Declaration Of Independence

History HL: History of the Americas

• United States Declaration of Independence; processes leading to the declaration; influence of ideas; nature of the declaration; military campaigns and their impact on the outcome (suitable examples could be Saratoga and Yorktown)

“I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory.” (Adams) The United States declaration of independence, issued by the Continental Congress in July 4th 1776, represented an evident step the country was making to free itself from the British Empire. John Adams had already been the leader of the independence movement;

Firstly an introduction that states the purpose of the document, which intended to explain the reason of why American people were declaring independence from the government of England. In the second part a theory of good government and individual rights that from the 1770s until modern days is still accepted in the United States. The theory presented a set of undeniable rights that made all individuals equal in their possession. Those rights are not granted by the government, they are considered to be natural to human nature. For that reason an essential aspect of a good government is to guarantee these rights. More importantly a good government is solely based on the consent of the people, who are entirely the most powerful source of the government’s authority. If the government started to constantly violate the rights of the nation then the people had the right to overthrow it, according to the theory of good government. Thirdly according to this document a list of complaints against King George III, that was singled out to represent the actions of the British government, was created. Those complaints were clear examples of movements that were against the ideas presented by the theory of good government. The separation from the King’s horrendous government seemed to be justified taking the theory of good government as a perfect substitution for the new rights in the United States. Lastly the document mentions perhaps the most important part of the declaration of independence, determination of the people to defend and maintain their independence and rights. Independence was not easily achieved, with the quest of setting new rights for the present situation in the US many military campaigns, such as Saratoga and Yorktown, were essential for the success of the Declaration of