Declaration Of IndependenceEssay Preview: Declaration Of IndependenceReport this essayWe 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. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed (The Free Dictionary, 2006, para. 5)
Above, which avers the fundamental American idyllic government, is part of the opening paragraph of the most significant of all American historical documents, the Declaration of Independence. The very theory of natural rights dramatically influenced the conception of this starting paragraph. Natural rights is a political theory that strongly asserts that each individual who enters into any society possesses certain rights that no government can deny.
The Declaration of Independence is a full and formal declaration adopted on July 4, 1776 by the representatives of the thirteen colonies in North America that proclaims the separation of these colonies from Great Britain and turning them into United States (The Free Dictionary, 2006). It is basically a partisan document that first proclaimed the liberation of the Americans. It gives justice to the American Revolution that came into existence due to the iniquities and blatant deprivation of human rights from the tyrannical hands of the British Empire. The Declaration of Independence is one of the greatest political documents in the history of the West due to its powerful and “unique combination of general principles and an abstract theory of government with a detailed enumeration of specific grievances and injustices” (The Free Dictionary, 2006, para. 4). This paper will unravel the history behind the Declaration of Independence, how it shapes the American perspective of the political society, and why the Declaration of Independence, in spite of its constantly changing meaning, is a thriving legacy.
Turning back the hands of time, Americans were abused politically, economically, and inhumanely by the British colony 13 years before the Declaration of Independence was conceptualized. There were brutal killings like the firing of British soldiers to unarmed people, and over taxation that was prevalent at that time. The Americans were the source of income, so to speak, of the British government. They were forced to pay taxes to recover easily from the large debt that their tyrants acquired after the French and Indian War, which was the celebrated victory of England. This further led to the implementation of the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act to collect continuously more taxes from the people. The latter enraged the Americans more because it meant more monetary expenses for the people, since they used a lot of paper on things like newspapers and bills (White, 2002-6).
The Boston colonies became most furious when the Tea Tax was implemented by the British government. Tea business was one of major source of income of the Bostonians, hence they were dramatically affected by the effectuation of the Tea Tax. This very incident urged them to dump a whole boatload of tea into the Boston Harbor to show their great resentment and this was the historical Boston Tea Party. The British government reacted by closing the Boston Harbor, thence the Lexington and Concord battles. There were exchanges of shots at Lexington and Concord where the British had lost and suffered 39% of casualties. This defeat started the great war between the Americans and their oppressors. On June 17, 1775, the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought where the British experienced their heaviest losses of the war with 1054 fatalities (Wikipedia, 2006).
Finally, the raging Americans found the courage to break free from the injustices that they were experiencing from the administration of their heartless tormentors. They started to yearn for their government with leaders of their own race that would recognize the rights and respect the life of each individual. They sought for a type of leadership that would be independent from any type of foreign influence. They realized that they were hundreds of miles away from Great Britain and they should not allow the British people to opprobriously take advantage of their rich resources that they should be utilizing in the first place.
The eyes of the Americans started to open broadly and their thirst for freedom began to catch fire. Since then, the flame was never extinguished. It started with small group demonstrations until those became large movements participated by armed men who were willing to sacrifice their lives in the pursuit of liberating their people. The undying desire of the Americans for freedom resulted to the Declaration of Independence, a powerful document that gave birth to a new nation.
On June 7, 1776, Virginia Delegate Richard Henry Lee “introduced a resolution declaring in favor of independence, foreign alliances, and American freedom” (An Outline, 1990, p. 11). Instantly on June 11, a committee of five-John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman-that was led by Jefferson of Virginia was instructed to draft a formal declaration that would embody the fundamental truths of the ideal American government. Franklin, Adams, and Jefferson revised the first draft before it was sent to congress where it was further improved. The Declaration of Independence was finally adopted on July 4, 1776. It “not only announced the birth
of a new republic, but stated that “the national government, in the form of the people, is the supreme and sole form of governmental power, as well as it is capable of a federal government and a republican government, which have in common common the natural rights of both; a freedom to vote, to choose public and private officers for public service, to select public officers for public security, to levy taxes and levy interest upon debt, to secure and sustain our public defense, and to fund the common services and improvements of a free society.” (Washington, 1767, p. 11.) As we have seen, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman-all of whom were members of the pro-Constitutional, Republican, and Democratic parties of his day, declared that he had “seen the first principles of a free nation and the true foundation of their principle at that time. They are the real foundations of our government,” and “the true laws of the land of our fathers” (Boston & New York, vol. 13, p. 15). We have seen that the Founding Fathers’ vision of American democracy was also consistent with Franklin’s pro-Constitutional and republican views. It is a fact that the Declaration of Independence, which was adopted by thirteen- of the Constitution’s fourteen commissioners, was printed with the following notice: “On the third day after the last reading, — (March 3, 1776, Preamble.) ‘We hold these words as the most solemn to be printed in this Nation,’ that they were sent from the Grand Rapids Convention and ratified by the popular assembly a Congress to be convened for the preparation of the present Government, and the Presiding-person of the United States in office who shall preside over the Government, under the laws of the United States, for the long term that shall be held, and for the consideration from time to time; to make appropriations for building, erecting, and maintaining the Government, and maintaining the Militia, in good time, under the care and proper supervision of their Officers, and for other domestic and foreign Purposes, when the time shall come, when it shall be possible to discharge the powers and duties which it may by their right and delegated to the several Colonies, the several States which may join at any Time, be so ordered ; that they be authorized to make no Treaties with the United States, except those under this Constitution and laws of the United States. The only Power which shall remain to be conferred upon the States by the Convention hereby created may be limited to several Treaties under the power of the President of the United States: and shall not be transferred to the States by convention to any one State, or shall be