Every individual has their own definition of freedom. Depending on time, place, religion, or race, this definition varies, but essentially comes back to one point: all men, regardless of anything, are created equally, and therefore have a right to be free. "The Declaration of Independence," by Thomas Jefferson, and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" are two works addressing this concern. Although Jefferson and King led extremely different lives over 150 years apart, both faced issues of human equality that drove them to write two of the most influential works in American history.
Thomas Jefferson, an educated, well respected career man, served as governor of Virginia, secretary of state, and
…show more content…
Each strived for human equality, freedom, and abolishing prejudices, and although their personal definitions differed, they wrote to and spoke for the public. As educated men, they knew what people wanted to hear and how to make it sound appealing to those who disagreed. Although sending out similar messages, the language of these writings differs. The times in which each man lived obviously makes an impact on the word choice and style, but more importantly was the audience each wanted to reach through these writings. Jefferson sent out his declaration to educated white men, business men, and those tired of British rule, the audience he wanted to appeal to. He says, "Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experiences hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed" (Jefferson 305). Jefferson points out the fact that if a change was not really needed, America wouldn't take such drastic measures to make things different. King, however, was speaking to millions of people, some with little or no education, and some many with years of schooling. Being such a broad and diverse audience, King had to speak more generally so all could understand. Metaphors are commonly used throughout King's speech, probably used to create
Although born into very distinct eras in American history, both presidents Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln found themselves faced with very similar issues while they were in office. Two primary issues they faced while in office regarded the subjects of slavery and educating the American people. How they felt about these issues and how they responded to them was mostly similar, except for two notable distinctions regarding slavery. In colonial America, one of the first issues Thomas Jefferson faced while in office was how to deal with the rising debate regarding slavery in colonial America.
The United States Constitution and The Declaration of Independence are two of America 's most famous documents that laid the foundation for it 's independence as a nation and separation from British rule. The following paper will compare these two documents and decipher the difference of the two.
During the late 1700’s, the colonies in America were upset and resentful of the British tyranny. In order to make the separation between the two groups official, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. Two hundred years later, women were facing the same injustice, only it was from men; and to protest against the unfair treatment, Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions. Both parties of oppression fought against the same outcome, unjust treatment, yet, each fought against different causes and in different ways.
Thomas Jefferson and John Locke share many similarities in their two writings. In this essay there will make a connection between the two and take a look at how Jefferson may have been or was inspired by John Locke with The Declaration of independence. Two of the main points will be the government's role in the rights of people and what those rights are.
In comparing Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists, The Declaration of Independence, and U.S. Constitution, it is evident that the basis of all three documents is the idea that all human beings possess God-given fundamental rights and that government is created to protect those rights. The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, is the first of the three documents penned. This is important because it defined the rights of liberty and equality of all American citizens as outlined in John Locke’s natural law thesis (Martin, page 113). In addition to providing an itemized account of the grievances colonist’s held against King George III of England, it served to justify the colonist’s quest for independence and separation from British rule. The Declaration of Independence conveyed to the crown that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, which among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The Founders’ of the New World understood that their pursuit of liberties and autonomy specified in the Declaration of Independence could not come to fruition without instituting decrees. In 1787, the U.S. Constitution, was written to replace the Articles of Confederation with a better defined series of stringent laws that would legally uphold the freedoms and privileges established in the Declaration of Independence. The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights in
The US Constitution, The Declaration of Independence as well as the Letter to the Danbury Baptist are not just historical documents, but some of if not the most important documents of the history of our nation. Although, similar in many facets the intentions and the goal pursued by each highlight their individuality. The fact that the Declaration of Independence was the first to be implemented and signed is of significant importance as it set the pace and put in motion the proceeding documents that followed. Ultimately, my goal is to not only show their comparisons or where they may contrast, but to highlight what makes these documents profound and therefore still relative and valid even today.
On June of 1776, the Declaration of Independence was born. Drawn up by Thomas Jefferson and based on the works of John Locke, the general purpose of the document was to clarify that governments have conditional, not absolute authority over the people; that human beings possess natural rights that can’t be taken from them and government is created to protect those rights. The phrases “unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” and “all men are created equal” were the main theme of the social contract written for the small colonies of what would be the basis of the United States of America to declare independence from Great Britain and its tyrannical king. However, “unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” and “all men are created equal” did not apply to African Americans, enslaved or free for the coming years.
Few documents through American history have withstood the test of time and have become statement pieces for our society. In this group, the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson and Common Sense by Thomas Paine both hold high positions. Thomas Paine wrote “The Crisis”, which was a chapter in his pamphlet Common Sense, which advocated that the thirteen original colonies gain independence from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence was a government document written in 1776 that proclaims America a state of democracy not connected to Britain. Although they share a general topic, both feature a wide range of similarities and differences to each other. These similarities include the times they were written, similarities in the
Lots of gentlemen with suits gathered in a large meeting room ,bench of peoples standing as well, some peoples were sitting, but all of them was up to the same important idea . Visually, dedicated honor in supporting of independence. It was the biggest moment for the US in which will be known as the period of time where the county was found.
America prior to the civil rights movement was tailored towards white people, and when The Declaration of Independence was written, black people were not even considered to be people. “all men are created equal”(The Declaration of Independence) was written with only white men in mind, as evident from the way people of color were treated for over one hundred years afterward; however, the “ I Have a Dream” speech sought to include people of all races. Dr. King saw that the people of color had long been left out of the
“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” - The Declaration of Independence
When the founding fathers wrote the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, they wrote them with the future in mind. In the newspaper and TV headlines today, many of the topics in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are even more relevant and hotly debated today than back then. But they each have a different purpose and handle many topics differently. This essay will compare the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution in three areas: style, structure, and tone, the topic of religion and government, and the issue of African slavery.
To start off his attempt to control the minds of the people he used the rhetorical strategy of allusion which, however, is also considered ethos. The Declaration of Independence is how he brought across authority within his speech. He quotes, “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” His attempt do this was to stress the feeling of importance given to him by the founding fathers’ idea of freedom. Another way authority was invoked was by him using the Declaration of independence. King uses Lincoln in the quote, “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.” Lincoln was mentioned because he
One of the most famous quote people remember from the Declaration of Independence was, “ We hold these truths to be self- evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ Adams persuaded the committee to select Thomas Jefferson to compose the original draft of the document, which Congress then would edit to create the final version. The Declaration was an explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare
The definition of freedom, according to Dictionary.com, is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. In the declaration of independence, American citizens are given freedom of speech, freedom of religion, right to vote, right to a fair trial, and freedom of assembly to name a few. These rights that we have enable us to form communities and have our voices heard regarding issues that negatively impact us as a whole or prevent us from moving towards a brighter and hopeful future because that is what freedom is. It is about hope. It is about being your own person without hesitation, without judgement. “The Story of an Hour” written by Kate Chopin and “A&P” written by John Updike encounter two very