Declaration Of Independence Essay

The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson (with the help of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, as well as many others), was signed on July 1st, 1776 in Philadelphia. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence to appeal to the British Parliament and King and explain why the American Colonies wanted independence from England. Thomas Jefferson and the other delegates from the Second Continental Congress agreed that, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator certain unalienable rights” (p. 112) which became the base for nearly all of the points made in the document. Logical and emotional statements were used throughout the document to make impactful statements that would convince the audience

To further convince the British Parliament of the seriousness of their intents, Congress added, “and for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of our divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our honor” (p.115) to ensure that Parliament knew that each member of Congress mutually agreed upon what was written in the document and that they would support each other in these matters and what would follow. Ideas from the Declaration of Independence are still prominent in America today. Many of the statements found in the document, like “all men are created equal” (p.112), are most often used in human rights arguments among minority groups. The Declaration of Independence is what sparked the movements that brought our country to be what it is today, and continues to remind Americans of the foundation that this country was founded on, which is why it is an important part of our nation’s

Thomas Paine’s writings reminded the colonists of ideas, like that it was “better [to] have too much force than too little, when so great an object [was] at stake” (p.118). In regards to Britain’s intentions, Paine wrote, “the cunning of the fox is as murderous as the violence of the wolf; and we ought to guard equally against both” (p. 119). Because he was in favor of the American Revolution, Thomas Paine’s writings painted Britain as an insidious force working against them, which convinced many colonists of the need for a revolution against Britain and reminded the soldiers to keep fighting their hardest. Emotional statements about the damage Britain was inflicting were used alongside loaded words such as “conquest” (p. 119), “tyranny” (p. 117), and “violence” (p. 119) to get Thomas Paine’s ideas on the actions of the British Parliament across in a powerful manner. The document’s influence on troops and colonists may have provided the extra bit of motivation that it took to win the American Revolution. The document reminds modern Americans of the emotions towards Britain and the situations leading to the American