Declaration of Independence
It is obvious, if we look at things today, that Jefferson's revolutionary vision has been achieved in America. Even more so, it has been achieved to a degree that we assume has never been reached elsewhere. On the other hand, we must admit that any such questions can also be answered "yes, to a certain degree" and we must acknowledge that this is the case for America as well. However, we can sustain that this degree of achievement is extremely high and we will examine why in the lines below. In order to do so, we must have a closer look at the three fundamental rights that Jefferson envisioned and evaluate the degree to which they were reached.

The third right seems to be the easiest to defend. Indeed, Jefferson's vision does not actually engage the government to support the pursuit of happiness, but, practically, only to allow anybody…...

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…...

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Bibliography

Gilje, Paul A. "Declaration of Independence." Article in Encyclopedia Encarta, 2002.

Locke, John. (1690). "The Second Treatise of Civil Government." [E-text available online]. Retrieved on October 7, 2002 at  http://www.orst.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/locke/locke2/2nd-contents.html 

John Locke's "Second Treatise of Civil Government." (1690). Chapter II, Of Natural Rights.

Gilje, Paul A. "Declaration of Independence." Article in Encyclopedia Encarta, 2002.

Declaration of independence it was determined that thirteen of the countries were Free states and independent of England.
Initially even under the government of England there were hardly any serious problems for the thirteen colonies. Even though it was England that hired the government holders and other main officials, colonies had very limited representation (U.S. History.Org, 1995)

However England went heavily into debt. This was mainly due to the war with the Indians. The debt was also due to another war that was with the French .A major part of that war took place between the colonies, having England to dispatch its troops. Hence, the British held the colonists responsible and felt that they should bear the brunt of their actions. The British Parliament started working towards making the tax laws more stringent and passing different laws that were a major source of displeasure for the colonist.

In 1774, delegates belonging to the…...

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References

Armitage, D. (2008). The Declaration of Independence: A Global History. Harvard University Press.

US History.Org. (1995). The Declaration of Independence. Retrieved October 8, 2012, from  http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/

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 Law.

The preamble states, "when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." This is a statement of justification of revolution to create self-government.

The statement that people are created "with certain unalienable Rights" is reflective of the natural rights of humans, which evolved into the Bill…...

" hen that Amendment was put in, the country was very young and it was wild, with Native Americans often hostile (with good reason), with wild animals posing a threat, and with various wars (the French & Indian ar; the Civil ar) taking place. People needed to feel like they were protected, and the new government didn't want to take their personal means of physical protection away from them. The times have changed very dramatically.
I'm not suggesting that guns be taken away from honest hunters, gun collectors, or others who actually need a weapon for protection in proven instances. Today, we have a militia, we have the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force - and those people are all well armed.

But the number of guns in America is getting totally out of control. Kids get guns and get involved in gangs and start killing people. Criminals buy assault weapons, steal, rob,…...

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Works Cited

Cornell Law School. (2006). United States Constitution. Bill of Rights. Retrieved 9 Feb. 2007 from  http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution.billofrights.html .

Our Documents. (2005). Transcript of Declaration of Independence (1776). Retrieved 9 Feb. 2007 at  http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=2&page=transcript .

Independence and Constitution
Declaration of Independence to the Constitution

When the American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain the Declaration of Independence stated a number of specific violations of the colonist's rights that British King George III that committed against the colonies. These were stated as the reason behind the American's right to rebel and replace the British government with one of their own. Several years later, after the Americans had won their independence through a long and bitter war, they achieved their goal of forming their own permanent government. After a period of experimentation, the Americans finally formulated a Constitution which would be the basis of the new country. In the Constitution of the United States, the Founding Fathers specifically addressed the abuses of King George III by inserting provisions that would make it impossible for any American government to repeat those abuses. What the Founding Fathers created was a…...

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References

Armitage, David. (2007). The Declaration of Independence: A Global History.

Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP. Print.

"Bill of Rights - Official Text." National Archives and Records Administration.

Retrieved from  http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights.html

Due to these acts, and because of the many others that followed, the colonies proclaimed their independence. On July 2 the Philadelphia Convention had its motion of independence implemented. The state's representatives wanted to emphasize their decision of breaking from the Mother Country, so they presented the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson was the one who drafted this act. His ideas were not new; he was inspired in his political philosophy by the John Locke and a series of other continental philosophers. He was only responsible for sorting out the philosophy in obvious truths, and made a list of complaints against the king, for this action to be justified before the world (http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration.html).

Its main content was about George III's legislation. In the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson is saying that England's legislation is null. New settlers were no longer allowed to come to America or take over a Native American…...

