Paper #1 – The American Declaration of Independence
The American Declaration of Independence is the result of an in-depth process of
discernment that sets and lays the foundation which changed the country’s destiny from under
colonization to independence. This Declaration, which was adopted by the Continental Congress
on July 4, 1776, aimed to unite the American people and troops rallying against the colonial
oppression and tell the world particularly the British Kingdom their reasons for pursuing freedom
and independence (National Archives, 2018). Some considered the Declaration as “sovereign
citizens who had legal claims for independence” (Edel, 2019), while others argued that the
Declaration had gone too far and seen it as a rebellious movement. This paper will analyze the
nature of the document by exploring the purpose of a morally legitimate state and responsibilities
it owes to its citizens, as well as key features of human beings that are relevant to understand
injustices and their resistance to those injustices.
Moral legitimacy is a political philosophy theory, signifying that the laws and policies of a
government should be in line with the rules of an ethic (Foldvary, 2011). For example, the
American Declaration of Independence (1776) states 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”. The nature of the government’s programs thus should be rooted in
securing these rights by serving its citizens through providing them safety and looking after their
well-being. Furthermore, the Declaration underlines that whenever any government’s laws and
policies fail to uphold and preserve such fundamental values, people have the right to stand up and
demand for what they deserve and even change of the government. This implies that in addition to
the government’s responsibility of working based on the rules of an ethic, it is also held
accountable by its citizens. The citizens play an integral part as they are the ones giving the
Ivo da Conceição Tilman Ribeiro ï Student ID: 5918959 ï Email Address: dacon004@umn.edu
government the power to govern. It is imperative that the government exercises its power justly
and responsibly, following the existing ethical and legal framework to address its citizens’ concerns
and needs.
There is a list of several facts that were put forward in the Declaration, highlighting the
injustices committed by the King of Great Britain against the American people. Among these are
obstructing the Administration of Justice, plundering the people’s seas, ravaging their coasts,
burning their towns and destroying their lives, and inciting domestic insurrections amongst the
people and endeavoring to provoke the native Indian Tribes. The decision to declare the separation
from Britain was not taken lightly nor without any prior legal and non-violent actions. It affirms
in the Declaration that, (1) “We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature
to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us”, (2) “We have appealed to their native justice and
magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these
usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence”, and (3) “In
every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our
repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury”.
Through a series of historical facts presented in the Declaration, I would argue that the
Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress who signed the Declaration,
embodied the value of patriotism. It is worth noting that, patriotism means love for one’s country
through “love towards people with a greater emphasis on values and belief” (Yontar, 2019). For
years, the American people and their natural resources were oppressed and exploited, respectively.
And for years, they were silenced, and what was worse was that they experienced injustices in
their very own homes perpetrated by non-American peoples, the colonizers. I am certain that these
Representatives along with their followers knew and understood very well what they were doing
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Ivo da Conceição Tilman Ribeiro ï Student ID: 5918959 ï Email Address: dacon004@umn.edu
when they initiated and signed the Declaration. Their reactions toward injustices might be seen as
rebellion that could result in anarchy and war for some. Yet, looking closely at the context which
they wrote in the Declaration, stating that they had tried to express their concerns to the Kingdom
a few times, but ended up in indifference and continued of oppression and exploration.
Consequently, they were left with one and only option: to stand up for justice and for their people.
Apart from reflecting the spirt of patriotism as an important character in overcoming
injustice, they also demonstrated the ability to think strategically. This can be seen through the text
of the Declaration of the Independence itself. Besides encouraging the people to stay united in
fighting for their rights, the Declaration also explains the rationale behind why they did what they
did. They presented facts of injustices they experienced to provide added value and strengthened
their struggles against the British colonialism. Additionally, not only did they ask their people to
raise up, but they also invited and encouraged their foreign allies to join forces as well. This move
would be a support to the people’s resistance in their fight.
When viewed from a non-American perspective, I think the U.S. Declaration of
Independence shares some similarities with the text of the Proclamation of Independence of my
native, Timor-Leste. This small island country was once a colony that suffered under colonialism’s
oppressions and exploitations too. We fought for our justice, freedom, and independence. In our
Proclamation of Independence Text (2002), it states clearly our motive and position, “Expressing
the highest aspirations of the people of East Timor and to safeguard the most legitimate interests
of national sovereignty, the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East
Timor – FRETILIN – decrees by proclamation, unilaterally, the independence of East Timor, from
00.00 hours today, declaring the state of the Democratic Republic of East Timor, anti-colonialist
and anti-imperialist”.
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Ivo da Conceição Tilman Ribeiro ï Student ID: 5918959 ï Email Address: dacon004@umn.edu
In short, I would conclude that the struggle to liberate a country and its people from
inhumane governments, especially the colonials, can be justified as legitimate resistance.
According to John Locke, a renowned moral philosopher, when a government severely violates
liberty and justice, the people may rightly overthrow that illegitimate government, and establish a
new, morally government. I simply view the Americans’ actions, demanding for a free and
independent nation, as morally justified resistance. After all, it was and is the land, homes, and
family of Americans. They were only exercised their sovereign rights to defend and protect their
homeland. Enough is enough.
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Ivo da Conceição Tilman Ribeiro ï Student ID: 5918959 ï Email Address: dacon004@umn.edu
References
Altıkulaç, A., & Yontar, A. (2019). Nationalism, Patriotism and Global Citizenship: A Comparison
in between the Social Studies Teacher Candidates in the US and Turkey. International
Journal of Education & Literacy Studies. https://doi.org/10.7575
Edel, C. (2019, July 3). How the Declaration of Independence became a beacon to the world. The
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/07/03/declaration-independence-is-keyamericas-founding-it-matters-rest-world-too/
Foldvary, F.E. (2011). Moral Legitimacy. In: Chatterjee, D. K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global
Justice. Springer, Dordrecht. https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/9781-4020-9160-5_333
Locke J (1690 [1947]) Two treatises of government, ed. Cook Thl. Hafner, New York
Office of the Historian. (2017, May 9). The Declaration of Independence, 1776.
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1776-1783/declaration
RDTL. Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. 2002. Web. 24 Feb. 2012 (J.
Jolliffe, Trans). https://jls.apsa.us/index.php/jls/article/download/86/107/
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. (2018, December 14). The Declaration of
Independence:
What
Does
It
Say?
https://www.archives.gov/founding-
docs/declaration/what-does-it-say
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. (2020, July 24). Declaration of
Independence: A Transcription. https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declarationtranscript
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