...Declaration of Independence Alec Vargas AIU Online Abstract There are many artifacts hidden within sight every day. One artifact that many Americans take for granted is The Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence is an artifact because of what it resembles, and also what it allowed an entire group of people to do. This document helped solidify the future of many generations in and around the once newly formed United States of America. If an artifact is supposed to tell you about the core of a culture, then why do many people look over one of the most important artifacts in the United States history? The United States have a sole document called the Declaration of Independence calling for separation from British rule. But that is not just the only reason why the Declaration of Independence is so important. Why it is so important is how and whom the document brought together in 1776. The Declaration of Independence This document really shows how much unrest was between the thirteen colonies and Britain. This unrest comes from many attempts of oppression by the British government. This oppression reigned from, but is not limited to religion, financial taxation, military enforcement, and overbearing laws. The Declaration of Independence is a document of what the people of the thirteen colonies believed in, freedom. Freedom of what? Not just speech, but also against military rule and government rule that conflicts with the God given rights of a human...
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...In 1776, Thomas Jefferson authored the Declaration of Independence, explaining the grievances the American colonists held with their British oppressors. Seventy-two years later, Elizabeth Cady Stanton observed a comparable oppression, so she authored a Declaration of her own, this one known as the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments. The time separating the conception of these two works correlates with some key differences. Yet, though these documents were written years apart from one another, there are identifiable parallels, both obvious and concealed. The Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of Sentiments used similar strategies of repetition and appeal to logos in order to engender the desired reaction in their respective audiences. The purposes of these two documents vary widely. The Declaration of Independence was written to announce the colonies independence and removal from the British Empire. With it came the reasons for how King George III had become a tyrant, and finished with Thomas Jefferson finally explaining what the colonists were going to do about it. The Declaration of Sentiments also goes about the same organization, noting the reasons for why men have become tyrants over them, and finishing what they are going to do about. However, the Declaration of Sentiments doesn’t announce the call for a new country, but the call for reform. Instead, they are stating, “...that they have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to...
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...Panels Jackeline Oyervides 1/7/14Ms. LeeDeclaration of Independence | The purpose of the Declaration of independence was to completely sever all ties from the British. It was a way of telling the British they no longer had control of them. The colonists were tired of being taxed unfairly and without representation. That’s why when fighting began in 1775 and after being fully convinced by Thomas Paine that independence was necessary, they declared their independence with the Declaration of Independence. A committee of 5 men, including Benjamin Franklin and John Adams were assigned to write the Declaration of Independence. However, they left the job to the youngest member Thomas Jefferson. The structure of the declaration of independence is that it is divided into three parts. The first explains why the Declaration of Independence is being written and defines the purpose of government. The second explains their 29 grievances against King George. Lastly, the third firmly declares their independence of Britain and King George and explains what that means for the United States in terms of the rest of the world. | The colonists viewed themselves as British Citizens who were under the rule of King George. For this reason they believed they had the right to the principle of popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty is the belief that the power of the government comes from people. Meaning they elect people to make decisions for them. However, King George was taxing them without letting...
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...The Declaration of Independence is the document that was drafted as a proclamation for the 13 original colonies of New England to emancipate themselves from the British Empire. It was written in 1776 and ratified within the same few months. In total, there were multiple authors, many signees, and an even greater amount of contributors. The authors of the Declaration of Independence include five main Revolutionary leaders. The main leader who originally drafted the Declaration was Thomas Jefferson, and the four other main authors include John Adams, Robert R. Livingston, Roger Sherman and Benjamin Franklin. Jefferson was one of the original Founding Fathers of the U.S. as well as the third U.S. President. He was a proponent of the Continental Congress under the state of Virginia as well as the first U.S. Secretary of State. Adams, the second President of the U.S., was an influential public leader in Boston, Massachusetts as well as the Continental Congress. He played a major part in pushing independence for the colonies. Livingston was a Chancellor, which is the highest judicial officer in the state, as well as a Recorder from New York. Several years after the Declaration was written, he took office as the U.S. Secretary of Foreign Affairs. Sherman was the first mayor of New Haven, a town in Connecticut. Once the Declaration was written, he became a representative and senator in the new republic. Franklin was one of the original authors who wore the most hats. ...