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Works cited:

Dumbauld, Edward. The Declaration of Independence and What it Means Today (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1950)

Eicholz, Hans L. Harmonizing Sentiments: The Declaration of Independence and the Jeffersonian Idea of Self-Government (New York: Peter Lang, 2001)

"Declaration of Independence." Retrieved December 13, 2010, from the Charters of Freedom Website:  http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration.html

Declaration of Independence which was drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28 in 1776 is one of the most cherished symbols of liberty of the nation as well as the most enduring monument of Jefferson. In unforgettable and exalted phrases, convictions are expressed in the heats and minds of people of America by Jefferson. It was not a new political philosophy of the Declaration, John Locke and Continental philosophers had already expressed its ideal of individual liberty. Whatever was done by Jefferson was to summarize this philosophy in "self-evident truths" hence setting forth grievances against the King so that there was justification to the world over the break of ties between the colony and the mother country.
During the campaign of revising Congressional instructions, most of the Americans expressed their support for separation from Great Britain officially in whatever was state and local declaration of independence. Pauline Maier,…...

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Reference

Armitage, David. The Declaration Of Independence: A Global History. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-674-02282-9.

Bailyn, Bernard. The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution. Enlarged edition.

Originally published 1967. Harvard University Press, 1992. ISBN 0-674-44302-0.

Becker, Carl. The Declaration of Independence: A Study in the History of Political Ideas. 1922. Available online from The Online Library of Liberty and Google Book Search. Revised edition New York: Vintage Books, 1970. ISBN 0394700600.

They hoped to create a nation where there was a representative government, and taxation was for the good of the people not the whims of a government that had no motivation to care for all of its people.
The dream of the founding fathers was also to establish a nation where the individuals of America could and would be able to protect themselves from tyrannous government. In the Declaration of Independence they state that people in America will no longer bow to the oppressions of a government that can take their homes, demand services (including military service for colonial power that does not benefit the people), and demand taxation without democratic representation. They hoped -- and encouraged -- a nation of people to be vigilant for such abuses and to not stand for it. In all, the dream of the founding father was for the American people to be the…...

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References

The Declaration of Independence, 4 July 1776.

Sign the Declaration of Independence
I am a loyal Englishman, like my father before me; all the way back to the time of William the Conqueror. The King is the King and deserves my loyalty for no other reason that he is the King. Those who complain about the taxes being imposed upon the Colonies should remember that we pay less here that than the average person back home. And the violent reaction to reasonable taxation only deepens my fear that our land may become a place of mob rule. While the government's reaction to the recent Tea Act trouble was reasonable and proper for the incitement caused. We, who enjoy the protection of the British Empire, owe our loyalty to it's King. And as a loyal Englishman, I cannot act in a manner that is treasonous to our King, George III. I cannot sign the Declaration of Independence

In John…...

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References

Hibbert, Christopher. Redcoats and Rebels: the American Revolution through British Eyes. New York: Norton. 1990. Print.

Locke, John "Two Treatises of Government by John Locke-Project Gutenberg." LProject Gutenberg-Free Ebooks Online Download for iPad, Kindle, Nook, Android, iPhone, iPod Touch Sony Reader. 22 Apr 2003 Web 07 Mar. 2011. gutenberg.org/ebooks/7350.http://www

Throughout American history, several documents have defined and shaped the political evolution and ideals of the nation. Among these, the Preamble to the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence stand as critical texts that encapsulate the ethos and intents of the Founding Fathers. While both documents are cornerstones in the foundation of the United States, they serve different purposes and emerge from distinct historical contexts.
The Declaration of Independence, drafted by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, is a revolutionary document that announced the thirteen American colonies' separation from the British Empire. It is, at its core, a statement of grievances against the British monarchyparticularly against King George IIIand a forceful justification for the colonies' right to revolt (Maier, 1997). It is a document born from conflict, outlining a vision of inherent human rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration is…...

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References

Armitage, D. (2007). The Declaration of Independence. Harvard University Press.

Bailyn, B. (1967). The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution. Belknap Press.

Beeman, R. R. (2009). Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution. Random House.

Ellis, J. J. (2015). The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789. Vintage Books.

The Declaration of Independence was a product of Enlightenment philosophy and specifically of the theories of John Locke. Underlying assumptions of the Declaration include that government is a social contract, only valid with the explicit approval of the people who are governed but not lorded or ruled over. Jefferson recognized also that historical changes enable the emergence of new systems of governance and political culture: “in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another.” Grounded in reason and rational thought, the Declaration also lists reasons for “the separation” of the former colonies from the Crown. Locke’s writings demonstrate an “anti-authoritarian” streak, one that allowed him and other Enlightenment philosophers—and also the Founding Fathers—to take the great leap towards self-governance (Uzgalis, 2017, p. 1). John Locke’s affirmation of liberty, freedom, and equality continue to resonate in the…...

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References

Declaration of Independence (1776).  

