John Locke once said, "The end of law is, not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom."1 Throughout history, the fight for human rights has been an on going battle that has been reviewed and adjusted as time progresses. Before the Enlightenment, people believed the government was not protecting humans and their rights. In Europe during the 17th and 18th century, Enlightenment thinkers stepped out of boundaries and challenged the established order. The American Revolution and French Revolution were inspired by ideals of John Locke and other Enlightenment thinkers. The revolutionary documents, The Declaration of Independence and The Declaration of the Rights of Man, illustrate many of the ideals espoused by Locke …show more content…
In 1773, King George III passed a bill that effected the tea company's negatively. At this point the colonist were extremely frustrated with the British Parliament and enough was enough. In response, a group of militant colonist dressed up as Native Americans and boarded British ships; dumping tones of tea into the Boston Harbor. This famous protest became known as the Boston Tea Party; which escalated into the American Revolution. Towards the end of the American Revolution, the colonies loyalty to the crown was fading faster. In the Spring of 1776, The Continental Congress gathered a group of committees to create a declaration that states the rights of a man. Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, drafted most of the Declaration of Independence. In the Declaration he justifies the colonies independence being inspired by the influential words of John Locke. Jefferson introduces the drafted Declaration to the Continental Congress and on July 2, 1776 the colonies declared Independence from British Parliament. It was not until July 4, 1776 when twelve of the thirteen colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence. On July 19th, the final draft of the Declaration was signed by all thirteen colonies; establishing order in the newly independent …show more content…
The Enlightenment stands for individualism over traditional ideas and changing the view on the world. The Declaration was crafted from ideas of man that believed they deserved nothing about justice in their new states. Jefferson steps out of the traditions and points out the wrong doing of the British Parliament and especially the King. Although the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens also contained Enlightenment ideas, it did not justify the movement as well. This declaration was simply reminding the government about the rights that the citizens already obtain, while the American declaration was trying to create a new
on December 16, 1773, Samuel Adams organized a group of men called the Sons of Liberty. They dressed up as Mohawk Indians. They boarded three ships in the Boston Harbor and threw 342 chests of tea overboard. It took nearly three hours to accomplish this. The British Parliament passed the Tea Act on April 27, 1773 which was a import tax and it raised the price of tea to three cents per pound on all tea sent to America.
During the 18th and 19th century, revolutions were happening on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, facilitated by the ease with which ideas and information could travel by sea. These revolutions aimed to produce liberty and equality for all, a radical new idea that came about in the Enlightenment Era. The French Revolution began in 1789, when the French National Assembly wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Man. It continued in 1792 and 1793, when the constitution was written, and culminated in 1818, when France finally abolished slave trade. The French Revolution best lived up to the Enlightenment ideals of liberty and equality because of the rights and freedoms that were guaranteed to every citizen without discrimination through two important documents: the Constitution and the Rights of Man.
The declaration of independence was written on July 4th 1776 in Philadelphia by Thomas Jefferson for all Americans. The document was written to explain why America had voted to declare independence from Britain and is one of America’s most important documents to this day. There are many persuasive techniques used in this document. As Thomas Jefferson says, “We hold truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal” (p.) he uses ethical appeal.
The United States of America's Declaration of Independence is a document that was written by Thomas Jefferson. This document describes to England, that the American colonies no longer wish to maintain themselves under British laws and rules. They wish to be a nation on their own. The colonists were tired and fed up of living under British rule. The taxes were becoming unbearable and seen as unfair for them to pay.
This gave way to the formal publication of the Declaration of Independence. As of June 6th, 1776, Adams was the one to second Richard Henry Lee’s resolution of independence, as he passionately supported it. Partially due to Adam's strong support of the resolution, the resolution was passed by Congress on July 2nd, 1776. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston as well as Roger Sherman were all tasked by Congress to write the Declaration of Independence. The first draft of the declaration to be created was given approval on July 4th.
Enlightenment philosophy has a great influence on the American colonists lives and beliefs during the American revolution. When the British government purposely infringed on the rights of the colonists, our Founding Fathers was able to apply Enlightenment philosophy to claim independence and support the democratic government. This crisis led the colonists stood up in the American Revolution against the Kingdom of Great Britain for not only their own rights but this event also has a huge impacted later in American future. Throughout the Seven Years' War, Great Britain defeated France and its Indian allies in America, but Great Britain was deeply in an enormous debt afterwards (more than 150 million pounds) (Give Me Liberty, p.141).
In the year 1776, the United States of America’s freedoms were transformed. After many conflicts, the thirteen colonies gained Independence from Britain. Our independence was proposed and declared through the document that Thomas Jefferson, a member of the Committee of Five, composed the draft. Later, the draft was altered and shortened by twenty-five percent. Months later, the Declaration of Independence was ratified in late 1776.
So, Congress chose Thomas Jefferson (mentioned later on) and four other men. Jefferson wrote what had been already said by the colonists. He included John Locke's ideas, and many other english thinkers who had written or made speeches about independance. On the document, he argued that all the people should have their own rights that nobody can change or take away. Colonists have the right to live, the right to be free, and the right to seek happiness.
At the Second Continental Congress during the summer of 1776, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia was charged with drafting a formal statement justifying the 13 North American colonies’ break with Great Britain. A member of a five-man committee that also included John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, Jefferson drew up a draft and included Franklin’s and Adams’ corrections. At the time, the Declaration of
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.
Influences of The Declaration of Independence Many aspects went into the making of The Declaration of Independence, though one major event of the world’s history has a more extraordinary impact on the document that helps mold the nation into the land of the free. The Enlightenment period is a time from which many famous scholars are at their peak of studies and discovers. Other than the scholars, there is also philosophers and literal “enlightenment thinkers” that help influence the ones around them to be open to change. The Enlightenment period is more than a change of times, it a new beginning that is declared by the rights of the people to create The Declaration of Independence.
The Revolutionary War was revolutionary because it changed the following things: the colonies changed drastically, the colonies were not ruled by the same government anymore, and America could create their own government and laws. The government was not so harsh on the citizens. There were not soldiers at every turn and the taxes were reasonable to live by.
During the 18th Century, the Enlightenment was introduced in Europe. This new movement brought about modernization of thinking about government and individualism, and reevaluated previous beliefs. The Enlightenment had many new Philosophers who helped spread their views on government. Philosophers were similar in ideas about the rights of citizens and people’s choice of which government they want, however they differed on the reason government existed and governmental power. Overall, the ideas were a substantial departure from previous ideas about human equality, absolute rulers, and the court system.
The natural given right of life, liberty and the right to own property ideas of the philosopher John Locke were fundamental to the creation of probably the two most important document of the United States: The Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. This was achieved during 18th century within the Enlightenment period. In the Enlightenment period reasoning was the main focus towards a social change in order to eliminate the suffering of human beings and set precedent to the pursuit of happiness. Rogers stated the “Jefferson's ideas in the Declaration of Independence put the 13 Colonies on the road toward the creation of a new, independent nation.”
Independence was a date that John Adams believed would be “the most memorable date in the history of America.” It was memorable alright. On July 4, 1776, Congress approved the final text of the Declaration.