Declaration of Independence
The Theory of Government presented in the Declaration
The author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson was greatly influenced by the political thoughts of the 17th century English philosopher John Locke and other thinkers of the European Age of Enlightenment. The theory of government presented in the Declaration is largely based on the political philosophy of Natural Rights that maintains that each individual enters a society with certain basic rights that no government can deny. The Declaration terms these Natural Rights as unalienable rights given to them by God, including the right of "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
The document goes on to assert that all men are created equal and in order to acquire and keep these natural rights, they have a right to form a Government that derives its powers only from the consent of the people. It closely reflects John Locke's argument that the government is a contract between the governed and the governing, and its main purpose is to protect every man's inherent right to life, liberty, and property.
The Declaration also proclaims that if a Government fails in its main function, i.e., protection of the life, liberty and happiness of its people, then the people have a right to change the government. It is recognized by the author(s) of the document that such a change is not to be attempted for trivial reasons, but becomes necessary when the government starts to work against the interests of its people and when all possible attempts to rectify the situation have been exhausted.
Grievances against the King
The long list of grievances listed against King George III in the Declaration of Independence can be categorized in different ways, but in my view they are most appropriately divided in the following four categories:
Political: Most of the grievances mentioned in the Declaration are of a political nature. For example, the document accuses the King of not accepting Laws passed by the local governments; of not...
In fact, many of the ideas are taken directly from John Locke's theories, specifically the statement of the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Specifically, the declaration that "it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume...the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature...entitle them..." is a statement of both republicanism and Natural
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