...Reviewing the Past One of the most revered documents in American history is the Declaration of Independence. It is with this simple combination of parchment and ink, that the thirteen original colonies started the American Revolution. The document set forth the ideal role of government by describing how God intended governments to work. However, the government’s objective of continuing the founding ideal of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” has wavered over time. During the last two decades America has moved further away from these ideals as seen by the split political parties, decreasing safety, and The continuous disagreement of the two major political parties has caused the United States to come to a standstill after years...
Words: 711 - Pages: 3
...The Declaration of Independence was written in 1776 by the Founding Fathers. The document was brought about during the period of Enlightenment where many thoughts and ideas unfolded. John Adams and Abigail Adams were two very important voices leading up to the document that helped shape our nation’s liberty. Due to John’s job, which called for a great deal of traveling, John and Abigail often exchanged letters to keep in touch. The letters expressed ideologies to one another on political matters while John was away serving his country. The early 1800s were an age of reason and marks a time of the Enlightenment Era. This was a period that really got individuals thinking as they would join in groups on their beliefs. It was a movement of ideas...
Words: 958 - Pages: 4
...Aleigh Hackmann English 3A 1.2.13 Practice June 1, 2016 The Declaration of Independence was ratified on July 4, 1776; it effectively formed the United States of America. 56 delegates signed The Declaration of Independence to the Continental Congress and outlined the reasons for becoming independent from Great Britain. This document is not formally divided, but it is divided into five unofficial sections, from the introduction to the conclusion. The Declaration of Independence begins with what is referred to as the Introduction. Although it’s just one, exceptionally long, sentence with a simple meaning, there are loads of information we can pull from it. The introduction simply states why the document is being written. The Founders thought they should tell their government why they felt the need to leave. Looking into the details, we see very elegant writing. From this, you can see that the Founders were well educated. The Founders also included in their introduction their strong belief in religious freedom. This document is written out of respect for the government that persecuted the writers. The end states “decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” The next part of The Declaration of Independence is called the Preamble. The Preamble includes the reasons behind the Declaration, many of them being from John Locke, a famous philosopher. These ideas are not only directed towards the United States...
Words: 526 - Pages: 3
...In the second sentence of the Declaration Of Independence Thomas Jefferson writes “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable right, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit happiness.” This statement declares that man is given the right to liberty by God, a right that cannot be taken away by any man. However, liberty is not a right which anyone deserves. When God created mankind He gave them everything they could ever have wanted, he gave them the right of liberty allowing them to do anything except one thing, eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and they did that one thing. At the very moment either Adam or Eve ate the fruit...
Words: 493 - Pages: 2
...A Declaration of Sentiments, and the Texas Declaration of Independence Comparative analysis - American Declaration of Independence 1) So apt and eloquent was Thomas Jefferson’s expressive writing in the Declaration of Independence that many others have come to use his document as a template for iterating declaratory appeals of their own. In the case of The Declaration of Sentiments, Elizabeth Cady Stanton is seen to use Jefferson’s declaration as both inspiration, and archetype for her own declaration in opposition of the “repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman.” Stanton surely made use of the recognition, and authority which the Declaration of Independence held, during the creation of her preamble. Stanton continued in her writing to include a list of grievances which, while similar in wording and structure to Jefferson’s grievances, expressed a much different intent. The two documents differ here, as the original Declaration of Independence demonstrates how the freedom and integrity of men was denied by the transgressions of their king, while the Declaration of Sentiments demonstrates how the freedom and integrity of women, is denied by men. To better create a sense of sympathy for the plight of woman-kind, and to bridge empathy between women and the rest of the American public, Elizabeth Cady Stanton carefully emulated the wording and style of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “We hold these truths to be self-evident...
Words: 1080 - Pages: 5
...The Declaration of Independence was written and revised by John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman in 1776; Thomas Jefferson was the main author. The Declaration of Independence is a message not only to Britain but also to the world, stating The United States, the thirteen colonies at the time, is a free, self-governing nation. The Declaration of Independence is an effective piece of literature due to the authors’ tone, use of rhetoric devices, and language. The authors’ tone is direct, rational, collected, and conscientious. The authors’ tone combined with the diction used in The Declaration of Independence is moving and emphasizes the necessity of the separation from the British Crown. The authors...
Words: 274 - Pages: 2
...Thomas Jefferson writes an effective argument in “ The Declaration of Independence” by using diction to convey an accusing tone and repetition to emphasize his irritation towards the king. Jefferson demonstrates how king George the III was a bad deficient ruler and was unfair to his people. For instance when the text states,” He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of protection, and waging war against us”(114). This implies that Jefferson was accusing the king if taking away the protection he had for the people, and the word choice made his accusations stronger. The fact that the quote says the king was “ against us” his tone on the subject. Jeffersons was not at all ok with the king's actions and decided to blame him for his...
