...Co-Founders The Declaration of Independence is arguable the most important and wide known document in American history. On July 4, 1776 this document signaled America’s separation from the British Empire to the world. America is defined by the men and the minds, behind the declaration; most notably by the author, Thomas Jefferson. The boundaries of the government and rights of its citizens were crucial during the formation of this constitution since these principles were exactly the reason for the uprising of the original thirteen colonies. Thomas Jefferson dedicated most of his life to the crucial needs of America and its government in order to form a true republic of the people. Like many of the Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson strengthened his beliefs through personal studies and deep examination of European history. Many history books will tell that the contributing factors that formed Thomas Jefferson’s ideas of the identity of America were linked to events such as the Reformation, the Renaissance, and the British Country party. However, one man’s works continually surfaced in Jefferson’s political and even private writings. John Locke, a British Enlightenment philosopher, was repeatedly referenced in documents like the Declaration of Independence, the Notes on the State of Virginia, and the Summary View of the Rights of British America. Jefferson repeatedly used Locke’s concepts as would even sometimes use the exact same phrases. This would make Thomas Jefferson, the first...
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...Iverson United States History I March 1, 2012 Thomas Jefferson: A Man of Many Dimensions Thomas Jefferson’s inspirational words proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence have a spine-tingling effect, leaving readers with chills, but yet enlightened and proud. I can imagine Thomas Jefferson sitting at his desk, passion pouring onto the paper with each stroke of his pen as he endlessly works throughout the day, candlelight by night, searching for the perfect words for what would become the nation’s most cherished symbol of liberty. “All men are created equal . . . they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights . . . Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” – extremely powerful words coming from the same man who owned over 180 slaves; the same man who also wrote that Blacks “are inferior to the whites in the endowments of body and mind” (Jefferson 270); the same man who did almost nothing to abolish slavery during his 40 years in the political arena of Virginia and the new republic (Magnis 492). It is clear through Jefferson’s contradictions between his inspirational words declared in the Declaration of Independence and his actions, writings and political behaviors that in his mind “all men” did not include Black men. Surprisingly, Jefferson was not concerned with originality when he wrote the Declaration of Independence and even borrowed language from previous writings. George Mason drafted a form of a declaration of rights for Virginia, in which he declared...
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...Founding father, Thomas Jefferson is arguably one of the most important figure in the shaping of America, because of his interest in science and its methods, it laid down a foundation to offer pragmatic solutions of that time, as the author of the Declaration Of Independence he begins to form the ideas of basic human rights, even though these rights were penned by white men in order to support and protect their interest, and his concepts of American legislation address the political topics currently being debated. Thomas Jefferson's educational background plays a crucial role as he transitions from teenager to young adult. While in college he meets professors that play a role in his steps toward a political career. These teachers backgrounds...
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...Furthermore, the effects of Jefferson’s choice impacted the opinions of the United States’ citizens severely. The nation had many flaws to it, and when Jefferson made the choice to pursue in the political career the nation started to change in many ways. To begin with,the choice Jefferson made contributed to the enhancement of the powerful government that the United States knows today. When he generously contributed to to the writing of the Declaration of Independence, he did not know that his small piece of writing then would be something huge in today’s society. This important document gave certain rules that helped shape the base of the government. When he became president, he influenced future president to lead the country in their...
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...comparison and synopsis of some of the most important writings of our time: The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptists, and the U.S. Constitution. Also, this will be an analysis of what I believe the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution thought about the separation of church and state, as well as God from government. The Declaration of Independence was written on July 4, 1776 by Thomas Jefferson. Its purpose was to officially separate the colonies from Great Britain and the tyrant of a king. In doing so, Jefferson lists out 27 reasons why they should separate, with the three main points being, “All men are created equal…, All men have some rights given to them by God…, That among these rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Carr, 2015). Therefore when the government infringes on these rights, the people of the county have the right to make changes or get rid of it, in this case, the King and Great Britain altogether. Some examples of the King of Great Britain’s wrongdoings were that “he interfered with the people’s rights to self-govern and for a fair judicial system… imposed taxes without their consent… and cut off trade with all parts of the world” (Jefferson, 2015). The end result of this document permitted the people of the colonies to “levy war, make peace, make alliances with foreign nations, conduct trade” (Jefferson, 2015), and do anything else they wanted to. The theme of this document...
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...University of Phoenix Material Influences on the Constitution Table Complete each section below. Include citations for your sources. |Documents |Summary |What was its influence on the Constitution? | |Magna Carta |Magna Carta is a document that King John of England was forced |Magna Carta served to lay the foundation for the evolution of parliamentary clause | | |into signing. The document was a succession of written promises|of the United States Constitution and enforced by the Supreme Court. | | |made between the king and his subjects that he would govern | | | |England and its people in accordance with the customs of feudal| | | |law. ("History Learning Site ", 2000-2013). | | |Mayflower Compact |Mayflower Compact is one if the first governing document of |The Mayflower Compact called for equality amongst people and...
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...This document unquestionably favors Sanford’s side as it portrays one of the founding fathers as a pro-slavery type of person. He denounces and also belittles his slave on the fly and refers to it as property. A brief investigation into Thomas Jefferson and one would find it evident that he was somewhat conflicted on this subject himself. It’s not a surprise to find out that he was heavily influenced by the philosophical great that was John Locke. On Document C, Jefferson’s initial draft on the Declaration of Independence, his usage of the word “men” in the draft equates slaves with free men. In that document he also charges the King of England with perpetuating slavery in the colonies. Favoring Dred Scott’s side, thus having two different interpretations of one of the founding fathers Thomas Jefferson. Each one benefiting their cause and helping them in reaching their...
