The Declaration of Independence
Setting: The Declaration of Independence was signed
on July 4th, 1776, during the Second Continental
Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Great Britain
was trying to take away the rights of its American
Colonies, and the colonists finally decided it was time
to break away from British rule.
Theme: All men are created equal and with the rights
to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If a
government tries to take away these rights the people
have the right to change their government.
Author: Thomas Jefferson , a 33 year-old lawyer
from Virginia wrote the first draft. The other members
of the Continental Congress helped create the final
draft over two days of discussion.
Purpose: The American Colonies want to tell the
rest of the world why they have decided to split off
from Great Britain.
Language: Persuasive rhetoric=reasoned arguments
in favor of or against particular beliefs of courses of
action.
The Declaration of Independence
Sometimes it becomes necessary for one group
of people to split off from another group, and to
become an independent country, as the laws of Nature
and of God say that they can. But when this happens,
if they want other people to respect them, they should
explain why they are splitting off.
We think it is obviously true that all men are
created equal and that they all have the God-given
rights to life, freedom, and happiness. Men set up
governments to guarantee these rights. These
governments get their power from the people they
serve.
When any government tries to take away these
rights the people have the right to change it or get rid
of it and make a new government, based on these
rights, and set up in whatever way seems most likely
to make them safe and happy.
Common sense tells us that people should not
change their government without a good reason.
History tells us that men are willing to suffer under
unfair governments as long as they can stand it, rather
than try to do away with those governments. But,
when there have been a lot of problems for a long
time, it is their right and their duty to throw off that
government and set up one which will provide a
secure future for them.
The colonies have been patient, but now they are
forced to change their form of government. The
present King of Great Britain has repeatedly hurt the
colonies and taken away their power by force so he
can rule over them with absolute power. To prove
this, here are the facts for the world to hear.
He has refused to let us pass laws we need for
everyone’s good.
He has refused to sign laws we have passed, so
they can go into effect.
He has refused to pass laws that applied to large
districts of people unless those people agreed to give
up their rights to have a say in their own government.
He has called men together to make laws in
places that were inconvenient, uncomfortable, and a
long way from where they kept their public records, so
they won’t be able to go discuss the new laws.
He has gotten rid of representative houses
several times when they complained he was taking
away the rights of the people.
He has not allowed new representative houses to
be elected for a long time after he got rid of the old
ones, which left the state without proper government
and the people making up their own laws.
He has tried to keep people from moving to these
States by making immigration laws too strict and
making it too hard to for immigrants to get land to
settle on.
He has made it hard to make people follow the
laws by refusing to agree to laws that set up a system
of courts.
He has decided how and how much judges are
paid, and made them depend on him for their job
security, so they will be on his side.
He has sent a lot of new government officials
that we don’t want, and he makes us pay for them.
He has kept armies among us, in time of peace,
and without the agreement of our law-makers.
He has made the army independent, and more
important than the power of the people.
He has forced us to follow laws made in Great
Britain that we don’t agree with:
For sending large groups of armed soldiers
among us, and making us keep them in our houses;
For protecting the soldiers from being punished
for murdering anyone in the States;
For not allowing us to do business with all parts
of the world, but only with England;
For taxing us without asking us about it;
For not allowing us, in many cases, to have a
jury for our trials, but only a judge;
For taking people accused of crimes far away to
England for their trials;
For changing the government in the neighboring
province of Quebec, giving it a government based on
the will of the king and not based on English laws, and
making its borders larger, to show how he intends to
do the same thing in our colonies;
For taking away our rights, doing away with our
most important laws, and changing our governments;
For doing away with our own courts, and
claiming English courts have the power to decide laws
for us.
He has given up his responsibility for the
government here, said he would no longer protect us,
and started a war against us.
He has raided our seas, damaged our coasts,
burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is bringing large armies of paid foreigners
right now to the colonies to fight against us.
He has forced citizens, captured at sea, to fight
against their own county and their own friends and
brothers.
He has encouraged slaves to rebel against their
masters, and has encouraged the Indians to attack the
people who live on the frontiers.
When we ask him to stop, he just keeps on doing
more bad things. A ruler who acts like that is not fit to
be the ruler of a free people.
We have tried to talk to the other people who live
in England. We told them about the crimes against us.
We have asked them, because we are related to each
other, to speak out against the illegal taking away of
our rights.
They have acted as though they were deaf. So
we have to separate from England, and they will be
our enemies during the war, and our friends in peace.
So we, the Representatives of the United States
of America, think that God will see that we are doing
the right thing when we declare that these United
Colonies are now completely independent of the King
of England. We have no more political connection to
England at all. As independent states we say that each
state has the right to make war, to make peace, to
make alliances with other countries, trade with other
countries, and do everything else that countries do.
And to support this declaration, trusting in the help of
God, we promise to each other our lives, our property,
and our sacred honor.