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Comparison Paper
Jennifer Shannon Vaught
Liberty University GOVT-200 D16
Comparison Paper
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Abstract
The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution have common themes and one could have not been created without the other. However, we had to claim our freedom first to establish order. At the same time, the Biblical Worldview clashed with a Naturalistic/
Rationalist Worldview which our founding fathers were influe nced by. This would help shape our nation and laws.
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The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are two separate documents, but are forever linked to one another. The Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776, written before the
U.S. Constitution by Thomas Jefferson …show more content…
(the principal author) divided the document into two parts. "The first offered philosophical justification for secession, based on that all men are entitled to certain basic rights, that a purpose of government is to protect those rights, and that the people have the right to abolish that government if it fails to fulfill its obligations"
(McClellan, 2000). The second part listed the injustices brought on by the King and Parliament and "ended with an appeal to God" (McClellan, 2000), though not necessarily pertaining to any one religion.
"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."(Jefferson, 1776) The word Creator, one would think would mean God.
However, "the framers did not call upon a Biblical Christian to write the Declaration; they called upon a man among them who was probably farther removed from Biblical Christianity than anyone else they could of selected" (Martin, 2006)."… it was based on the natural right thesis of
Rationalist, John Lock!" (Martin,2006). Further, if it did form under the basis of the Biblical
Worldview then this would mean "government must be limited in power because God is sovereign" (Martin, 2006).
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This set in motion the beginning of the American Nation, and paved the way for the U.S.
Constitution written in 1787. While the Declaration of Independence proclaimed to the world that the U.S. is free, the Constitution laid out rules on how the country should function as an independent nation.
Both did express the individual rights of the people, and "The recurrent themes, arguments and accusations of civil and political violations against the American people and against the states, which are delineated in the Declaration of Independence and attended to in the U.S. Constitution, contribute to the pedigree of American political thought.
Hence, what the
Declaration of Independence begins, the US Constitution finished" ("The Woven Fabric",2010).
The U.S. Constitution, just like the Declaration of Independence, of course held a ChristianRationalist view as well. "They held that government is a creation of man" (Martin, 2006).
However Jefferson 's Letter to the Danbury Baptists, January 1, 1802 states "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between Church and State"(Jefferson, 1802). Again at this time, "Civil government was no longer viewed as a creation of God for humans for justice and order in a fallen world, but a by-product of human cognitive abilities... (Ferdon,2014). They wanted to separate religion from government, but further protect religion from governments interference of how they should worship.
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References
- Ferdon, G. 2014. Constitutional Government and Free Enterprise. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt
Publishing Co.
-Jefferson, T. 1776, July 4. The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription. 27 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html#top>
-Jefferson, T. "Jefferson 's Letter to the Danbury Baptists". 01 Jan 1802. TS. Washington, D.C.
Lib. of Cong. Web. 27 Mar. 2015 <http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danpre.html>.
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-Martin, G. R. 2006. Prevailing Worldviews. Marion: Triangle Publishing
-McClellan, J. 2000. Liberty, Order, and Justice, An introduction to the Constitutional Principals of American Government. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund Inc.
-"The Woven Fabric of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution". 17 June
2010. ISI. 27 Mar. 2015 < http://faculty.isi.org/blog/post/view/id/380/>