Analysis Of The Declaration Of Independence

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Purpose and Contradiction: A Reexamination of Howard Mumford Jones’s Critique of The Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence2 can be broken down into five distinct sections according to Stephen Lucas’s, “The Stylistic Artistry of the Declaration of Independence.”3 These sections are the introduction, preamble, indictment section, “Denunciation of the British People”, and the conclusion3. According to Howard Mumford Jones, who is a well-known scholar and author in American History, the document can be invalidated by its lack of evidence and outrageous claims. Jones believes the Declaration of Independence is, “firm in structure and laconic in expression.”1 (Jones 3) In further explanation of the Declaration of Independence, This view of The Declaration of Independence further explains the “Denunciation of the British People” where Jefferson states, “We must, therefore acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends”2 (Jefferson) The Declaration of Independence inspired the change needed to create a less monopolized international community, where the state can operate independently without fear of tyranny. Although Thomas Jefferson is the well-known author of the Declaration, he was simply chosen for his literacy skills, which far surpassed his colleagues’ respective abilities. Still, the document was amended by a series of politicians, with the intent of revolution rather than empirical evidence. The purpose of The Declaration o f Independence was to begin a revolution, opening the world’s eyes to the fact that they no longer ha d to give in to the British and that fighting oppression was a possibility no matter how unlikely the fight It began a quest for the ‘inalienable rights’ that many still do not have in 2015 and while Jones critiques the document based on its lack of evidence and overcompensation of how many rights can truly be inalienable, the purpose of this document is overlooked in Jones’ critique. The purpose of this document was to spark a social and political revolution, leading the colonies out of oppression and into a brighter future where people can overcome. History shows that since The Declaration of Independence has been published, we have created great change and opened the doors for so many other countries, people, and minority populations with the ideas and even some of the same language from this

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