The Ideals of the Declaration of Independence

The Ideals of the Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence is the most important document in the history of the most influential nation in the modern world – The United States of America. Many other nations and societies that have gained their independence since this declaration was drafted in 1776 have used the four key ideals contained within it as a guide for their own independence. This document did much more than achieve independence for the U.S; it would drastically change the thinking of the entire world. The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress, states the reasons the British colonies of North America wanted independence in July of 1776. The British colonies wanted independence from Great Britain due to a number of practices that they felt were unfair; high taxes and lack of government representation were the most important. The four key ideals discussed are: equality, unalienable rights, consent of the governed, and the right to alter and abolish government. While they are all very important to the founding of this country, unalienable rights is the most important because without life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the other three key ideals are not meaningful to the future of this young nation. Equality of men and women is extremely important even in American society in recent times. It is the reason that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his life to make sure that African-Americans would have the very same rights as any other American citizen. “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal” (Declaration of Sentiments, Women’s Rights Convention, Seneca Falls, NY, 1848). To me, self-evident means that it should be understood that because God created each human being, each human being should be allowed to have the same opportunities. However, without the same unalienable rights, American citizens are not truly