ipl-logo

Interpreting The Documents In Thomas Jefferson's Declaration Of Independence

254 Words2 Pages

At the request of Congress, Thomas Jefferson and a number of other delegates wrote and signed a declaration of independence. This document is to serve as a pronouncement of independence of the 13 colonies from the power of Britain. The document outlines what Jefferson determined to be the rights of the American citizens. He stated that all citizens should have a right to life, freedom and happiness. The declaration provides an explanation as to why it was necessary for the colonies to be released from Britain’s power. It proclaims that citizens’ rights are not to be taken away from them and lists the grievances against King George III. It argues that in order to protect the rights of citizens, their sovereignty is essential. The document was

Show More
Related

  • Why Is Thomas Jefferson Justified In The Declaration Of Independence

    192 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson stated in multiple paragraphs that supported the decision to break free from Great Britain. He did this by describing the king’s tyranny against the colonies. He included all the reasons they were deciding to separate from Great Britain and proved that the decision was justified. Providing evidence of what led the colonies to decide to become independent, Jefferson gave a valid argument for the colonies position. In the document Jefferson writes in a firm and rational tone.

    Read More

  • The Final Draft In Thomas Jefferson's Declaration Of Independence

    213 Words  | 1 Pages

    A variety of qualified people were chosen to write the Declaration of Independence, but in the end, Thomas Jefferson was appointed. The final draft was supposed to be inspiring through its language to give people hope and freedom. With this in mind, Thomas Jefferson had a lot of pressure being the author of the final draft. A woman, who was his landlady, recorded in her journal about hearing his conflict at the time. She wrote about how she listened to him pacing frantically upstairs, trying to think of what to inscribe.

    Read More

  • The Difference Between Paine And Thomas Jefferson's Declaration Of Independence

    939 Words  | 4 Pages

    The document was written primarily by Thomas Jefferson and was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The Declaration of Independence lists many grievances against the British government, including taxation without representation, the quartering of British troops in private homes, and the suspension of colonial legislatures. Just like Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, the declaration also argues that the British government had failed to protect the colonists' rights and that independence was necessary for the protection of their rights and freedoms. The document asserts that all men are created equal and have certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of

    Read More

  • Who Is The Five Person Committee For Drafting The Declaration Of Independence

    888 Words  | 4 Pages

    Drafting the Declaration of Independence in early may, 1776 became the defining event that shapes Thomas Jefferson's life. Despite Jefferson's desire to return to Virginia to help write that state's constitution, the Continental Congress appointed him to the five-person committee for drafting the declaration of independence. That committee assigned him the task of producing a draft document for its consideration. Drawing on documents, such as the Virginia Declaration of Rights, state and local calls for independence, and his own draft of the Virginia constitution, Jefferson wrote a statement of the colonists right to rebel against the British government and establish their own based on the premise that all men are created equal and have the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Through the many revisions made by Jefferson, the committee, and then by Congress, Jefferson retained his prominent role in writing the document of the American Revolution and, indeed, of the United States.

    Read More

  • How Did The Declaration Of Independence Affect Black Freedom

    1077 Words  | 5 Pages

    Thomas Jefferson, one of the founders of the Declaration, was the second colonist to rewrite Virginia’s Declaration of Rights, and create the Declaration of Independence. Even though Jefferson owned his own slaves as well, and was not completely opposed to buying and owning slaves, he also envisioned of a society that was free and equal for everyone. That conflict left the Declaration of Independence difficult for Jefferson to write because he wanted to create a Declaration that satisfied both antislavery colonies and proslavery colonies. The two goals that Jefferson was trying to reach when he wrote the second Declaration was to justify the independence from the British rule, and to create an image for a new nation. He envisioned a new nation as one with democracy, political rights, justice, and full citizenship for all.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Paine And The Declaration Of Independence

    1550 Words  | 7 Pages

    A tale as old as time, the common people whom all want a voice in their own governance. In the Declaration of Independence, the thirteen colonies of England in America denounced the King of England. This was drafted to declare the causes which impelled them to separate from England’s reign. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, on the other hand, was written to declare rights given to everyone.

    Read More

  • Differences Between The Declaration Of Independence And The Constitution

    1297 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution rank among the most significant pieces of writing in American history. The thirteen American colonies were declared free of Great Britain in the Declaration of Independence, which was written in 1776. Based on the ideas of natural rights, such as the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the Declaration was drafted by Thomas Jefferson. Because it served as the cornerstone for the American Revolution and the establishment of the United States of America, the Declaration of Independence is regarded as one of the most significant texts in American history.

    Read More

  • Positives And Negatives Of The Declaration Of Independence

    1355 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Declaration of Independence is a symbol of the tribulations and adversities of the Revolutionary War that the colonists and the participants experienced to gain independence from Great Britain. Writing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson had the ambition to set the colonies free of Britain’s tyrannical rule. They were creating a government for the new nation, and they declared that the colonies were no longer under British rule. The Declaration of Independence embodies the ideas and goals of our nation and harbors the colonist’s grievances that motivated them to declare independence against the British king. In turn, the Declaration had far-reaching results for the colonists, the new country, and additional countries of the

    Read More

  • Arguments Against The Declaration Of Independence

    199 Words  | 1 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Was The Declaration Of Independence Justified?

    659 Words  | 3 Pages

    The creation of the Declaration of Independence, the moment that made the 13 colonies ' independence from Britain official, was one of the most significant points in U.S. history. But while their declaration was set in stone, the motive behind the colonists ' decision is something that historians have split opinions on. While the 13 colonies acted on their own during their early years, a sense of unity was created by the First Continental Congress, where the delegates from the colonies decided to make the British imposement upon colonial rights known to everyone. The main purpose of the Declaration was to announce the colonies’ separation, as well as claiming that they had the right to do so. They justified this act in the document by listing a number of grievances that the people had against the King, including unfair taxation, various laws that limited the colonists’ freedom, and the lack of representation that the colonies had in the British Parliament.

    Read More

  • Thomas Jefferson's The Declaration Of Independence Precis

    100 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Why Did The Colonists Revolted Against The British Government

    564 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thomas Jefferson wrote this document that the declared the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were no longer under British rules. The colonies became independent states. Their purpose was to create an ideological nation because in an ideological nation the people and the government are hold together by a set of ideas. The solution that the Declaration of independence declared that all people have inalienable rights, requiring life, liberty, and

    Read More

  • The Founding Document: The Declaration Of Independence

    375 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Declaration of Independence is America’s political tradition founding document. It expresses the underlying ideas that form the nation of American, that is, all men are created equal and free and hold the same inborn, natural rights. Therefore lawful governments must be based on the approval of the governed and must secure their rights. The Declaration of Independence notified the world of the unanimous decision of the 13 American colonies to detach from Great Britain.

    Read More

  • What Is Thomas Jefferson's Response To The Declaration Of Independence

    800 Words  | 4 Pages

    1. The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776. The purpose of the declaration was to separate the colonies from Great Britain and to give reason for this severance. The preamble gives the reasons why they must separate themselves and why they cannot tolerate a foreign ruler. Jefferson wrote his first draft of the declaration, and when he showed it to Congress there was an intensive revision process totaling 86 changes, these changes must have been made extremely precisely when you think of the severity of this text.

    Read More

  • The Declaration Of Independence Literary Analysis

    726 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about Interpreting The Documents In Thomas Jefferson's Declaration Of Independence

Open Document