John Dickinson, who advocated for the ratification of the Constitution in his Letters of Fabius, argued that the states should ratify the document to create a government that promotes happiness and considers examples from history. John Louis O’Sullivan, editor of a prominent periodical in the mid-19th century, argued that America was a new creation that should no longer enslave itself to the ideas passed down from Europe and the Western tradition. While both men looked toward the future of America with hope, O’Sullivan differed from Dickinson because he viewed America as something new that should reject the old, expand, and move forward with the new. O’Sullivan severely departed from Dickinson in his views on the size of the American republic, …show more content…
He is famous for coining the phrase “Manifest Destiny” concerning the expansion of America. O’Sullivan claims that “the expansive future is our arena, and our history. We are entering on its untrodden space.” Although this is an instance of O’Sullivan describing a form of intellectual expansion, he explains how expansion is applied geographically in various other works in his periodical. He argues that westward expansion is the country's future, agreeing with Thomas Hart Benton and other Jacksonian Democrats. So, while Dickinson advocated against American imperialism, which corrupts the manners of the people, O’Sullivan actively promoted the doctrine of Manifest Destiny which applied American expansion throughout the continent. O’Sullivan’s views on American expansion represent a much more nationalistic view of the American government, while Dickinson heavily advocated for increased states’ rights. Dickinson believed that states played a significant role in the government, referring to them as “confederated states” and claiming that “the government of each state is, and is to be, sovereign and supreme in all matters that relate to each state …show more content…
However, they also recognized the importance of taking the best parts of their ideas and implementing them more effectively. Because of this, the Constitution that Dickinson defended included many elements taken from parts of Greco-Roman politics. Because O’Sullivan rejected using the past as an example, he opposed what founders like Thomas Jefferson believed when writing foundational American documents. In a letter to Henry Lee, Jefferson wrote about the meaning of the Declaration of Independence and the new American government. He claimed that the Declaration of Independence was “not to find out new principles, or new arguments, never before thought of.but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject,” in particular pointing to “Aristotle, Cicero, Locke, Sidney, &c.” as inspiration. Jefferson did not believe he was creating an entirely new government wholly removed from the influence of all previous thinkers. He recognized each thinker's influence on his writing of the Declaration of Independence. He believed he was simply combining their thoughts and applying them to the American situation in a common-sense
Thomas Jefferson wrote his Draft of the Declaration and was influenced by many of the ideas and concepts of John Locke. He did modify some of Locke’s ideas but most of them were the product of Locke’s belief in the Law’s of Nature and the fundamental unalienable rights of all human beings. As a result, their writings influence and demonstrate basic rights of people and make up our government. The world in which we live in is a product of the ideals of these men, who lived over 200 years ago; we are a representation of a republic
Together with Madison, Thomas Jefferson now came to the belief that Constitution is not something sacred that cannot be touched. Even thought they did not favor frequent and untried changes in laws and constitutions, they believed that if laws and institutions make progress and new discoveries, then changes can be made depending on the circumstances.
...n knowledge. Besides legal title, Sullivan argued, even more strongly, that God had presented Oregon to the United States to aid in expansion and the spread of a Christian world. With this argument presented in public form, Americans began accepting the phrase of Manifest Destiny as a link between them, God, and expansion westward.
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.
Manifest Destiny was the belief that the United States was destined to expand from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean; it has also been used to advocate for or justify other territorial acquisitions. Advocates of Manifest Destiny believed that expansion was not only good, but that it was obvious and certain. Originally a political catch phrase of the 19th century, "Manifest Destiny" eventually became a standard historical term, often used as a synonym for the expansion of the United States across the North American continent.In the early 1840s John L. O’Sullivan, editor of the Democratic Review, inaugurated the expression Manifest Destiny to depict American expansionism. O’Sullivan described the nation’s extension as inevitable and criticized those that delayed that progression "for the avowed object of thwarting our policy, limiting our greatness and checking the fulfillment of our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions."(Horsman 219) Horsman notes that even though O’Sullivan laid claim to the phrase manifest destiny, the idea was embedded in Anglo-Saxon heritage. In chapter one of Horsman the concept of ...
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.
Our Declaration of Independence, was penned most notably by Thomas Jefferson in response to the atrocities committed by the British Crown against the citizens of the American Colonies. At the time of the drafting of The Declaration, Jefferson was widely known to be a successful practitioner of Law as a lawyer, and an eloquent writer. It is due to this, that although Jefferson was a member of a five-man committee charged with drafting the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was tapped to be the main author.
Jefferson was chairman of the committee to write the Declaration of Independence. He was asked by the other four members of the committee to write the first draft of the Declaration. When he wrote the Declaration of Independence, he wrote it with common words and phrases so all could understand the plain truth of his statements. He did not consult a book or pamphlet when writing it. Everything came straight from his mind and heart, (Patterson 36).
Specifically, the idea that man is endowed with certain liberties that were granted by God and/or nature was advocated by the Enlightenment thinkers. Many people took aim at arbitrary governments and the “divine right of kings.” John Locke in return offered principles of constructing a constitutional government, a contract between rulers and the ruled. In Document 7, John Locke in The Two Treatises of Government stated that men consent to enter society in order to preserve their natural rights such as life, liberty, and property. The government should protect people's natural rights and if not, then the people can remove their consent because the government derives its power from the consent of the people. John Locke wrote during the time period of the Enlightenment; therefore, his thoughts were based on the emerging idea of individualism furthermore man's inherent rights and powers. Thomas Jefferson wrote in The Declaration of Independence (Document 9) that are all men are created equal and that they are endowed with certain natural rights. The Declaration of Independence was written because of England's tyrannical rule over the American colonies thus, the citizens felt that their natural rights were being abused by the English government. Individualism was indeed formed in response to the skepticism of the Church as
Common Sense written by Thomas Paine in January of 1776, enlightened its readers and ignited the colonists towards the American Revolution. Common Sense was the first document that established a suggestion towards a constitutional form of government. The foundation of the main points in Common Sense were the upbringing of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson in July of 1776 approximately 7 months after Thomas Paine’s work of Common Sense. The Declaration of Independence stated the Americans freedom from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence was derived from Common Sense and due to this, they have various similarities. The similarities
Throughout most of the nineteenth century, the United States expanded its territory westward through purchase and annexation. At the end of the century, however, expansion became imperialism, as America acquired several territories overseas. This policy shift from expansionism to imperialism came about as a result of American's experience in the Spanish American War and the Congressional debates that followed the American victory.
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...
O’ Sullivan. He was founder and editor of the United States Magazine and Democratic Review and editor of the New York Morning News. Most Americans believed that the superiority of their institutions and white culture bestowed on them a God-given right to spread across the continent. O’ Sullivan is credited with inventing the term “manifest destiny.” This term was created to justify white settlers taking the land they coveted. The independence of Texas was complete, therefore he believed that no obligation of duty toward Mexico tended in the least degree to restrain their right to effect the desired recovery of the fair provenance once their own. “She was released, rightfully and absolutely released, from all Mexican allegiance, or duty of cohesion to the Mexican political body, by the acts and fault of Mexico herself, and Mexico
During the 1776 meeting of the second Continental Congress Jefferson wrote one of the most famous documents in American history, the Declaration of Independence. This document would become the basis for the writing of the Articles of Conferderation and eventually the United States Constitution.
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.