Natural Law And Augustine: Natural And Revealed Law

Freedom has been the center of American ideals since the United States gained independence from Great Britain. To protect these ideals, the Founding Fathers created the Bill of Rights; which contains the first ten amendments to the Constitution. The document grants American citizens their basic rights and freedoms. The First Amendment guarantees the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press and the right to petition the government without retribution. It directly states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the

America’s Founders believed that liberty was important and must be supported. Finding a balance between individual rights and a strong union was important because it determined their productivity as one. The Founding Fathers consisted of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington. . James Wilson felt as if law,liberty and nature belonged together and without one it would disrupt everything. The Founding Principle is that “all men are created equal” and the following rights cannot be taken away from them “Life,Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Thomas Jefferson in particular wrote the Declaration of Independence, which stated “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator

“…..All men are created equal, they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” This phrase, from the Declaration of Independence, was written more than 200 years ago declaring America’s Independence; the colonists formally announcing their break from Britain. Written by the main authors--Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman--on July 2, 1776, and signed by the 56 delegates of the Continental Congress, this document symbolizes and celebrates our freedom. Historians analyzed the Declaration of Independence in four significant sections: the statement of purpose, the contract theory of government, grievances, and the conclusions. The first portion of the Declaration of Independence states that colonies want Independence, and it is crucial, and no longer unavoidable.

It is true that human law is self-imposed, capable of violation, subject to exception, modification and repeal. Human law can be binding in conscience if it is formed

The Natural rights philosophy also played a major role in state constitutions. In every state there was a written or higher law, which limited governmental power through a written document. These written constitutions reflected the idea that the purpose of government was to preserve and protect citizens’ natural or unalienable rights. Early American patriot and politician, Samuel Adams, concluded,” Among the natural rights of the colonists are these: first, a right to life, secondly to liberty, and thirdly to property, and together the right to defend

To Jefferson this was his most meaningful contribution to his nation. In 1776 Jefferson was tasked to write the rough draft so that the congress can debate on it. While writing the Declaration of Independence he came up with, “All men are created equal and have the inalienable right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.” His words inspired many other people who help create the declaration of Independence and stand up for what they believe. Everyone was excited to read what he has written and often always agreed with him.

Since the ancient times the research of a ‘Just’ society has always been linked with the Natural Law, a corpus of eternal, universal, and immutable rules, as the Nature, valid for everyone. The precursor of the Human Rights can be located in the Natural Rights theorized during the Renaissance humanism. Even if some rights had already been recognized, or affirmed in ancient and previous times, they were strongly connected to some divine power or religion. Nonetheless there are some precedent examples of interest. The Magna Charta signed in 1215 by that King John of England, who committed himself to respect, contained among others in its list , the rights of all free citizens to own and inherit property, to be protected from excessive taxes,

Thomas Jefferson, the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence was greatly influenced by the philosopher John Locke. Locke believed that humans had natural rights, that power comes from the people and all men are equal, and these beliefs can be found in Jefferson’s writings. American’s believe they have certain rights that can’t be taken away from them. The

One of the biggest influences that John Locke had on President Jefferson was, what John Locke dubbed, “Natural Rights,” and what Jefferson called, “Unalienable Rights.” Meaning practically the same thing, these rights were very similar, and it is obvious that Jefferson’s version derives from Locke’s ‘Natural Rights.’ John Locke’s version stated that all peoples shall possess the following rights: Life, Liberty, and Property. In this case, life means, that people people will fight to live and want to survive. Liberty refers to being free, and being able to make one’s own decision.

Natural law theory states that there are laws that are immanent in nature and the man made laws should correspond as closely as possible. Man can’t produce natural laws but he can find and discover through his reasoning. If a law is contrary to a natural law then it is not a law. Laws should be related to morality. It is a concept of a body of moral principal that is same for all the man

“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” (U.S.). This quote, from the Declaration of Independence, is probably one of the most well-known quote there is. It speaks of man’s right to be free and equal of any one man out there. As we have all learned in our history class back in junior high, the Declaration of Independence was written mainly by Thomas Jefferson to explain why the colonies wanted independence from Great Britain. This document is a list of complaints by the English colonists’ against King George III.

Most of the founding fathers believed that it was not about competition or disagreements but what will be best for our country. Samuel Adams believed that even the best laws and constitution won’t keep liberty safe, rather than the people who fight for liberty and promote its virtue will be the ones in power. The “Declaration of Independence” written by Thomas Jefferson, was a revolutionary document that declared our independence in 1776. He wrote this because they say that the King is taking away the three rights that come from God, which are, “Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of

In the declaration it stated the essential human rights in everyday like for the people in society. With Jefferson having a huge role in that he become to be known as one of the nation’s remarkable founding fathers alongside George Washington, John Adams, James Madison and Benjamin

The law is an intriguing concept, evolving from society’s originalities and moral perspectives. By participating in the legal system, we may endeavour to formulate a link between our own unique beliefs and the world in which we live. Evidently, a just sense of legality is a potent prerequisite for change, enabling society to continue its quest for universal equality and justice. Aristotle once stated that "even when laws have been written down, they ought not to remain unaltered".