On July 4th 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved and signed by fifty-six men, to whom they agreed to "mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor"; these men represented the thirteen North American colonies that were proclaiming their separation from Great Britain, founding the United States of America. ... This is the opening line of the Declaration of Independence. ... The Declaration was read aloud along the colonies in town squares and in public places. ... The Declaration of Independence changed American History, even though the text...

• Word Count: 1859
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The Declaration of Independence states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all are created equal, that they are endowed..with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". ... Even these two studies bring up questions in liberty, and equality amongst citizens. Also, modern laws fail to support what the Declaration of Independence grants its citizens, which is the state of being free within a society from restrictions imposed by authority like the government. ...

• Word Count: 511
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

On June 28, Thomas Jefferson presented The Declaration of Independence to Congress who approved it one week later. The Declaration of Independence has an effect not only on the thoughts and feelings of the colonists and the British but on their actions. ... In colonial days religion was deeply rooted in society and so Jefferson made sure to include many references to God in The Declaration of Independence. ... Whatever the government said, the majority of the population did without question. ... The Declaration of Independence was a sound piece of writing which accomplished its task of dec...

• Word Count: 1080
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

If there was one such a gentleman who sided with American Independence, this again was John Hancock, the first signer of the Declaration of Independence. ... Yet, if one could embody what a true patriot is, it is without any question, the nationalist and later president Thomas Jefferson. ... Even though Jefferson attempted a policy of détente, he was forced into framing such abrasive and necessary documents as the Declaration of Independence. ... Without question, the most overblown out of proportion event leading to the war, was that of the Boston Massacre. ... One of the most abs...

• Word Count: 2505
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The British are trying to prevent independence, and from doing so, they are being oppressive. Again, the rights of the colonists are being questioned and rebellion will shortly be approaching. ... The Declaration of Independence, which was adopted by The Continental Congress of July 4, 1776, was a strong justification for revolution. The Revolution follows the Declaration of Independence, where a transition occurs which has to do with the rights of the colonists. ... Throughout the Revolutionary War the were some main causes that ignited it, the Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, the "Declar...

• Word Count: 1249
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The Writing of the Constitution On July 2, 1776, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman, and Thomas Jefferson finished the final draft of their Declaration of Independence. Two days later, on July 4, delegates from the Continental Congress passed the declaration unanimously. The declaration contained a basic but integral principle which is important even today, and justified the independence movement for the newly formed United States of America. ... This principle has continued to be significant to the United States because it gives every citizen ...

• Word Count: 804
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Pennsylvania and New York, at the time of Independence, both lacked established churches, whereas Virginia had an established church. ... Section 16 of the Virginia Declaration of Rights stated, "all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience." Though the declaration also describes a "mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity toward each other," the very language of the 1776 document is important. ... Public opinion may have mostly leaned toward religious liberty, but the opinions of important men of politics...

• Word Count: 3342
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

From spring 1775 until the fall of 1776 the rights and status of the black slave in America were closely questioned. ... In April 1775 blacks had fought for the Continental Army; three months later, however, Washington had banned blacks from the patriot army; in November Lord Dunmore made his proclamation; and by July 4th, 1776, the passage on slavery had finally been deleted from the Declaration of Independence. ... The slavery issue could not be allowed to divide revolutionary alliances or to take precedence over such critical questions as military defense and political reconstruction." .....

• Word Count: 1913
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

At first, colonists originated from England and were considered English subjects; however, British government increased their taxation policies after the French and Indian War and the Continental Congress began to question British authority. ... As a result, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, but did not even notice the Declaration; therefore, it caused the colonies to build stronger relations upon themselves. ... This lead to the development of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 which further provided proof that colonial unity was evident. ... Within the Declaration for the Causes of Ta...

• Word Count: 917
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

It is difficult to form a judgment on Britain's actions in India as it a question of subjective moral and political standpoints. ... It is notable also to recognize that there were elements of racism when granting independence to these colonies as Britain was far more ready to grant independence to those of their own race rather then in India's case, the indigenous peoples. ... Other concessions the British made to self-government included the Morley Minto reforms, the Montague declaration and the Government of India act. ... Nehru, the first Prime Minister after independence...

• Word Count: 690
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The research question this essay will be trying to answer is, what were the causes of this war, and was violence necessary? ... The Soviet Union was over, so that left the big question of what to do with all the Old Russian territory. ... The popular separatist government under president Dudayev insisted on upholding their declaration of independence and remaining seceded from Russia (Rigi). Following that treaty, the NCChP drafted a full declaration of independence and issued it in 1993. ... These did not prove to be very successful which lead to Russia starting to seriously question a milita...

• Word Count: 2137
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In response, the declaration of independence (a list of the king's misdeeds and obligations and rights of people) was written and presented to congress. ... People were unable to voice their opinion, for example, one was not able to question the government openly, when taxes increased. Citizens were not part of the decision process and anyone who questioned the government was revoked from power. ... This may have not been right, but in that moment of time the Americans decided that war was the only solution to protect their rights of independence. ...

