A Colonial Response to the Declaration of Independence After reading the Declaration of Independence, I would wholeheartedly agree with the Continental Congress and the Declaration. As a Patriot, I completely believe in everything that was written. In the first section of the Declaration, The Purpose of Government is to Protect Basic Rights, I especially agree with the statement “…That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive on these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish I, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect the Safety and Happiness.” This basically means that if the government isn’t looking …show more content…
I feel that this entire first section is stating what should be obvious, but isn’t. As a whole, I agree with this section. The second section, Wrongs Done by the King, presents the facts without the sugar-coating we are so used to. The wrong “He [the King] has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.” really struck a chord in me. What kind of ruler refuses to approve laws that are necessary? A bad one, obviously. The rest of the abuses stated really made me stop and think, why didn’t we rebel before this? A ruler who blackmails judges into being on his side, forces taxes on us, obstructs justice, and dissolves legislature shouldn’t have been ruler for this long. With the facts stated in a clear and concise way, there is no lingering doubt in my mind that rebellion is the right answer; in other words, I wholly agree with this section. The last section, Colonies Declare Independence, sums up everything that I have already agreed to. It says “… 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.” This is declaring independence in a lot of fancy words. This is us saying that we are
The colonies have been part of the British crown for 168 years now, but independence is something that America needs. The British had created high taxes with unreasonable causes since they just went to war with the French and Indians in American territory, but colonists should not comply the King’s whims no more. American colonists demand independence since freedom is limited by Britain; for this reason, colonists are thinking about how to obtain it.. The British have planted a seed of hatred in the American colonists thanks to the treatment they have given; consequently, colonists are seeking revenge with the British. Due to the fact that the British have mistreated the Americans, the majority of the American colonists may agree with Patrick Henry and are willing to risk their lives for the freedom that Americans deserve.
we declare, 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…” (Par 5.) Jefferson explains how after all the abuses, the people of the colonies have had enough and they are now declaring the separation from Britain. The people of these states are free and have their independence, and there will no longer be any form of allegiance to the British. This is also meaning that the people are standing together and they know that war will be upon them.
The colonists desired a sense of freedom and power that was not obtained by the sovereign rule of England, so they instituted an improved governmental system that resolved most of their concerns, but was not without faults. The way England was controlling and monarchially put doubts and frustration in the minds of the commonfolk in America who felt used and dissatisfied (Doc 1). As a result, the Declaration of Independence was written that renounced the jurisdiction of Great Britain and gave themselves the independence. This also had the negative impact of the descent into fighting and the allegiance issue (Doc 2). Shown in document 3, there was a separation of the population in the colonies because some remained loyal to the crown.
Although the Declaration of Independence is now viewed as the official document that wholly released the United States from the political grasp of Great Britain, this was not the initial intended purpose of this document. In fact, at the time the first draft was written, the Colonists merely desired better treatment from the then supreme political power. Yet certain events inspired the American colonists to rethink their proposal for negotiation- events that led to revisions present in the final draft of the Declaration of Independence. As a means to ridicule Britain on its unjust principles, the Colonists imitated the British Declaration to expose Britain on its hypocritical views of equality. Therefore, it is easy to conclude that the American
Over the course of American history, society has dealt with many flaws, and dilemmas. In Source B, it illustrates that Abigail Adams, John’s wife, wanted the Continental Congress to remember the ladies when they write The Declaration of Independence. In Source C, it rationalizes how slaves didn’t have equal rights as white men, and the petition is trying to give their natural rights back. Furthermore, in Source D, a miniseries that depicted John Adams life, given particular the Revolutionary War. This source allows the viewer to visualize the conflicts that the Continental Congress had, with the colonists, and the British.
The number of violated rights endured by the American colonies is almost imaginable, as a self-destructing empire ruled over them for almost two centuries. By the 1760s, things would begin to fall apart between America and Britain, as an incompetent king would take the throne. Going from a place of representation to the complete dissolve of all self-representation, followed by the complete pillaging of rights, all the way to the complete rule of the king. Each of these pillars of tyranny would come into place one by one, following the deterioration of King George III’s mind. While a complete takeover would happen, the devastated colonies would come together to create the Declaration, which would highlight the King’s tyrannical rule in the grievances.
