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Essay On Declaration Of Independence Vs English Bill Of Rights

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American Declaration vs. English Bill of Rights
The events and people of history influence the events and people of later time periods; this became evident in two of the most famous historical documents - the English Bill of Rights and the American Declaration of Independence; also, both documents reflect the writings of seventeenth century philosophers. The Declaration of Independence is a formal document that began the American colonists’ quest for freedom from the British monarchy. Written in 1776, the American Declaration contains many similarities to the English Bill of Rights - a text written to the British monarchs almost a century earlier. The Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights each comment on the same issue; however, they differ in rhetorical situations. Not only was the Declaration influenced by the Bill of Rights but it was also evident that the document had been influenced by John Locke; on the contrary, the Bill of Rights had been influenced by Thomas Hobbes. Although written in different time periods, by different men, and based on different philosophies, the premises of the Bill of Rights are replicated in the Declaration. Both documents are similar in the fact that they are written to oppose the rule of British monarchs, to end the oppression of their …show more content…

Some of these objections include the king’s failure to be truthful, altering of government standards in order to make himself more powerful, and modifying punishment in the court of law to benefit or scrutinize individuals based on their statuses. Similarly, the Declaration first introduces its purpose and then proceeds to account for the grievances of the people. Being motivated by the ideas of Thomas Hobbes, the Bill of Rights was focused on a better life under the British

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