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 …show more content…
This ideal gives people the ability to get rid of their government if there is lack of authority or reason. “The Tea Party movement takes its name from the Boston Tea Party of the revolutionary era… They support a smaller government, lower taxes, and reduction of the national debt (Doc D).” The Boston Tea Party was caused by government raising taxes on tea which led to a revolt and lots of debt. By having the ability to overthrow the government, breakouts won’t happen like The Boston Tea Party. Being able to abolish or alter the government is a key part in being able to protect yourself and others from careless