The Enlightenment In Thomas Jefferson's Declaration Of Rights

The Enlightenment was an influential movement that was brought over by European immigrants and changed the colonist’s ideology. It challenged the previous idea of absolute power given by divine right. There were four main principles of the Enlightenment: the order of the natural world, the power of reason, the progressive improvement of society and the most prominent, the natural rights of individuals. Thomas Paine’s disdain for the British monarchy was evident in his revolutionary pamphlet, Common Sense. “One of the strongest natural proofs of the folly of hereditary right in Kings, is that nature disapproves it, otherwise she would not so frequently turn it into ridicule, by giving mankind an Ass for a Lion.” (Document 2). Paine solidified
The Declaration of Rights proclaimed the intrinsic human rights that the colonists were entitled to, which coincided with the Enlightenment beliefs of the natural rights of individuals. The Declaration of Independence used those beliefs to cite the abuses of the King and to secure the rights of the American people. “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” (Document 3). Jefferson felt it was necessary to mention in his declaration that all white men property owning men had civil liberties that should not be imposed on by the government. As well as stating that if their rights were disregarded, they then had the right to secede from that government. His declaration emphasized the notion of government ruled by the people. The Declaration of Independence was extremely influential in the colonies. While it did create a larger rift between the Loyalists and the Patriots; it generated a sense of nationalism. Colonists began to destroy all signs and symbols related to the King. The colonists were plunged into the