Eleven score and nineteen years ago, we became the United States of America after the Continental Congress signed the final draft of the Declaration of Independence. This document would change American history forever by being a factor in America gaining its freedom from Great Britain. This document was the United States’s way of telling Britain we were declaring independence and gave justification as to why they were. The document was written by Thomas Jefferson, a member of the Continental Congress; but it was edited several times by other members of the congress such as Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. The Declaration of Independence had many significant event that led to its creation, arguments that were parallel to other famous documents …show more content…
One of the influences of the Declaration of Independence was the Virginia Declaration of Rights. This document also later became the basis for the United States Bill of Rights. The Virginia Declaration of Rights had numerous ideas in it that share align with the ideas in the Declaration of Independence. One of these ideas being that all men are created free and equal. Similarly, another idea these two documents share is the idea that all men have rights that cannot be taken away from them. Lastly, the two documents state that if a government becomes unable to serve the will of the people, the people have the right to change …show more content…
I believe its arguments against Great Britain are justified by what the British have done to the colonists over the years. They stripped the colonists of their freedoms, and the colonists fought back with numerous valid arguments. One of these arguments being the inalienable rights (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness). The colonists believed the British infringed the their freedoms. Another valid argument by Jefferson would be fair trial. These arguments have made the Declaration of Independence a valid piece of our Government even today. In conclusion, the Declaration of Independence was, still is, and always will be one of the most influential documents of American history. It told Britain that the colonists were fed up with their unfair and unjust rule over them. The document also led to many other colonies seeing what America did, and declare independence from their mother countries. The document not only changed America, but also changed the
People were finally serious about breaking away from the British and wanted their independence. In 1776 they decided to write the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson was the main writer of this declaration which established the United States as a nation. After the Continental Congress approved The Declaration of Independence, it was official. Though the British refused to recognize The United States as a nation, the United States were fighting for their freedom and independence. They no longer wanted the British controlling them.
When it comes to the Declaration of Independence, it affected not only the people of the colonies, but in fact, affected people around the globe and still affects people to this very day. This single document helped inspire nearly half of the 192 nations apart of the United Nations to have their own declaration of independence (Armitage, 2007). The Declaration of Independence is seen as one of our nation’s most prestigious document and this is because it is the document that declared our independence from Great Britain and the Royal Crown. It is essentially the marking of the United States’ birth.
In the making of the United States, there were many events that are important. This paper intends to highlight a few of those events including; Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and the Federalist Papers. Many events in America’s history helped to establish the United States as a free and independent country. The Declaration of Independence in particular explains the rights and freedoms that Americans. Each document is like a stepping stones that leads to the next and building upon the pervious document.
There are many events that have happened in our history that have helped shape our country into what it is today. One of those events that helped change our country was the Decleration of Independance. The Declaration of Independence was written on July 4th, 1776. And this document was written so we were separate from England and so we weren’t under their power anymore. It meant that we were going to become a self-governing country. This was the very first big step we took to become our own country. And if we hadn’t have separated from England we wouldn’t be the country we are today. This helped build our nation and bring us closer together so we were united as one. This is when we realized we could be something bigger than what we were.
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...
It is the document that gave the United States their independence from Great Britain. This is significant to Benjamin Franklin it was the first document he signed that would lead to America taking its first steps in becoming and independent nation. Franklin took part in drafting the Declaration of Independence and would advise the author of the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson, to revise the document and make small changes. It is no question that Benjamin Franklin had an immense impact on the other authors of the Declaration and the Declaration
Throughout history, only a few documents have changed the way we as a nation view politics and carry out our everyday lives. The document mentioned above was the Declaration of Independence. It changed the course of history because it granted America its freedom from Great Britain. Originally, there was a committee created to compose the document which consisted of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert R. Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson. After conversing with one another, the committee decided that Thomas Jefferson would be the one to write it with the final approval coming from the other four. After writing it and receiving approval from the committee, Jefferson presented it to the House. What happened here was not what the committee originally expected. Not all of the delegates attending the convention approved the document. However, through compromising for the greater good of the “New Nation” and editing to accommodate everyone’s preferences, the document was finally approved by all thirteen colonies.
The Declaration of Independence was a major turning point for the fleeing people that sought out freedom. The people that were persecuted by the Mother Country, Great Britain. The lifestyle that was proposed by Britain was limiting and restricting the people that wanted freedom. Those people fled from the country to find a place where they practice their religion, and establish their own government. They wanted to be removed from the overpowering monarchy, which they once called home. But freedom was more important than tradition.This led to the thirteen colonies that formed a Congress that promoted the Declaration of Independence, and officially broke from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence is known as the most important document of history.
The Declaration of Independence is focused for the most part toward King George III and the British Parliament. Jefferson wanted them to understand the reasoning behind the American's decision of independence. From paragraphs 6-32 he lists all the acts of tyranny that King George III forced upon the Americans. The list is longer than all the other parts of the document put together. It demonstrates how much emphasis Jefferson placed on providing reasons. But, this list is not only directed at Jefferson, it is a reminder to all Americans and the whole world of what disturbing times have been overcome in the past.
When in the course of the household we, the teens, have always had the responsibility of doing the chores around the house.When oneself has to do chores one has to miss out on hanging out with friends, going to the mall, et cetera. Of course we do not wish to be disrespectful toward our parents but it is now time that we write our own Declaration of Independence. It is important that our parents or guardians know how everyone feels about the chores that have been placed on us and why we should be independent.
On July 4th, 1776, America 's most important document in history was announced, "Declaration of Independence". The Declaration of Independence defined America 's prestige, value, and its freedom. It was the document which stated American colonies now did not want to be the part of British property. It is one of the most important days because for the first time in the history of America; it was on its own and stood as a single country. The majority of the Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson which was debated by Congress and made many changes in the original document. One of the major changes made by Congress was removing an attack on the institution of slavery.
The Declaration of Independence is the voice of the people who lived in the 13 Colonies that wanted to leave the British Crown. The Founding Fathers sat together and created this document that stated the Rights and the Liberties of the people and what was wrong in the Colonies. The Declaration of Independence spoke to King George III and said that the Colonies wanted Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness and that as "Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, Conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce and to do all other Acts..."
Jefferson’s justification for independence rested heavily on John Locke’s theory of natural rights because he believed that the British government was depriving the colonists of natural equality and liberty. He claimed, “All men are created equal” (Declaration of Independence); this idea is based on Locke’s belief that the state of nature is “a state also of equality” (Locke 287). Furthermore, Jefferson claims that people are
The Declaration of Independence caught my attention from the movie “National Treasure, (2004)”, the history that this document holds is unbelievable and how it was the origination of the United States is mind blowing. If the Declaration of Independence was not followed through with or signed, where would we be today? Life, Liberty, and happiness were a few key factors that society upheld for the making of the thirteen colonies in the United States, however, all man were to be treated equal and most importantly we as a country were to stand