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...What was the most remarkable summer in American history? In his book “Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence”, Joseph J. Ellis writes, what may be, the winning answer. Ellis tells the story of summer1776, when the colonies declared their independence and some of our countries most significant figures emerged. “Revolutionary Summer” takes place from about May1776 to October 1776, when the most momentous events took place that started our country’s founding. He expands on key people and moments in order to draw conclusions and broaden our understanding of the event as a whole. Ellis observes that the events of the summer of 1776 have often been told from a political or from a military viewpoint, but he believes they can be truly understood as a mix between both viewpoints. At the time, the largest invasion fleet in history was sailing into New...
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...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...
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...could be punished except through the law of the land, a right which is still in existence today. Magna Carta was the principal document forced onto an English King by a group of his matters, the feudal barons, in an effort to limit his powers by law and protect their privileges. It was followed and directly influenced by the Charter of Liberties in 1100, in which King Henry I had specified particular areas wherein his powers have a limit. The influence of Magna Carta can be clearly seen in the United States Bill of Rights, which enumerates various rights of the people and restrictions on government power, such as: No person shall be ... deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law. Article 21 from the Declaration of Rights in the Maryland Constitution of...
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...The Passionate Sage created by Joseph J. Ellis is a novel that mainly focuses on the time period that John Adams was retired. Something that would marvel the reader, is that it is not really a saga over John Adams, but actually is an analysis more or less. The books analysis over John Adams has an astonishing amount of detail over his life. Mainly after his presidency and during his retirement, but does talk about his education and his early life as well. Ellis’ main thesis throughout the book is stating that John Adams is one of the Founding Fathers of the United States that is still in the shadow of some of the most famous Founding fathers such as George Washington or even Ben Franklin. In other ways Ellis expresses that we the people of...
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...Most people generally accept that as a country, America was founded on religions principals. Many of the writings of the founding fathers, including our own Declaration of Independence, include religious doctrine as not only the partial justification for our separation from mother England but also as a part of the vision of how our new nation would be successful. Over time, our society and culture have changed so that today, even though people claim to be religious, religion is certainly not as main stream in our culture as it once was. By better understanding our society in colonial America, how the denominational makeup of churchgoers has changed, how our legal system has both protected and not protected religion’s presence in our daily lives, the influence of different organizations and social movements on religious practices and perceptions, the change in how Christians are perceived and finally the changes in the message that the church is preaching the reader will be able to understand not only how America has changed but also how contemporary Christian leaders and organizations are trying to remain relevant and consistent with God’s word. Colonial America & Our Founding Fathers From the settling of our nation to the Revolutionary War, religion was much more a part of mainstream society. The pervasive nature of religion had an impact on those who led the fight for our freedom. The period of history leading up to the Revolutionary War is commonly referred to as the...
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...equality in the country. He says "I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." However, King uses many historical documents to support his argument. The first document he mentions is the Emancipation Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order signed by President Lincoln freeing the slaves in the confederate states. It was the first step in equality for African-Americans. King also mentions the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. He references these documents and our founding father's promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all men, "black men as well as white men." The United States Constitution defines the fundamental law of the United States federal government. The Declaration of Independence is written by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress, states the reasons the British colonies of North...
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...from the Text of The Declaration of Independence Abstract The Declaration of Independence is a statement of the American Revolutionary War and also an important defense of bourgeois rights. Studying carefully American cultural values from The Declaration of Independence, we can better understand the core of our Chinese cultural values and get to know the main differences and similarities between these two value systems. In this way, we will find all the advantages and disadvantages regarding both cultural values, and thus learn those good ones while overcome the shortcomings. This thesis falls into five chapters. In the first chapter, the necessity and significance of the study are introduced. In Chapter Two, some definitions of key terms included in or related to this thesis are presented, including Value, Cultural Value and The Declaration of Independence. Chapter Three mainly concerns the analysis of the text of The Declaration of Independence. By analyzing the text, the main cultural values related are demonstrated as liberty, equality and democracy. Then each cultural value is explained respectively and thoroughly with proper examples. Chapter Four mainly discusses the contradictions and conflicts inherent in those American cultural values, showing that American cultural values is a double-edged sword. The last chapter is the conclusion part which summarizes the whole thesis. Key Words: American, The Declaration of Independence, cultural values Contents ...
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...generalization of the Madison and Jefferson parties were inconsistent. In the form of the Louisiana Purchase, the Embargo Act, and the War of 1812, the Jeffersonian Republicans can be seen as broad constructionalists, the opposition of the war, in the form of a two-thirds majority to declare war, and Madison's vetoing of the Internal Improvement Bill can make the Federalists seem as if they were the strict constructionalists. Through an analysis of these topics, it is easy to see that both parties crossed their political lines to some degree throughout this time period. In the election of Thomas Jefferson, the world was about to experience a new era of national and political authority. The ideals of Thomas Jefferson were very different from the previous President; Jefferson sought a peaceful and constitutionally strict way of life for his political party. As Jefferson began his presidency he claimed that his election was a recovery of the original ideals of the American people. Jefferson's true ideology was one that believed in a small, weak central government, and that a small central government was...
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