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Modern importance to the declaration of independence
Modern importance to the declaration of independence
Modern importance to the declaration of independence
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A Fight for Freedom The Declaration of Independence had a single purpose – to declare America’s freedom from Britain’s tyranny. Thomas Jefferson crafted a strongly worded document that served this purpose but it was almost lost in the multiple styles he used. The declaration was intended to communicate the lofty ideals and sacred dreams of the citizens of the United States. Throughout the declaration, Jefferson’s style shifts between formal and informal. At first, his diction is both elegant and personal. In the second part, he turns his criticism of the King and of England up to full blast. By the third section, he is resolute but bitter in his tone. Eventually the different styles of language and tone come together and balance the document that would ultimately declare the freedom of a new nation. At the beginning of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson’s language is elaborate and elegant. He uses long flowing sentences filled with philosophical concepts, like ‘Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness,’ borrowed from John Locke’s ideas regarding the Natural Rights of Man. His choice of words like ‘self-evident’ and ‘unalienable’ makes the Declaration formal yet he still communicates a very personal message to his audience. When he states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” this phrasing shows that Americans believe, like Jefferson, they have rights that are absolute. Also, the term “self-evident” shows that there is an awareness of perspective held by Americans of their value or worth which is not understood by the British. Words like ‘usurpations’ and ‘despotism’ are graceful words that describe graceless situations where the British have behaved in a way well beyond their authority over the col... ... middle of paper ... ...ance to the British Crown.” Here, they are not only receiving independence from British rule, but they are also receiving many other powers -- such as the power to levy war. Within the last lines of third section, there is a great sense of self-confidence in the spirit of the American people. Many people think that change occurs only by some great physical effort like war. However, the Declaration of Independence caused change by using words. It stands as the most significant statement this country could ever make in establishing their own identify as a separate people and culture. In the end, Jefferson gives this new world a strong and resolute voice about their future and their goal to become a great nation. Although layered with different styles, Thomas Jefferson’s writing is clear in its purpose and unequivocal in its expectations.
However, the author 's interpretations of Jefferson 's decisions and their connection to modern politics are intriguing, to say the least. In 1774, Jefferson penned A Summary View of the Rights of British America and, later, in 1775, drafted the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms (Ellis 32-44). According to Ellis, the documents act as proof that Jefferson was insensitive to the constitutional complexities a Revolution held as his interpretation of otherwise important matters revolved around his “pattern of juvenile romanticism” (38). Evidently, the American colonies’ desire for independence from the mother country was a momentous decision that affected all thirteen colonies. However, in Ellis’ arguments, Thomas Jefferson’s writing at the time showed either his failure to acknowledge the severity of the situation or his disregard of the same. Accordingly, as written in the American Sphinx, Jefferson’s mannerisms in the first Continental Congress and Virginia evokes the picture of an adolescent instead of the thirty-year-old man he was at the time (Ellis 38). It is no wonder Ellis observes Thomas Jefferson as a founding father who was not only “wildly idealistic” but also possessed “extraordinary naivete” while advocating the notions of a Jeffersonian utopia that unrestrained
The language used inThe Declaration Of Independence is that of an oppressed people who wishes to be free from their bonds and chains. Jefferson's audience was the people of the world, especially the King and his parliament officials. Jefferson wanted the king and the world to know that it was unfair for a mother country to judge and executed them, imposed taxes, and trade restrictions on the colonists without their own consent or representation in parliament.
In conclusion, without struggle and without sacrifice this country would not have gained the independence and prove that united we stand and divide we fall. Thomas Paine quite elegantly put it “however strange it may appear to some, or however unwilling they may be to think so, matters not, but many strong and striking reasons may be given to shew, that nothing can settle our affairs so expeditiously as an open and determined declaration of independence” (Paine 111).
Jefferson’s language in the Declaration of Independence shows clear influence from Locke and his theory of Life, Liberty, and Property. Locke’s idea of government is one that sets out to protect these rights and once a government becomes more destructive than useful it is the right of the people to dissolve the government and start over from scratch. It can be seen that Jefferson’s view of government, through his criticisms toward the British Parliament, are in direct alignment with Locke’s.
In 1774, Jefferson wrote “A Summary View of the Rights of British America”, in which he claimed that the colonies were tied to the king only by voluntary bonds of loyalty. The “Summary View of the Rights of British America” was published without Jefferson’s permission. This document was presented as a political pamphlet. It was taking Jefferson’s career to a whole another level, way further than
One of the greatest conflicts in the history of the United State of America, the Revolutionary War, was started when the colonies of North America declared themselves independent from British rule. A group of men known as the Founding Fathers, which included George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John and Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and others, formed the Continental Congress to rule their new nation. They chose Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence, which they would send to King George III to make their independence official. Jefferson knew that he needed to use strong language to make a solid agrument against British rule in the colonies and to convince the colonists that independence was the only choice to maintain their freedom as human beings. The powerful use of parallelism, ethos, pathos, and logos helpd Thomas Jefferson to convey his idea that all men are created equal with unalienable rights and that it is the duty of the government to protect those rights.
