Locke's Grievances

The Declaration of Independence outlined to the world why America sought to be free from Great Britain. While the preamble invokes the principles of natural rights established by John Locke, the bulk of the document is composed of a list of grievances compiled by Jefferson. This list of grievances contains specific violations of the colonies’ rights as British citizens; however, they only serve as examples of the crown’s neglect to secure and protect Americans right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Therefore, America’s declaration, and subsequent founding, are rooted in the creedal understanding of Locke’s natural rights. The natural rights of man rest on the first natural right to life. Without the right to life, man has no
Americans were denied their right to liberty because the King no longer governed with their consent. The preamble states that men are created with certain unalienable rights and “that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” According to this idea, a government’s sole purpose is for the benefit of those it governs. The government is held to this purpose by deriving it’s power from the governed. Americans formed their own legislatures based on these principles, that they could create laws to direct and govern themselves. However, they were still under the ultimate authority of England. For example, the King “refused his assent to laws of most wholesome and necessary for the public good” and “[forbade] his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance” for the colonies. In the most extreme cases, the King “[dissolved] representative houses for repeatedly opposing… his invasions on the rights of the people.” Parliament served as the device of consent and balance of power between the King and the people. Americans had no representation in parliament, therefore the government of England did not derive its power from those in America, and as a result, was able to deny the colonies their natural right to
America’s inability to ratify necessary laws affected the colonies power to distribute justice and ensure economic prosperity. Men could not pursue happiness while fighting legal battles and struggling to make money. England “obstructed the administration of justice by refusing [the] assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers” and “made judges dependent on his will alone,” ensuring justice in the colonies was granted to the select few. The crown choked the economy by “cutting off… trade with all parts of the world,” except for England herself, and imposed “taxes on [the colonies] without [their] consent.” Without the security of justice among the people and means to acquire a financial station for oneself, Americans had little potential for the pursuit of