Why did the Congress write this document? The Declaration of Independence itself answers the question, "Why was the Declaration of Independence written?" The Declaration of Independence was a way for the British colonists in America to fight against Great Britain, they wanted to declare their independence from the British Parliament. These colonists were used to do whatever they wanted in many different ways. They felt that King George III and the British Parliament was trying to take away many of their freedoms through unfair laws. The purpose of the Declaration of Independence was to state that the colonies were from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence also described the principles that for wanting independence. The Declaration of Independence said that all men are created equal and they are all entitled to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” When the Declaration of Independence was written, it was presented to the committee, and the committee thought that this draft was almost perfect. They presented the Declaration of Independence to Congress after making a few small corrections. After the few more changes, the Declaration of Independence was approved. The signers of the Declaration of Independence stated that the new states had the right to wage war against Great Britain, trade the way they wanted, and create their own laws. …show more content…
According to the document, what is the purpose of government? The main purpose of the document was to justify the separation from Britain, and it states that in the first paragraph. The second paragraph stated a theory of a good government. It said that these rights were not given by the government, and it was the rights of a human nature. Therefore the first purpose of a good government according to the Declaration of Independence was to secure the rights of people. It says that “all men are created equal.” And they have “unalienable rights” these are the rights that no one could take away. These rights are “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” It says that governments are set up to protect these rights. And that governments get “their just powers from the consent of the governed.” In other words, the people run the government. The goal of the government should be to protect everyone’s freedom. The purpose of government is not to serve the rulers, it is to serve the people and uphold their rights. This part of the declaration closes by saying that overthrowing a government is a serious problem. It should only be done for serious reasons. But when people have suffered many abuses for a long time, it is their duty to overthrow the government and set up a better one and the colonists find themselves in this situation. What are the inalienable rights of man and do they apply to everyone? The Declaration of Independence states a second principle of the laws of nature.
It declares that all men are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness . . . .” These rights are incapable of being lost or sold. The Declaration defines other inalienable rights besides life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It discusses the right of the people to select the form of government that will serve them and protect their rights. It explains that “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the
governed.” Under what circumstances is it permissible for a people to overthrow their government? As I stated before, in the Declaration of Independence it states that overthrowing the government is a serious matter, and it should be done for serious reasons. However when people have faced many abuses for a long time, it is their duty to overthrow the government and set up a better one. The Declaration of Independence was a letter to King George III that the American colonies were overthrowing his right to rule them, and that they were going to establish their own independent country. Finally, having read the document, what lines most resonate with you and why? The line that most resonates with me is “all men have the right to live have liberty and the pursuit to happiness.” I find this line very important because it says that all men have the right to live, freedom, and find their happiness. It is everyone’s right to be free, and live however they would like to and are happy with it. The only part that I disagree is the part where it says “all men are created equal.” I agree, and disagree with this part because everyone should be created equally, however some people are born in a rich family, and they would be ahead of the game. They already have freedom, and happiness. Since not everyone comes from a rich family, the poor would have to struggle and fight to find their freedom, and happiness. In conclusion, I believe that everyone has the right to be treated equally, have the right to live, and pursuit to happiness.
The Declaration was for the colonists to seek for independence. The quote most widely known is “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”(Jefferson) The Declaration of Independence was written mostly by Thomas Jefferson who stated the above quote. Like the Declaration of Sentiments, all men are created equal. The Declaration of Independence allows the people to have the right to abolish an proposition that they do not agree with. They also have the right to institute a new government if they do not feel it is not ensuring safety and happiness to everyone; they can vote in a government who will ensure this. It is also the peoples right to throw out a government when laws are abused. Every year on July 4, people in the United States celebrate Independence day, also known as the Fourth of
After it was written, 56 delegates coming from all of the 13 colonies signed the Declaration of Independence in order to make it official. This document served great justice during the Atlantic Revolution; it sought to make a difference as to how the colonies were in terms of their alliance with Britain. The Atlantic Revolution was able to make this happen, for it opened up the space for change. Through the document, we can see how the colonies determined to separate themselves from the British Empire. Some things to pay attention to in the writing is that they mentioned things like “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. The goal of this statement is to make sure that even though the men make up the government and the people must be okay with them, at the end of the day the people have the right to make sure that their government is not being destructive and is aiming towards their rights. The Atlantic Revolution brought forth new ideas of government and the liberation of the colonies from the
Why was the Declaration of Independence written? The Declaration of Independence was written in 1776. We all know that day as Independence Day. It was accepted on July 4, 1776. On that day, the United States had freedom. There was a long, hard process to get the Declaration of Independence where it needed to be. It took several people, and several reviews to get it just right.