Jefferson, Thomas. "The Declaration of Independence." The McGraw-Hill Reader: Issues Across the Disciplines. 8th edition, Ed. Gilbert H. Muller. New York: McGraw Hill, 2003. 305-308.
The Declaration of independence was signed by many people; however, it was written by one: Thomas Jefferson. In writing the Declaration Jefferson and the signers used ethos, pathos, and logos to make it an effective document to persuade their readers and listeners. Jefferson used Ethos in his first paragraph to establish his ethical appeal that he and the men of congress are of good sense, good character, and good will--first, by acknowledging that they need to explain to the world the reasons for their actions. He then used ethos again in his third paragraph
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson appeals to patriotism. Jefferson ensures this by persuading the colonists to become self-governing. He tries to let all of the people of the New World understand that they have protested and defended themselves against the British for all of the corrupt acts the British have committed upon the colonists. Jefferson’s tone in the Declaration of Independence portrays how tiresome he has grown of the British rule after all of the deception towards Americans. Included within the idea of patriotism, is the idea of loyalty to the fundamental values and principles underlying American democracy. Thomas Paine also provides patriotism to get advocates for the movement to separate from the British forces. Correspondingly, Paine persuades Americans that they will prosper in numerous areas without the control of the British saying, “Is the power who is jealous of our prosperity, a proper power to govern us? Whoever says No to this question is an independent, for independency means no more, than, whether we shall make our own laws…” (Paine). Paine uses a demanding tone to convince Americans that if they should accept the ties with Britain, it will bring ruin and distress to the
Jefferson expressed his concerns and disagreements with the king in the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson's main points focused on the lack of natural rights the colonists were granted. With the natural rights of the people removed the people and the government would not be able to function. When the king eliminated freedoms that colonists once had he stripped them of their grounds for life. Jefferson also focused on equality. He stated that all men were created equal and by equality he meant that all men (and women) rich or poor all had God given rights that no person should be able to restrict them from having.
The way that Jefferson structured The Declaration of Independence made the article extremely influential. Jefferson first starts by sharing his belief that governments and monarchies that do not represent the people. He then goes on to tell the rights that he believes all people should have all over the world. The rights he describes are simple and reasonable. From there his last line of that paragraph is “to prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid World.” Then he starts to describe the injustices done to the colonies by the English crown. His structure works well to persuade people because he does not start immediately accusing the king of all these injustices or with strong languages. Like all good speakers and authors, Jefferson starts off with a lightly worded statement about when a group of people should start a new government. He then transitions to a slightly stronger statement about human rights, and then he goes into his compelling injustices of the king. The injustices that he describes include “He has plundered our Seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our Towns, and destroyed the Lives of our People. The Declaration of Independence is...
In 1775 Patrick Henry gave his infamous speech stating how Virginia should no longer stand around and watch Great Britain tear them down into thousands of pieces. In front of the Congress Patrick declared a fight against the British parliament and their unjust imposed acts. In Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech, he uses repetition, diction, and allusions to spark a desire of freedom from Great Britain among colonist, to help the Americans, gain their rights over unfair taxation and acts.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence for the American colonists to proclaim freedom from Great Britain's oppressor, King George III. American colonists had been suffering for many years when this important document was drafted. King George III had pushed the colonists into a state of tyranny and most decided it was time to start an independent nation under a different type of government. Jefferson focused his piece toward many audiences. He wanted not only King George III and the British Parliament to know the American's feelings, but also the entire world. The time had come for an immense change amongst the American colonists and Jefferson made sure everyone was aware of it by using his superior strategies of persuasion.
This fact and Jefferson’s usage of strong rhetorical strategies are what fashion the Declaration of Independence into such a strong work. Since the Declaration of Independence’s signing on July 4th, 1776 (Jacobus, 262) America has made much progress out from under the thumb of the King. However, for a reader, who has realized Jefferson’s failure to truly declare all men independent, his argument has lost much of its effect. A country founded on the belief that God, the Creator, has endowed all men certain rights that cannot be taken away, ought to believe that all men truly are equal and this belief ought to be clearly represented in the country’s Declaration of Independence. If this is not the honest belief of the country then it ought not to be present in such a revered piece of
It is unimaginable for any historian to depict the Age of Revolutions without reference to the American Declaration of Independence, the keystone and symbol of freedom from empires and of self-determination of a state. Words within the article characterised and reflected the beliefs of the thirteen colonies with their post-colonial attitudes that drove their will power to segregate themselves from governance of the British parliament. It signified new forms of national identities, separated from imperial states that exploited the natural resources and both the indigenous population and depriving new settlements from sovereign protec...