Argumentative Essay On The Declaration Of Independence

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Although, the Declaration of Independence was a marker and a commencement of democracy, patriotism and a defined American culture, it has also been a very contentious document and is still a hot-topic of debate today. One reason, for its ambiguous support is due to it completely disregarding the issue of slavery that was highly present in the colonies at the time. The abolition of slavery was a fierce movement in many of the colonies while they drafted it. Many prominent religious groups actively worked to abolish slavery. Some abolitionists were not so caring and had more strategic and political ulterior motives. Lord Dunmore’s 1775 Slave Emancipation Proclamation was a prime example of this. It was an early attempt at eradicating slavery with futile results, due to it causing further mass disharmony and disagreement in the south. It was too radical for the time and historical context of events and being that it was the first large-scale attempt …show more content…

One of the most significant passages that was omitted in the final draft was one that supported the freedom of slaves. This was due to many economic and political factors. First, it attacked the cornerstone of the colonist’s economy and many feared that the fragile new country would not be able to survive without the plantation system and the cheap source of labor it provided. It was just on the frontier of gaining independence from Britain and could not afford to make such a large change. They needed the money for the war to battle against Britain during the American revolution. Additionally, it threatened the union that was required to build a nation and a federal government. If he Declaration of Independence was to contain a passage alluding to the freeing of slaves so early on it would lead to a war among each other. They needed to be a unified nation first before they could make changes like

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