• Word Count: 524
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The effects of the enlightenment are evident in American Literature, the founding of Georgia as a colony, as well as the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution. ... (Encarta encyclopedia) Enlightenment philosophers questioned the past and appealed to reason. ... In analyzing the writing of the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson, it can be noted that his work reflects the political thought of the time. ...

• Word Count: 761
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

On July 4, 1776 the 13 colonies of the United States came together to form the Declaration of Independence in which it is clearly states: 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 "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness- It's rather ironic how the passage ends on that note when in fact, for nearly 200 years African-Americans in the United States were used as slaves for the "white man." ... Having said this, it brin...

• Word Count: 274
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The famous excerpt from Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson sets a good direction for the standards all humans should endorse, "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"(878). ... Since they are depriving others of their natural rights, they are violating the principle from the Declaration of Independence, which describes that all men should enjoy natural rights. ... The question of whether and under what circumstanc...

• Word Count: 1114
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Finally, Frederick Douglass, one of the most famous black abolitionists and well-known as an eloquent public speaker, made a speech on Independence Day 1952 entitled "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?... "The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity, and independence bequeathed by your fathers is shared by you, not by me....This Fourth of July is yours not mine.... He then went on to reveal the irony of the Declaration of Independence, a doctrine that granted liberty and freedom to every man. ... Prior to giving this speech Douglass spent two years studying the Constit...

• Word Count: 1369
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

We can see references to this inequality in both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. ... Later in the pamphlet Paine makes the argument for independence from Britian by acknowledging the economical damage that the colonies would sustain if they remained under British rule. ... Salutary neglect was now out of the question as the British regular military forces (red-coats) were still in the colonies after the colonial wars, and willing to enforce the new acts. The only way around the new acts would be to declare independence form England. ... The War of Independence was just that, a...

• Word Count: 1820
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Any tax would take their money and in turn their property which was their key to independence. ... "(17) Furthermore there was a another "principle forming the Americans mind that all men are created equal"(76) That declaration meant to the Americans that they should have the same independence as a nation as what others enjoyed and only have to pay taxes they levied therefore on themselves for their own benefit not the benefit of some far off guardian. ... Morgan here brings up a very good question or shall I say argument, "were the colonists sincere in their declarations of principle or were ...

• Word Count: 1052
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

To fully understand the Latin American Revolution, we must identify the factors that influenced the American Revolution, and explore the other causes that led to the independence of the New World. ... The American colonies declared their independence on July 4th, 1776, stating the 13 United States of America by the Continental Congress. ... After this first revolt there were many changes such as the end of the concept of feudalism and absolute monarchy as the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was published. ... Criollos were the main supporters of the Spanish American wars ...

• Word Count: 1746
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The thesis statement is that Lincoln sought to preserve the American union and its system of self-government by reclaiming the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and to recover the Spirit of '76 to the American mind which states that "all men are created equal". ... He focused on the need to return to the foundations of the Declaration of Independence and the ideas that shaped the creation of America in order to hold the Union together. ... Therefore, slavery threatened the Union and the principles of the Declaration of Independence. ... The conflicts that arose between p...

• Word Count: 2032
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

I really enjoyed reading "The Declaration and Letters" it was very intriguing to read these old documents. Right from the beginning, the strengths and shortcoming of the Declaration of Independence can be seen almost instantly. ... For instance the Government is trying giving people their natural born rights and not dictating what rights they are given like in a traditional monarchy, hence why the Declaration was written in the first place. ... During the time when the Declaration was written with the intention of having "all men created equal" the founding fathers ignor...

• Word Count: 1093
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

So which eighteenth century writers truly wanted potential independence from Great Britain; which wanted to remain under Britain rule? ... Otis questioned the rights of freemen, as the colonists property were sometimes deprived from them without their consent. ... The Declarations of the Stamp Act Congress shows the readers that the colonists had no temptation to break away from Great Britain just yet, but it does argue about the unfair representation in Parliament. ... Dickinson questions when Parliament will collect enough money from the colonies to stop. He also questions who the freemen ...

• Word Count: 2045
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Imperialist Expansionism One of the most controversial issues facing Americans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was the question of imperialist expansionism. The dilemma of whether or not the taking of colonies or the annexation of territories beyond the bounds of the North American land mass was congruous with previous American policies, including the Declaration of Independence, remained a major foreign policy debate between the Spanish-American War, beginning in 1898, and World War I, beginning in 1914. ... This was not always the case in colonial expansion, and is cl...

• Word Count: 1579
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Thomas Jefferson shows his most Important achievement, the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, where Jefferson writes "We hold these truths to be self evidence: 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 Norton Anthology American Literature 715). In my opinion the merely problem with this passage from the Declaration of Independence is that is does not say, "We hold these truths to be self-evidence, that all men including their race, creed, religion or c...

• Word Count: 1502
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

"When a long train of abuses and usurpations take place it is their right, it is their duty to use every constitutional means to reform the abuses of such a government, and to provide new guards for their future security," argued George Henry Evans in "The Working Man's Declaration of Independence," (DOC A). Evans, a Jacksonian Democrat, wrote the document in a similar fashion to the Declaration of Independence justifying Jackson's future actions with the bank. ... However, one may question Jackson's resolution to the economic problem by the installation of powerful State banks....

• Word Count: 1430
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate