Essay On Declaration Of Independence
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is a document written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 to state the reasons as to why the British colonies of North America sought independence. The excerpt given is the preamble, or first part, of the declaration. A famous line includes, ¨we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,¨ this states that a government should never violate any person's human rights under any circumstances. The rights proclaimed in the document are ¨Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.¨ Jefferson drew heavily on the social contract and natural rights theory and it is evident in both of the quotes. The colonies declared that if any government fails to protect the people, the …show more content…
This document heavily incorporates ideas of Enlightenment thinkers and intellectuals as they were used for inspiration in some of the writing. The biggest influence on this document has to be John Locke with his conception of natural rights, but other Enlightenment thinkers also include Rosseau.
John Locke had a big influence in the document as he voiced his idea of a people-run government, believed that the government is required to protect people's birthrights, and also believed that the people have the right to overthrow a government if it takes away any of those rights. Locke´s most remarkable attribute to the document is the well-known phrase about man's natural rights being life, liberty, and property, that appeared in his writings in The Two Treatises of Government. However, Jefferson later changed the last fragment to the ¨pursuit of happiness,¨ in fear that people would take advantage and claim they have the right to the property of others. It is self-evident that his belief in the overthrowing of a government may have influenced the publication of this document. And his belief in the government's job probably influenced the colonies even more to overthrow British rule as they stated that they were oppressed and violated from the right of
The Declaration of Independence is a document written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 to state the reasons as to why the British colonies of North America sought independence. The excerpt given is the preamble, or first part, of the declaration. A famous line includes, ¨we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,¨ this states that a government should never violate any person's human rights under any circumstances. The rights proclaimed in the document are ¨Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.¨ Jefferson drew heavily on the social contract and natural rights theory and it is evident in both of the quotes. The colonies declared that if any government fails to protect the people, the …show more content…
This document heavily incorporates ideas of Enlightenment thinkers and intellectuals as they were used for inspiration in some of the writing. The biggest influence on this document has to be John Locke with his conception of natural rights, but other Enlightenment thinkers also include Rosseau.
John Locke had a big influence in the document as he voiced his idea of a people-run government, believed that the government is required to protect people's birthrights, and also believed that the people have the right to overthrow a government if it takes away any of those rights. Locke´s most remarkable attribute to the document is the well-known phrase about man's natural rights being life, liberty, and property, that appeared in his writings in The Two Treatises of Government. However, Jefferson later changed the last fragment to the ¨pursuit of happiness,¨ in fear that people would take advantage and claim they have the right to the property of others. It is self-evident that his belief in the overthrowing of a government may have influenced the publication of this document. And his belief in the government's job probably influenced the colonies even more to overthrow British rule as they stated that they were oppressed and violated from the right of