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.
The Declaration of Independence (1776) was written to proclaim the colonists’ independence from Great Britain and announce the rights of its citizens and the role of government, among other declarations. The most famous phrase “…all men are created equal”, authored by Thomas Jefferson, was a statement affirming that tyranny under the rule of King George III and the English Parliament would be met with opposition by the colonists who would protect their liberties in the new republic.
These differences were the seed of a sectional division that would plague the nation for a century. During the late seventeenth century, this fissure in the ideals of the colonies became apparent. Following the constant political irreverence from Britain, a majority of colonial representatives felt the need for independence. The Declaration of Independence was the document written to do this. It called for an abolition of slavery as well as freedom from British rule.
The Declaration of Independence cut the political connections between the thirteen original colonies and Great Britain. By declaring independence, the American colonists were able to forge an official alliance with France and obtained French assistance in the war against Britain. The Purpose of the declaration was to explain why congress had voted, July 2nd 1776, to declare their independence from Great Britain, over a year after the American Revolutionary war began.
The purpose was to justify the revolution of the “new” colonies. Many of the people were excited for the plan. The American people had thrived for the freedom, and to establish the government for themselves. The Declaration has three parts to the document. The first part was the Declaration of Natural Rights. This explained the basic human rights for each American citizen. The entire document is centered around how each person is equal, and it has been given by God. The second part of the document is composed of lists of grievances. This section listed complaints about the ruler of Great Britain at the time, George III. This, of course, spoken against the ideas of the king, and the ideas of a overpowering monarchy. The third part of the document was the resolution, or conclusion. The resolution concluded that the colonists have officially broken away from Great Britain. With the closing part, the colonists had officially separated from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence first step was to separate the colonies into states and establish the authorities that will be in control over the
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
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.
The Declaration of Independence includes four parts. The first part is the Preamble, which explains why the Continental Congress drew up the Declaration. They felt their reason should be explained to England.
There are many important factors in the Declaration of Independence, which enable the foundation of a new government. These range from describing grievances with England, to how government should be run differently, to the first statement of separation. The first step to the foundation of a new government is the uniting of a people in a common goal. Since all people were feeling violated by English soldiers, it was necessary to state these grievances in order to make people aware that they are not alone. When people learned that others felt the same as them emotion was stirred. The Declaration of Independence listed the grievances such as, “He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.” The next important step to the foundation of a new government was to gain peoples ambition by showing how the government would be run if a new party took over. This goal was achieved by stating the rights of man. “We hold these truths to be self evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This statement made people hopeful and feel kindly toward this new government. The final step in the preparation for a new government was separation from the old government. This was declared twice in the Declaration of Independence. In the beginning, “That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, driving their just powers from the consent of the governed,” and in the end, “that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved. In conclusion, the Declaration of Independence was able to motivate people, give them ambition, and made it simple for Americans to take action.
What is the Declaration of Independence? The declaration of independence states that all individuals have inalienable rights, requiring life, liberty, and property, a document by which the thirteen colonies proclaimed their independence from Great Britain. If these rights are not protected, people have the right to abolish the government and institute a new one that is willing to secure those rights and their happiness. The declaration was written by Jefferson when he had the vision that America should be liberal. While liberals wanted to over through the government, conservatives believed that not every person should receive the same privilege, not every person is the same and therefore, not every person should be created equal. America is viewed as a liberal state. Thomas Jefferson once said, “When the people fear the government, there is tyranny, when the government fears the people, there is liberty.” This was the strongest reason for the people to bear arms, so that they can be protected from tyranny in the government. People wanted their independence.
The Declaration of Independence was written to declare that the thirteen colonies were claiming themselves as independent states. Then U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights were written. These important papers spell out freedoms guaranteed to Americans and the laws that protect those freedoms. They talk of a government that works for the people.
"Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Jan. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. .