...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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...What does Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness Mean to You? The Declaration of Independence is the most important piece of all American historical documents. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness might ring a bell, but for others it’s a whole different story. “Freedom is Intended as a Challenge” by Naomi Wolf mentions in her reading about Thomas Jefferson who was one of the writers of “The Declaration of Independence” had two main ideas which were individually and happiness, the pursuit of happiness. As Wolf researches she comes up with the idea that Jefferson had the idea that we would live a life that was guaranteed, Wolf explains “liberation is not about a historical moment that had happened in the past it is more of a destination of the mind” (636). Life is not all about being born in America and being free, people around us must continue their happiness, and find their own meaning of liberty. Wolf is a piece that takes a deeper look into the current perception of how the Declaration of Independence. Wolf believes us present day Americans have a right sense of what really happened in the late 1700’s. Wolf explains how many American’s now just look at the Declaration of Independence as just a piece of paper, and not taken as serious as it should be. The Declaration of Independence is supposed to be looked at on how free America is, as the Declaration of Independence states, “We hold truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed...
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...The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in our history. Everything said in the Declaration of Independence is very relevant, however; equality is the most important. The declaration of independence stated 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” Meaning that all people should receive the same rights, and be treated as equals. This is so important because everyone deserves the same rights. In document A Diana Pham a Vietnamese refugee, expressed how grateful she was of the equality given to her and her family. She said “America has given our family the chance to become whatever we choose...
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...Paper 1 The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 and announced the separation of the thirteen American colonies from British control. Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft, and after several edits, it became the final document. Jefferson employed several key concepts and phrases in the introduction and preamble. The introduction paragraph sets up what the rest of the document is about. Jefferson states that when it is time for a people to separate from a country, it is necessary for them to “declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” This indicates that the rest of the Declaration will outline and highlight the reasons why the American colonists decided to sever ties with Great Britain. The first half of the preamble–the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence–says that humans have certain rights, and the purpose of a government is to protect these rights. The first key phrase declares, “. . . all men are created equal.” This, however, is contradictory considering the existence of slavery in the colonies and the fact that the author, Thomas Jefferson, owned hundreds of slaves himself. Some argue that those who signed the Declaration thought of “the people” as male property owners, which would not include women or slaves as being equal. However, in the original draft, Jefferson did condemn King George for allowing the slave trade to flourish, but Congress voted against this because they did not want the...
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...to do what they set out to do, due to agendas preset before they even thought about running for presidency. We’re faced with the let down of a broken promise. As a citizen you get promised many things, a lot of those promises are legal promises as in the Constitution of the United States and others that were just promised to get a reaction. In The Promise of America a book with excerpts of different promises made to the American people, Thomas Jefferson’s historical “The Declaration of Independence”, was read on July 4th 1776, and was signed by 56 members of congress. In the “Declaration”, Jefferson states our true promises that defy this great nation that we have the rights of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (Jefferson 36). On July 19th 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton a woman’s rights activist parodied Jefferson’s “Declaration of Independence” to make the point that women were not being treated as “equal” members of society or that were given our free rights that were promised in the “Declaration” (Stanton 42-46). As deprived as women...
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...misunderstood what the right to be free meant. Thomas Jefferson’s, “The Declaration of Independence,” argues in his 1776 draft that if the government goes against what people want, they have a right to rebel and form a new type of government. As well as, if there is an unbalanced amount of respect, we the people are turned down the right to a full voice and the activation of our rights. With that being said, he expressed American Freedom around what we were willing to risk for a change and what we would allow come between our wants and needs. Naomi Wolf’s, “Freedom is intended as a challenge,” explains The Declaration of Independence in a way that would be more modernized for people that could not grasp what Jefferson was meaning. Wolf also continues to elaborate the challenges Americans personally sacrifice for the sake of freedom. Having said that, the pursuit of happiness mirrors the time period in which we live in. Nowadays you see the laws changing all around us. Currently same-sex marriage is now legal but just a few years ago they weren’t allowed to. Black people and white people are no longer segregated and 23 states have change their drug laws and have made marijuana legal. Everyday seems like the idea of freedom is changing. The pursuit of happiness is a reflection over how it was back then and how it is now. In Jefferson’s writing he uses words like “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”, (Jefferson 625) which implies that people have the right to live freely...
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...blocks to this nation's success, the motive to independence, the allowance to mass success, and the vouchsafed of contentment. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, the rights that have been bestowed upon us; they are the utmost essential rights that have been gifted to us by simply being an American. The works of, “The Declaration of Independence,” drafted by Thomas Jefferson, the self-liberating essay, “Salvation,” penned by Langston Hughes, as-well-as, the continuous resurging classic, “The Great Gatsby,” written by F. Scott Fitzgerald all share a common factor. These analects not only render on how we are entitled to these essential American rights but how we are given the opportunity to practice them freely...