At no point in the history of humankind has there been something about which everyone can agree. Everyone has different opinions, and the founding era in America was no exception to this rule. People felt very strongly about their views on things like the separation from England, the amount of power the federal government should have, and the idea of a national bank. One of the first decisions to be made in the struggle for America's independence was whether or not they should seek independence in the first place. Those loyal to England believed that rebelling against England would lead only to "devastation and ruin" (Charles Inglis).
Many believe that every human being must be treated as equals. It is significant that this law is strictly practiced in order to prevent a chaotic and rioting society. Thomas Jefferson, framer of the Declaration of Independence and secretary of state to President George Washington at the time, declared that “all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This statement greatly appealed to numerous colonists after gaining freedom from Great Britain; however, not everyone agreed that Jefferson’s words are reinforced accordingly. One such individual who was the son of former slaves, a farmer, astronomer, mathematician, surveyor,
“All men are created equal” was a goal the Founding Fathers tried to achieve in forming the country. July 4, 1776, 56 delegated passed the Declaration of Independence to announce and explain separation from Great Britain. James Madison wrote the Constitution based off the ideas of the Enlightenment period, which had core ideas of personal liberty. The U.S. Constitution established America’s national government and fundamental laws and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens. The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by delegates in Philadelphia and presided over by George Washington.
The ideals of the Declaration of Independence embody equality, inalienable rights, consent of the governed, and the right to alter or abolish government; and should be protected because the absence of these ideals lead to economic collapse and tyranny. Therefore, if these ideals are protected then the course of human events throughout history have shown that a path to Liberty will follow. Equality is defined as the state of being equal in status, rights, and opportunities. As in the case of immigrant people from a communist country, they appreciate the equal opportunity to succeed. Diana Pham who now lives in Chicago, Illinois states, “we appreciate the opportunity given to us to build our lives in the United States… America has given our
The Declaration of Independence acts as the American Colonies’ formal set of grievances against the King of England. Before citing the injustices experienced, the statement begins with a formal introduction contending that the people have the right to create their own government when necessary. Following is a more philosophical assertion which argues that when a state begins to harm the given rights of the population, it is completely justifiable to begin a revolution to overthrow the subjugator. Next comes the list of complaints directed at the Crown, which range from the abolition of American charters to the dissolution of the Representative Houses. Finally, it concludes with a denunciation of the situation and announce the United States
Declaration of Independence Precis Thomas Jefferson in his historical document, The Declaration of Independence (1776), asserts that the colonies should break free from Britain’s tyranny. Jefferson supports his assertion through the use of anaphora, parallel structure, imagery, emotional appeal to patriotism, and logical appeal to the colonist’s basic rights. Jefferson’s purpose is to advocate for the separation of Britain and the colonies in order to escape the British tyranny that King George imposes on the American colonists. Jefferson writes in a measured tone for the British parliament, King George, and for colonists who have been a victim of Britain’s oppression.
The colonies declared to the world, ‘hey, watch out!’ We (the colonists), are seceding from Great Britain, we reject the sovereignty of the crown. But this was just
During the writing of “The Declaration of Independence”, Thomas Jefferson go to great lengths to describe why the colonies were choosing to separate themselves from Great Britain. This is done not only so readers will have a detailed description of what the American people were facing while being ruled by the King. The vivid depiction of all the cruelty he has shown towards the people. Furthermore, the lengthy, highly descriptive examination of all the wrongs and showing that the colonists made many appeals to the King but also the people of Britain that the reader now feels as if it is wrong for the Colonies to be under Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson begins by detailing the ethical standings of all people that live within the colonies.
Although an absolute ruler’s actions were viewed as cruel they served as a reminder of the consequences which follow if one went against the established laws of the state. If the monarch’s commands were not followed, chances are the defiant people would have encountered death or no chance of heaven after death. In a time period where going to heaven was a priority for a vast majority of the population going to heaven, the sole purpose of some people’s lives, clearly contradicting the man or woman who is allegedly chosen by god to govern was an action everyone hesitated to carry out. Taking into consideration these commands were to benefit the community as a whole, not an individual such fear, although never appreciated, seemed a better scenario