Kaiser, D. (2015). How the Declaration of Independence can still change the world. Time. 2 July, 2015. http://time.com/3934144/declaration-of-independence-not-outdated/

Uzgalis, W. (2017). The influence of John Locke’s works. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke/influence.html

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/ document/

John LockeLocke believed in the law of liberty and held that an ethical system for society should strive to maintain the law of liberty. He wrote in his Second Treatise that a society had a right to overthrow a government if that government did not serve the cause of liberty: For liberty is to be free from restraint and violence from others which cannot be, where there is no law(p. 57). Indeed, the government of the US made liberty the cornerstone of its foundation in the Declaration of Independence (1776): 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. The US government was essentially built on the ideas of Enlightenment philosophy, which is where Lockes views came from: like Rousseau in The Social Contract,…...

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References

Declaration of Independence. (1776). 

Locke, J. (1997). 1663–64, Essays on the Law of Nature, in Goldie (ed.).

Locke, J. (2008). Second Treatise on government. Retrieved from  https://earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/locke1689a.pdf

Which Direction, America?There have been several court cases and executive decisions that have shaped the interpretation of the US Constitution. Some examples include Brown v. Board of Education, a landmark case, in which the Supreme Court ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. The decision was based on the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal protection of the laws to all citizens. Another big one was Citizens United v. FEC (2010), in which the Supreme Court held that corporations have the same free speech rights as individuals and can spend unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns. Or there is Korematsu v. United States (1944), which challenged the legality of Executive Order 9066 (1942), signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II, and which authorized the internment of Japanese Americansi.e., basically concentration camps on the West Coast for American citizens who were of…...

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References

Bakan, J. (2012). The corporation: The pathological pursuit of profit and power. Hachette UK.

Blakemore, S. (1995). Revisionist Patricide: Thomas Paine\\\\\\'s\\\\\\' Letter to George Washington\\\\\\'. Clio, 24(3), 269.

All these cruel behaviors of the King forced these thirteen colonies to declare Independence from the King in order to get their basic rights like liberty and happiness. Hence, in June 1776, Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence of these 13 colonies from the British King. As a token of approval, the representatives of these states signed this declaration.
eferences

Declaration of Independence" National Archives Experience. etrieved at http://www.archives.gov/national_archives_experience/charters/declaration.html. Accessed on 12 February 2005

The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies" Indiana University School of Law. etrieved at http://www.law.indiana.edu/uslawdocs/declaration.html. Accessed on 12 February 2005

In Congress, July 4, 1776: The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America" retrieved at http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/. Accessed on 12 February 2005

Declaration of Independence" National Archives Experience. etrieved at http://www.archives.gov/national_archives_experience/charters/declaration.html. Accessed on 12 February 2005

The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies" Indiana University School of Law. etrieved at http://www.law.indiana.edu/uslawdocs/declaration.html. Accessed on 12 February 2005...

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References

Declaration of Independence" National Archives Experience. Retrieved at   Accessed on 12 February 2005http://www.archives.gov/national_archives_experience/charters/declaration.html .

The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies" Indiana University School of Law. Retrieved at   Accessed on 12 February 2005http://www.law.indiana.edu/uslawdocs/declaration.html .

In Congress, July 4, 1776: The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America" retrieved at   Accessed on 12 February 2005http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/ document/.

Declaration of Independence" National Archives Experience. Retrieved at

While it is impossible to escape the similarities between the French Revolution and American Revolution and there is no question that the American Revolution helped inspire the French Revolution, there are a number of important differences between the French and American revolution.

Location was an important difference.  America was a colony that was revolting against a ruling government that was separated from it by a large distance, while the French Revolution occurred in France and was aimed at the monarchy in that country.

Social class played a much more important role in the French Revolution than the American Revolution. ....

In an essay, an attention grabber is known as the essay hook.  To help you out on your world civilization essay, we have put together a few topics, essay hooks, and thesis statements you could use for a world civilization essay.

World Civilization Essay Topics

1. To what extent does the character Khal Drago from Game of Thrones resemble the real-life warlord, leader, and destroyer Genghis Khan?
2. An exploration of the well-known Barbarian leader, Attila the Hun and how his actual behavior and history conflicts with his reputation as an uncultured and vicious leader, including investigation into his education, his use....

Thesis Statement: The Founding Fathers of the United States were a remarkable group of individuals who, despite their diverse backgrounds and often conflicting views, came together to create a new nation based on the principles of liberty, equality, and self-government. Their vision and determination laid the foundation for a vibrant and enduring democracy that has served as a model for countless nations around the world.

Introduction:

The Founding Fathers of the United States were a diverse group of individuals who came from different backgrounds, had different experiences, and held different beliefs. However, they shared a common goal: to create a new nation....

1. The Struggle for Autonomy: The Impact of British Colonial Policies on Colonial Identity

Discuss the British policies that restricted colonial autonomy, such as the Navigation Acts and the Stamp Act.
Analyze how these policies fostered a sense of collective grievance and the desire for independence.
Examine the ways in which colonists resisted British control through boycotts, protests, and the formation of political organizations.

2. The Economic Foundations of the American Colonies: Agriculture, Trade, and Manufacturing

Describe the various agricultural practices and products that formed the backbone of the colonial economy.
Trace the development of trade networks between the colonies and....