Declaration of Independence
Declaration of Independence is one of the most cherished United States founding documents. It was written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776. It was later voted in by the Continental Congress to declare the United States of America independent and separate from Britain. This document states the principles on which the government of the US is built and based upon. This document gives American their identity. Though not legally binding, the Declaration of Independence document is powerful and has been used to rebuke and become a stumbling block to tyranny and oppression (Williams, 2020). This document continuously inspires people globally to keep fighting for freedom and equality.
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Ethical standards
The Declaration of Independence is the epitome of ethical standards. The authors rebuke all forms of oppression and clearly highlight that all mankind is free and has a right to do as they please as long as they do not endanger others. The document highlights the sovereignty of our nations; sovereignty gives the backbone for a battle-ground in the war demarcating independence of nations versus the global world government (Jefferson, 2019). All the constitutions for all countries in the world are created on the basis of the universal moral code- the Ten Commandments that were highlighted in this document.
The self-evident truths echo in our everyday lives and declare us free and equal. The basis of all governments is enshrined in equality and the responsibility to protect equal rights and ensure equal redistribution of national resources. The document clearly depicts that the sole purpose of the government is to protect people’s rights and not the unalienable rights; life, liberty and private property. These unalienable rights are provided by the Creator.
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The document gives right to life and not abortion on demand, insists on right to individual liberty, and right to private property.
The document is clear that people have higher level of authority than the government and the government is only delegated powers by the citizens- the citizens are the power. Finally, the authors were very humble to acknowledge that the Declaration was a just cause and the Supreme Judge (God) would be on the side in this quest of restoring sanity in the world.
Intent
The objective of this document was to rally troops, win foreign allies and announce the birth and creation of a new country. It was designed to address many audiences including the king, colonists and the entire world. This was a pass and key to show the colonists that they had a right to revolt and stand against oppression. This book literally instigated other countries all over the world to stand and fight against the most powerful nation on Earth- Britain. This was too daring.
The Declaration of Independence clearly highlighted that the American and all humanity had to hold truths to be self-evident, claim that all men are created equally and have been all endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights (Smith, 2019). These rights include: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These words echoed all over the country and convinced every American to put their hearts and lives to the cause. The Preamble was meant to inspire and unite all of them through the vision of having a better life- later came to be known as the American Dream.
All men are created equally and should be treated as such. All people have unalienable rights that they have been blessed with by the Creator and thus cannot be taken away by anyone, no matter the class or status. The government has the purpose of protecting its citizens and their rights. There was clear definition of all the power given to the government by the people for the people. The people own the government and not vice versa. The authors of this document made it clear that the king had broken the social contract with the colonist and thus needed to be thrown out. This was the goal of the revolution
Impact
The Declaration of Independence has continued to impact our lives till date. It gave birth to the modern-day United States of America. It is a symbol of the American democracy and one of the free charters of freedom (Strang, 2019). The words in the Declarations were responsible for rallying the support from colonists at home and those abroad to come together for the greatest revolutionary war. This Declaration also publicly showed the country’s resolve to become independent.
This document was elegantly composed that all people across the world embrace its doctrines and fight for right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This led to the Emancipation of black slaves. Most people believe that the Declaration inspired Abraham Lincoln as he took literally the statements on the endowment by the Creator with the alienable rights. This created the American Dream
The Declaration of Independence has paved the way and created equality among men and women. The Preamble has been enshrined in people’s hearts. Nowadays, women are treated equally as many, given similar opportunities as men and held accountable with responsibility in equal measures. This has also led to cessation or reduction of slave trade as many people believe that we are all equally created. The Declaration has tremendous effects on the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights and the Constitution are all written under the moral and ethical standards of the Declaration. The Bill of Rights gives conclusive and specific rights and laws that are related to the general consul of the Declaration. The freedom of speech, right to own private property, right to keep and bear arms, freedom of assembly, freedom to petition are among the doctrines borrowed from the Declaration (Jefferson, 2019).
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