Words: 257 - Pages: 2
...Humanities Final Presentation essay– Final draft. While creating the Declaration of Independence, the founding fathers arduously worked to create a document that could grow and progress as times changed in the United States. When it was first written, the statement that “all men are created equal” was certainly not in accordance with reality. However, over time, there have been significant and ongoing efforts towards creating equality for all people. Although many argue that the United States of America has made little progress in fulfilling the promises of its Declaration of Independence because of ongoing issues with racial, gender-based, and religious discrimination, they fail to consider that the U.S. has consistently been one of the most...
Words: 1650 - Pages: 7
...spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence.” The Declaration of Independence lists several claims that refer to all men as being created equal, entitling them to several basic rights and liberties. The Gettysburg Address has a similar theme, emphasizing the importance of ensuring these freedoms are accessible to all American citizens, regardless of their cultural background. The concept of liberty falls hand in hand with that of freedom, as one cannot exist without maintaining the principles of the other. Lincoln’s concept of equality in The...
Words: 1277 - Pages: 6
...From the day the independence was declared until our days, people of this nation concluded that freedom is the most important factor in every one’s life. Without freedom, our lives would be senseless. Our lives would be disconsolate. We would not be able to live to fullest, experience God’s creatures.Also, the simplest thing: to live the live for ourselves, and the people we love.To dedicate our life for something or someone we love and value. This conclusion was supported by the founding documents created by the founding fathers, which succeeded in establishing a strong constitution,in creating a powerful government, however failed in creating a racial equality for all Americans throughout the generations. Freedom means we are able to follow our deepest values and exercise our judgment, even when others disagree or disapprove (Englishforums.com). Therefore, James Madison once said: “The happy union of these states is a wonder; their constitution a miracle; their example the hope of Liberty...
Words: 662 - Pages: 3
...Have you ever thought about what life would be like without the decleration of independance and its ideals? On July 4th 1776 the foundation of our country was created. The declaration of independence was a letter to britain explaining why the colonies should break away. Of the four main ideals in the declaration of independence which ones are the most important? The ideals that will be addressed in this DBQ are the ideals of equality, natural rights, and the consent of the governed. Tis DBQ will focus on determining why these ideals are as important as they are. The first ideal being touched on is the ideal of natural rights. The declaration of independence states that “They (the american people) are endowed by their creator with certain...
Words: 433 - Pages: 2
...The declaration of independence is formal. The fervent passion for freedom is one flame that is not easily extinguished. This enflamed passion is brought in the United States of America's Declaration of Independence where Thomas Jefferson carefully manipulates his words and diction in order to persuade the reader to fight for personal rights and justice. In the opening paragraph Jefferson presents to the reader a dire situation where drastic measures are needed to be taken. He consists of the need to declare a flaw when one is eminent and the need to rectify it by separation. The speaker of the paragraph is unclear yet assumes an omniscient tone. This all powerful knowledge tone gives the statement more significance and importance....
Words: 331 - Pages: 2
...The United States of America was shaped and defined by just one document, The Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence was written to explain why colonists needed to be independent from Britain. This document contains an explanation for the separation from Britain, ideals about the government, and grievances towards the British. Ideals given in this document include equality, natural rights, consent of the governed, and the right to alter or abolish the government. Of the four main ideas, the most important one is equality. An important ideal is consent of the governed. This ideal delivers a message of how the ruling of the government should be based on the citizens. Consent of the governed is very important because without it brings chaos. “In 1989, Chinese students who had gathered in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square adopted the Statue of Liberty… as a symbol of their demands of truth, freedom, and democracy from their government…(Doc C).” Consent of the governed lets citizens have a say in government by allowing them to participate by voting for presidents or even just cooperating with the government. Without consent of the governed, citizens would be mislead without any say in every decision made because they had no rule in it. Consent of the governed is a...
Words: 539 - Pages: 3
...The establishment of a republic that eventually was named the United States of America proposed a foundation with expectations by a national government. The founding fathers created the Declaration of Independence in 1776 with a clear view of how they anticipated the country to function in the future. Not only was the Declaration of Independence created, but in 1787 the Constitution was signed declaring the fundamental laws of the national government as well as the basic rights for citizens of the country. Nonetheless, these formal statements regarding the colonies’ intentions would not eventuate later on in the future. In its place, America would encounter a time period facing injustices and racial inequality. The 1800s was a time when African Americans were deprived of...
Words: 592 - Pages: 3
...The Declaration of Independence was targeted for American Colonists, King George II (current King of England), and other nations surrounding them at the time that it was written. Today, the Declaration of Independence helps citizens acquire and develop an understanding of American politics as well as the governmental processes that help shape our public policies. The audience will develop a more insightful understanding of key aspects such as majority rule, representative democracy, constitutionalism, civil liberties, and other distinguishing characteristics of the American political system. The tone of the Declaration of Independence was written in a very serious and impertinent manner. The writers of the Declaration wanted to strongly and seriously convey their message to their audience in the document. Jefferson's original draft was found completed with changes made by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and also the Congress. “Historians have often sought to identify the sources that most influenced the words and political philosophy of the Declaration of Independence. By Jefferson's own admission, the Declaration contained no original ideas, but was instead a statement of sentiments widely shared by supporters of the American Revolution. As he explained in...
Words: 881 - Pages: 4
