and King George III that the British colonies in North America would no longer be a part of Great Britain, but rather of their own free states, thus creating the United States of America and declaring independence from Great Britain. Because of what The Declaration of Independence stood for, it has been regarded highly throughout American
The Declaration of Independence is among the most profoundly interpreted and fiercely discussed documents in modern history. Most likely because of its rhetorical style and numerous fallacious arguments that are found. The colonists’ use of persuasion to influence by using repetition to achieve their means. The Declaration of Independence is what 56 colonists saw as a logical course of action. What you must ask yourself is: What was considered logical in 1776?
Foremost, when looking at the Declaration there needs to be an understanding of who the audience is. The most prominent person who would be reading this document would be the king himself, King George III. When looking at the Declaration, King George would primarily be looking at the argument Jefferson put forth. He also would be looking at the attacks and accusations being set against him. The purpose of the Declaration, with the King for an audience, is to separate all legal and moral ties. In the newly formed American government, Congress would be looking at what they were setting themselves up for and placing forth the foundation of their government. Congress’s purpose for writing the Declaration was to start a government and
The Declaration was the spark to set off the revolution that was the most successful revolution in human history, making it very great and important. It written to the king of Great Britain, to the people of the United States of America,
This is because The Declaration was formal and not necessarily meant for the general public to read. It was for the government/parliament. Common Sense, however, was a pamphlet meant to motivate the people to join the cause. In Common Sense, Thomas Paine talks about a father, with a child in his hand, who says "Well! Give me peace in my day." Paine stresses that the father should have said (if he was a generous parent), "If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.” The father represents the King. The King was more focused on himself rather than his “children” (subjects). He did not give things up for the British and often broke or bent rules to benefit him. We also see this many times in The Declaration of Independence, like the first point on the list “He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.” Both are talking about how the King doesn’t provide for his people but Common Sense, again, appeals to the audience’s emotions by using a story while the Declaration is very formal and straight to the
The Declaration of Independence is one of the most significant documents in the history of the United States. It has completely and forever changed the structure and foundation of our country. The Declaration gave purpose to the Revolutionary war. It was a justified reason to revolt against a government that no longer assured us our rights. It shows that they didn't go to war without
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.
The declaration opens with a preamble describing the document's necessity in explaining why the colonies have overthrown their ruler and chosen to take their place as a separate nation in the world. The colonial governments tried to reach a peaceful reconciliation of these differences with Great Britain, but were continually ignored. Colonists who appealed to British citizens were similarly ignored, despite their shared common tradition and their just cause. After many peaceful attempts, the colonists have no choice but to declare independence from Great Britain. The new nation will be called the United States of America and will have no further connections with Great Britain. The new government will reserve the right to levy war, make peace, make agreement with foreign nations, conduct trade, and do anything else that nations do. Just thinking about it, the authors of the Declaration of Independence had to have been really scared. I mean, what if no one agreed with what they were saying. What if someone told the king what they were doing before they we
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
Politically to the colonies, "the Declaration was the birth certificate of the American nation"(Armitage). Cutting off all ties to the mother country of Britain, America boldly declared its indipendence. To America this document was freedom from tyranny, however to Britain this document was nothing more than an insult. This. Document was truly revolutionary for the time, and its creation birthed the American Revolutionary War, and revolutions in other countries, which were all efforts made in the name of Liberty. Considering the time period when the rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"(Jefferson) weren't exactly self evident, the deceleration was a major turning point for the world. When comparing the Deceleration to the liberation of slaves in rebel states on January 1, 1863, both similarities and differences can be found. The nation knew this day was coming due to Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, in which he declared that on January 1, 1863 all slaves in rebel states, "shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free"(Lincoln). The Deceleration and the emancipation of slaves are similar in the sense that they both; stand on the the principle that all men are equal, they both are movements for liberation, and that they were both revolutionizing ideas for their time and place. The surprise Britain found in the Declaration, I imagine to be similar
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