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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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...Joshua Louis, 7/9/15, Ms. Parker, Freedom Pamphlet! Panel 2: The Declaration of Independence will always be recognized as the most important document in pursuit of freedom. This document stands as the reminder of a people’s struggle to Claim and win their independence against tyranny and unlawful acts. Historical experts continue to study the wording, structure and history of this document even today. While every American should be familiar with this most important document, many are not. Those people probably thought their ancestors one day woke up with the same rights they have, but that's not the case. They must acknowledge the hardships and sacrifices their ancestors went through to give them freedom. Panel 3: The first principle of popular sovereignty underlies the entire Declaration of Independence. It begins with the huge "We the People". Unlike most of world history and governments of the time, the Americans proclaimed that the people were sovereign, not King or Parliament. Popular sovereignty comes from natural rights, granted by "the Creator". As a consequence, no legitimate government may exist without the "consent of the governed Panel 4: Based on the Declaration of Independence, It begins with a statement that all men are created equal, that this is 'self evident', that everyone is entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. (John Locke originated this phrase as 'life liberty and estate', estate being more than just property), and when government...
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...Enlightenment ideas were a key factor in helping the British colonists win their war of independence. This is shown in a primary source, the Declaration of Independence (US 1776). During the Enlightenment, John Locke claimed that every human has the natural rights of life, liberty, and property. He also created the idea of a social contract. In a social contract, the people will give up some of their rights in exchange for the protection of their natural rights by the government. If the government did not protect the people’s natural rights, the people can overthrow the government. Natural rights and a social contract were major Enlightenment ideas. The American revolutionaries believed these ideas, which persuaded them to battle against the...
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...The American Revolution The Declaration of Independence is considered one of the world’s greatest persuasive documents ever written. Adopted on July 4, 1776 by the Second Continental Congress in America, the Declaration listed the tyrannical acts committed by King George III of England and proclaimed the natural rights of mankind and the sovereignty of the American states. The immediate origins of the American Revolution were in British-American disputes over taxation. After the Seven Years War with France, Britain was left with double its national debt and in severe need of money to repay loans and to defend its territories. Britain attempted to rebuild its finances by issuing the Stamp Act, which levied taxes on selected items ;such as commercial and legal documents, diplomas, pamphlets, newspapers, almanacs, dice, and playing cards ;and monopolizing the tea trade between China and America. These brought about severe protests and riots, however, which Britain punished by imposing the Coercive Acts, closing the Boston port and stopping local elections and meetings. After negotiations between the First Continental Congress and the British Parliament proved unsuccessful, the American Revolution began. During the war, many were inspired by the works of philosophers such as John Locke and the baron de Montesquieu. Locke believed the function of a government was to protect the natural rights of life, liberty, and property of the people, and if it fails to do so, it becomes a tyranny...
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...How the Declaration of Independence influenced the Constitution Ever since 1776, America has been built on the unification of its people and their freedom. When the Declaration of Independence was written, political ties between the American colonies and Great Britain were broken which lead to the creation of a fair government. The Declaration of Independence influenced the writing of the Constitution logically, ethically, and emotionally. The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, forms the logical thoughts that make up the document due to feeling a sort of injustice. Jefferson successfully makes an attempt to make a change with the goals of freedom, independence, and equality in mind. The Declaration goes on to state how equality should be carried out as it lists the wrongs that the King has committed against the American colonies. The Constitution is influenced by this list as the document contains a list of laws that establish the government. As the wrongs were listed in the Declaration, the laws in the Constitution protect the citizens from wrong in order to create “a more perfect union.” The Declaration builds a foundation...
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...affected the world like The American Declaration of Independence and The French Declaration of The Rights of Man. Both documents, till this point, have had a huge impact all over the world. Without them, the world wouldn’t be what it is today. The philosophical ideas of Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Locke were greatly inspirational on both documents. They were later used by Thomas Jefferson, in the Declaration of Independence, and the National Assembly, in the Declaration of the Rights of Man. Both documents can be compared in many ways. Baron de Montesquieu, a political thinker who lived during the Age of Enlightenment, had the concept of Separation of Powers. This was implemented in many constitutions throughout the world and was used in both of the mentioned documents. This theory was used to avoid tyranny and to promote liberty and justice as expressed in both documents. It was set forth to prevent one branch of government from gaining too much power over the other two branches. It basically believes in the right of a man to own private property, which is a function of individual liberty. Another political thinker Jean-Jacques Rousseau influenced with his theory of a social contract. The social contract was fundamentally an agreement, entered into by individuals, which resulted in the development of the state or of organized society. The prime purpose was the aspiration for protection, which entails the surrender of some or all personal liberties. An example of this concept was...
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...The Declaration of Independence Reading Response #1 Candie Cueva The Declaration of Independence was created when Americans wanted to "disband the political bands" that tied them to the British Crown. They felt as if they had endured oppression and many wrongdoings by the king, and so, they outlined their new government in this document. Some of the events leading up to this revolution were the Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, and the Boston Tea Party. These acts caused the citizens' to believe their "inalienable rights" had been disrespected. Therefore, the Declaration of Independence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson and a committee of four others including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston in order to take back these rights. The actual content of the document consists of five parts, but the most well-known is the preamble. The document became official on July 2nd, when the creators signed it at the convention along with 51 other representatives....
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...“Benjamin Franklin’s the Autobiography and the “Declaration of Independence” are persuasive because The Autobiography talks about the good things that Benjamin did and the Declaration of Independence talks about how we the people of the United States can have life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography talks about his life. This article is persuasive because it talks about all the good that he has done in his life. “I made a little book, in which I allotted a page for each of the virtues” (Benjamin Franklin 170). He is saying that he made a book and in his book he wrote down all the virtues and the days of the week to keep track of them. He is disciplining himself to become a better person. “I determined to...
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