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The Men Behind the Declaration of Independence

 

            The Men Behind the Declaration of Independence.
             The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America was singed by the second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 4th, 1776. This document stated that they original 13 colonies of the United States were now independent states and would no longer be ruled by Great Britain. There were three men that are mainly responsible for its creation. These men were Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin. Each of these three men were founding fathers of the United States of America and instrumental in its creation. .
             Thomas Jefferson.
             Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743 on the Shadwell plantation just outside of Charlottesville, Virginia. He was born into one of Virginia's most prominent families that were part of Virginia's planter elite (Jefferson, 2013). The planter elite was considered the highest class of people in the South at the time and controlled almost 90% of all the land. Jefferson stated his education at the age of nine studying both Latin and Greek at a local private school run by Reverend William Douglas (Jefferson, 2013). Jefferson would then continue his education studying at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia from 1760 to 1763. After studying at William and Mary Jefferson then went on to study law passing the Virginia bar exam in 1767 and practiced law from 1767 to 1774.
             Jefferson started his political life in 1769 as a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. The Miller Center (n.d.) states that in 1774 Jefferson wrote "Summary View of the Rights of British America". In this document Jefferson opposed the British control over the colonies. The Miller Center (n.d.) states "He became known as a man of immense abilities in articulating the colonial position for independence" (para. 5). It was this lead to him being appointed to the Second Continental Congress.


Essays Related to The Men Behind the Declaration of Independence

1. "Declaration of Independence: A Contradiction"

In the Declaration of Independence it stated, "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- But, "all" men did not apply to African Americans specifically slaves. ... This view of slaves as just property is intertwined with the economic factor behind the contradiction of the Declaration of Independence Jefferson and the founding fathers wrote. Another reason for the apparent contradiction in the Declaration of Independence would be Jefferson and the founding fathers vie...

  • Word Count: 995
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. Principles in the Declaration Of Independence

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 paragraph above is the preamble which tells us the ideas behind the Declaration, people have certain rights that cannot be ignored. ... The Declaration of Independenc...

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

3. Self-evident In The Declaration Of Independence

In the "Declaration of Independence," Thomas Jefferson uses the phrase "self-evident" as a necessary modifier for the truths of equality he describes -- that all men are created equal and that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights. ... In the original draft of the "Declaration of Independence," it's obvious that the phrase sacred and undeniable is crossed out and substituted with "self-evident" (2). Much has been said about Jefferson's purpose for including the phrase "self-evident": to justify American independence in the plainest terms, to place a stronger emphasis on t...

  • Word Count: 364
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Declaration Of Independence

The Declaration of Independence was written to set out the reasons why the former colonists declared their independence. The document states that "all men are created equal" and they "have the rights of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." ... Jefferson's idea behind the Declaration of Independence was to declare equality of all men; the natural rights of men, granted to them by God; the principle of limited government; government only by the consent of the governed; and the right to rebel against tyrannical government. ... Some strengths of the Declaration of Independence ar...

  • Word Count: 908
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. Slavery and the declaration

The Debate over Slavery & the Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence, written in 1776, announced the separation of the United States and Great Britain. ... The ideas behind the document tend to be flexible and can be interpreted in several ways. ... These anti slavery groups, as well as pro slavery groups, used the Declaration of Independence as their evidence for their beliefs. ... The members of the anti-slavery movement felt that the Declaration of Independence conveyed the idea of equality among all men, regardless of race. ... Walker feels that the actions of the Wh...

  • Word Count: 1037
  • Approx Pages: 4

6. The Importance of The Declaration of Independence

In my opinion The Declaration of Independence is by far the most Important Document of Western civilization during the late eightieth Century. ... I feel that the first important fact that should be looked at is The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson during the late eightieth century in the United States of America. ... The Declaration of Independence has been a nurturing document for over 227 years. ... Now with the war itself behind us there is a new nation emerging from the ruble of war in Iraq. ... The Declaration of Independence is more tha...

  • Word Count: 1090
  • Approx Pages: 4
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  • Grade Level: High School

7. The Declaration

Not ago, in the nineteenth century, the words that our forefathers wrote in the Declaration of Independence, "that all men were created equal," held little value. ... It was at this first convention that Stanton delivered the Speech the "Declaration of Sentiments" which addressed the grievances that women had suffered under the "unjust government of men". ... Stanton, while she was not the sole composer of this speech, was the main driving force behind it. Upon first observation of the speech you will notice that she carefully drafted it to closely resemble the 1776 Declarati...

  • Word Count: 3184
  • Approx Pages: 13