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... The Declaration of Independence is a statement of core principles. The first part introduces the reasons it was created, and provides evidence of their principles and ideas. The second section is a complaint against King George III. The last section declares the United States as an Independent nation. Popular Sovereignty is the idea that people actually hold power in the government. This allows the leaders who have ben elected to have the power daily government decision making. “He has dissolved Representative houses repeatedly, for disagreeing with manly firmness in his invasions on the rights of the people. He has refused for a long time after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected” Declaration of Independence, 1776. The declaration of independence reflects the principles of social contract because, when it becomes necessary for a group to get rid of the connection between them and another country, they should tell them the reasons for separating. “And to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal stations to which laws of nature and of natures God entitled them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” “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.” – Declaration of Independence, 1776. The...
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...understand them more in depth. The Declaration gave us our independence from the British, and this is why we have Independence Day on July 4th. The Constitution was written to give the government a little more strong hold on laws and regulations. The letter to the Danbury Baptist was written to inform the people that there would be a separation between “church and state” keeping the government out of religion. These three articles seem as though they have nothing in common…. The Declaration of Independence was written first, on July 4, 1776. The U.S. Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. In both of these documents citizens were obligated to support the government as long at it was not restraining them from their freedom, and correct or remove it when it was. The Declaration was written to notify the monarchy that the United States was no longer a British colony. The Declaration of Independence listed reasons why the United States decided to cut ties to the British and was now its own country with its own government. The Constitution outlines the most important government laws and citizen rights. Some of the laws of the Constitution seem to be based off of the listed reasons in the Declaration of Independence. The Constitution was approved through a vote from the states, and the United States Federal Government was created. This is the same Government that exist today. If it wasn’t for the Declaration of Independence cutting ties with the British we might...
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...The Declaration of Independence changed the nature of the American Revolution in many ways. One way was the Declaration of Independence changed the nature of the American Revolution is that the Declaration showed all the problems that the king made that caused wars, protests, and violence. Also it shows the British the reasons that Colonists should be Independent from Britain. The main topic of the Declaration is talking about the rights of Colonists. In fact, Colonists barely had any rights, they had to quarter and feed British troops, they had to pay tons of taxes, and they also had to work for them. That made it so most of the colonists saw the issue and were on the same page. Also, after everyone saw the Declaration they were all fighting...
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...the, Declaration of Independence? The signing of the Declaration of Independence was always questioned. The date that is used is the Fourth of July 1776. It had 56 different signatures on it. In the passed people did not freedom or equality. Before Americans were not Americans, they were British. Before Americans governed themselves, they were governed by a distant a British King. Before America was an independent state, it was a dependent colony. Before Americans claimed equal rights, they were subject to British rights. What brought about these transformations? It was all changed by one speech in 1776, The Declaration of Independence. It was important to the colonies, because the British were not controlling them anymore. They did not have to follow the British rule. The Declaration of Independence is the most powerful document ever written, because it helped the United States and foreign countries, led to independence, and men were created equal....
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...Revolution Ideals Argument America was officially independent on July 4, 1776 by the signing of the Declaration of Independence. After America won the revolution there was a very weak national government that was based on the ideals of the revolution. The Articles of Confederation failed making America vulnerable to collapse. The constitution was then written using the same ideals of the revolution, which were the rights of the people, the enlightenment, and the want to be an independent country. The Constitution took these ideals and used them to make a strong successful national government. One ideal reflected by the constitution was the rights of the people of the United States. This ideal had been an ideal of the people ever since the...
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...Aleigh Hackmann English 3A 1.2.13 Practice June 1, 2016 The Declaration of Independence was ratified on July 4, 1776; it effectively formed the United States of America. 56 delegates signed The Declaration of Independence to the Continental Congress and outlined the reasons for becoming independent from Great Britain. This document is not formally divided, but it is divided into five unofficial sections, from the introduction to the conclusion. The Declaration of Independence begins with what is referred to as the Introduction. Although it’s just one, exceptionally long, sentence with a simple meaning, there are loads of information we can pull from it. The introduction simply states why the document is being written. The Founders thought they should tell their government why they felt the need to leave. Looking into the details, we see very elegant writing. From this, you can see that the Founders were well educated. The Founders also included in their introduction their strong belief in religious freedom. This document is written out of respect for the government that persecuted the writers. The end states “decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” The next part of The Declaration of Independence is called the Preamble. The Preamble includes the reasons behind the Declaration, many of them being from John Locke, a famous philosopher. These ideas are not only directed towards the United States...
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...powerful irresistible way. Two historical and compelling passages can be found in part two of The Declaration of Independence, credited to Thomas Jefferson and The Preamble to the Constitution written by another of our founding fathers Gouverneur Morris. Modern audiences of 2018 would be compelled to read The Declaration of Independence is because of its importance in American history. The Declaration of Independence has a historical significance, it is not just any document, it is a moment in time where the people could not stay quiet for a moment longer. Our founding fathers risked their lives and the lives of their families to write this document that would ensure the people's freedom. For example, the most famous quote that modern audiences can recall to this day is “ We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that we are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights.” This is what the audience found most compelling about this document, even though it...
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...Adrian Lurie 12/13/11 Per. 1 Self-Evidence In 1776, the Deceleration of Independence was signed by our founding fathers. This document had been previously written to break free from the grip of Britain and become an autonomous nation. It obtained the most fundamental ideas of our country, and helped shape what it is today. The most important group of ideals in this Declaration was the self-evident truths, which stated essential laws about man and its organization. These self-evident truths of the Declaration of Independence were derived from the ideals of natural rights, an undefined Creator, and establishing government. Throughout the history of the world, natural rights have been widely believed in, and were a large factor in the creation of our country. One source that shares the ideas of the Declaration is Cicero’s De Legibus, in which Cicero wrights that man, “has been given certain distinguished status…” This directly relates to the self-evident truths, meaning that Man has been given special rights and is therefore above all the other animals. Another example of natural rights in history is the signing of the Magna Carta. The king acknowledged that he had been repressing people’s natural rights, so they created the Magna Carta to protect them. This is yet another example from which the Declaration of Independence claimed ideas. Finally, the famous philosopher John Locke, “called the new-born mind a tabula rasa, a blank slate.” He believed that all men were created...
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...Persuasive Strategies in The Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence is, in a sense, an argument for freedom and severance from the British crown. The famous document features some of the elements of argument, such as the claim of unjustness by the colonist’s ruler and the evidence to back it up. The document lays the groundwork for both the American colonies’ independence from England and the eventual war that follows. Of course, for a document of this importance, to be persuasive, it must be written in a carful and particular way. Jefferson’s use of certain mechanical devices and language and diction expresses to his audience the reasons and justification for independence of the American colonies. One of the most obvious and effective strategies that Jefferson uses is midway through the document. He spends a huge chunk of the Declaration listing all of the objections the colonists have to King George III’s regulations and how he has abused his power. This technique brings the audience into the same rationale as the author. Jefferson talks about how the king has “abdicated Government [in the colonies], by declaring [the colonies] out of his Protection and waging War against [them]”, but the colonists’ “repeated petitions” to the king’s rule “have been answered only by repeated injury” (Jefferson 267). Jefferson is making an emotional appeal to his audience and is trying to convince them that any revolution from the colonists is justified...
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...Panel 1 Miguel March 17, 2016 Declaration of Independence panel 2 Declaration of Independence Colonists wanted to get freedom from Great Britain’s King George III because the colonists had enough of the heavy taxes and restrictive government persecuted by Great Britain. July 4th 1774, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. The purpose of the Declaration of Independence was to formally be independent from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in three parts; 1. Introduction and beliefs – provides reasons to why the colonists are breaking away from Great Britain and describes colonists’ beliefs about government. 2. List of grievance - listing the 29 complaints against King George III. 3. Formal Declaration – the colonies declared themselves free, and independent states, and would govern themselves. Panel 3 Popular Sovereignty In the Declaration of Independence popular sovereignty was reflected in the quotes below: “He Has refused for long time, after such dissolutions to cause others to be elected.” "In free governments, the rulers are the servants and the people their superiors and sovereigns." The first principle Popular Sovereignty is reflected within the Declaration of Independence. Popular sovereignty means that the people power the government by electing government leaders to represent the people of this nation and making government decisions. Once the people elect a leader they do not have...
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... THE LAW AND TREATY Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence was drawn up by people that agree in their feeling of oppression both in taxation, in government representation and in religious freedom. Purpose of Declaration of Independence was to explain to foreign nation why the colonies had chosen to separate themselves from Great Britain. The Revolutionary War had already begun, and several major battles had already taken place. The Declaration of Independence came first to express a unified desire to be selfgoverned and right the wrongs Americans were forced to bear. It was the ‘’starter’’ of freedom. The connection between the Declaration of well the popular sovereignty is that the people come together to created a fair government and sustained by the consent of its people, and the people elected a representatives (Rule by People), who are the source of all political power. The Declaration of Independence is a document that ‘’these united colonies are and right to be free and independent states. the both support democracy and the big picture was to rule by ‘’the people’’. One quotes from the declaration of independence “We hold these truths to be selfevident, 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. The connection between the Declaration of Independence and the second principle...
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