Slavery in American HistoryThe Declaration of Independence was written in 1776 by ThomasJefferson under order of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and theContinental Congress. This document was written in order to let the wholeworld know that the colonists of the United States of America were going todenounce the British Government in order to establish a democraticgovernment of their own. The unalienable rights of a citizen that weredefined by Jefferson were, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”Through the use of slavery, the acknowledgment of these rights to hold truefor all men invalidated this document but set a basis that would ultimatelybring about changes in issues such as slavery. The Declaration of Independence went through many changes duringthe original writing. The members of the Continental Congress, includingJefferson, were aware of the issue of slavery and its contradiction toward thedocument. One of the statements which Jefferson had originally written toshow further proof that the King of Britain was a “tyrant,” included thedisapproval of his use of slavery and his ill treatment towards the people ofAfrica. This statement was taken out of the final draft of the Declaration ofIndependence by the members of the Continental Congress.
They hadargued that the inclusion of this statement would defame their own reputationbecause many of them practiced slavery. Jefferson’s intentions were clearwhen he tried to put that statement into the document. The fact that it waswithdrawn from the original document ultimately put the issue of slavery inthe hands of future generations. The main intentions of the writers of theDeclaration of Independence was to break away from a tyrannical Britishgovernment, and thePark2issue of slavery would have torn the colonies apart. In turn, the unity of thenewly found country would have been destroyed, making the will to fightagainst the opposition impossible. The American Revolution, which lasted from 1775-1783, was a test ofthe country’s unity and their will to fight for a just cause. It was alsosignificant, because for the first time in modern history, a new governmenthad been formed without a prior government from which it could haveevolved. The writers had to keep in mind that the idea of having agovernment serving the people’s needs was very a revolutionary idea. Theirvictory could not have been accomplished without the total unity within the
The Term Paper on United States Declaration of Independence 3
When asked to symbolize the United States of America with one, solitary document, one might immediately think of the Declaration of Independence. This powerful and sacred document not only represents America, but is also one of main reasons this great country exists. America has prided itself on being the “land of the free;” a place for people to have “unalienable rights,” in which they can pursue ...
United States and the patriotic attitudes of their citizens. The issue ofslavery wasn’t dealt with because the writers of the Declaration ofIndependence knew that the factors that caused their victory, would havebeen jeopardized. The issue of slavery was dealt with by the citizens of the United Statesin the Civil War. The war which pitted brothers against brothers and citizensagainst citizens lasted from 1861-1865. The outcome of the waracknowledged slaves to hold the unalienable rights of all men. Though thisheld true on paper, it was not true to the public at large. The use ofsegregation in order to separate the “blacks” from the “whites,” began todivide the nation. The rise of leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. andMalcolm X brought about great changes throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s.For the first time, American media took to the streets to show the wholeworld how governments were treating African American people fighting fortheir rights as citizens. With the rioting that was happening all over thecountry and thepolitical pressure from other countries, President Kennedy had called for anPark3end to all of the chaos. He made a decision to enact Civil rights laws thatwould protect minorities from people who tried to deny them the right to becitizens.
The passing of the Civil Rights laws abolished the use ofsegregation, and today there are many organizations which protect minoritygroups from things such as discrimination and segregation. One can tell that the writers of the Declaration of Independence knewthat the issue of slavery would be dealt with at some time in the future, bythe way they expressed their ideas about liberty, and the way they had left itopen for further improvement by not specifically stated guidelines. Theyprovided the means which were necessary in order to achieve the goals of anation which does not judge people on the basis of race, religion, or sex.The Declaration of Independence was written in order for nations such as theUnited States to rise and revolt against there oppressors. This documentwas a symbol which stood for independence and was also the first of its kind.It was also intended for the advancement of the newly found nation to dowhat was right in the eyes of “the Creator” which Jefferson had stated in theDeclaration. In conclusion, this document was invalidated by their practice ofslavery, but without this document, there would not have been a basis tomove on and face issues such as slavery.
The Essay on A Brief Analysis Of The Declaration Of Independence
By understanding the framework of time that the Declaration of Independence was written in, we can see its impact upon the peoples of early America and how they dealt with this famous writing. This paper will explain the basic ideas contained in the Declaration of Independence, the impact of the Declaration upon the American War of Independence, and the reasons the Declaration was considered a ' ...
