John Garrett Rankin August 21, 2015 American History, 1st Hour Dr. Patrick Willis Declaration Essay Imagine living in a country where the citizens have no power or input into their government. The signers of the Declaration of Independence wanted to separate from Great Britain to control their own government and economy. The colonists felt that it was time for a change. They decided to cut themselves free from all ties with Great Britain. The colonists believed that everyone was created equal by God and that God gave everyone the same rights. They believed in the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Colonists thought that if these things could not be provided, then the government should be changed or completely
After a few years the colonist wrote the declaration of independence to tell the king that they were separating from Britain. The king was upset and decided to go to war with the colonist. George
The Declaration of Independence was the first document to be adopted by the founding fathers in 1776. Its main purpose was to separate from the British Monarchy. The colonists knew this would be a clear step towards a new form of practicing self-government. The form in which the colonist decided to move towards was a Democracy. Which was shown in the U.S Constitution. This meant that everyone would have a part in the new government system unlike the British where one had little to no say. With this declaration, the 13 Colonies became the United States of America.
In 1776 America’s founding fathers decided to separate from their mother country, Great Britain, and live as independent states. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson writes that the “United colonies...ought to be free and Independent States,” (lines 131-133) after they have undergone a long string of abuses by King George. As he writes the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson’s purpose is to give reason to the colonists, the King and the foreign worldly powers of why the colonists feel the need to separate themselves from Great Britain. In the Declaration Jefferson faces the challenge of persuading his audience that the colonists need to dissolve from Great Britain, he overcomes this by using rhetorical devices to convince the audience that the colonists have certain rights the British are not protecting, the colonists have long been abused by King George and the colonists have tried to reason with the British, but they need to become independent states.
Colonists sought independence from British government for a multitude of reasons. Tension quickly rose between England and the thirteen colonies due to the unjust taxing without fair representation in Parliament, the colonist’s rights to assemble were taken away by the British, and there were many unreasonable Acts and laws put into place in attempt to have complete control over the colonists as well as intimidate them. For these reasons and the suffering that the colonists endured at the hands of the British government, I feel that the colonists had plenty just causes to separate themselves from England.
They were trying to separate from Great Britain’s government. They gave statements on why they wanted to leave. For example they said “ He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us” (“Declaration of Independence” par. 10). In this statement they are saying that their government is no longer protecting them. Also they state some of the bad things that has been done to them. As explained “ He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people” (“Declaration of Independence” par.11). This say that the government has destroyed the lives of the people. After editing and signing the Declaration they finally got away from Great
The colonists fought the war for the purpose of expansion, and the government took what they risked their lives for away. In the Declaration of Independence, it is made clear that this scenario will never happen again by making the government have the consent of the people, and this is one of the many reasons why colonists were so upset. They had no say in this act, and it would never have been passed if they did. This treacherous move serves as a motive for separation and a valid reason to do so.
The Declaration of Independence drafted by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress expresses the thirteen American colonies desire to disjoin from Great Britain. Chapter 4 of “After the Fact,” entitled Declaring Independence, presents factual viewpoints of historians as well as thorough examinations aroused from the possible confusions of the renowned document.
The Declaration of Independence was written justifying the reasons for revolting against the British rule. It served three purposes, outlining its theory of government, listing complaints, and declaring war. The main complaint was the passage of unfavorable laws in England that affected the colonists yet they were not represented within the English Parliament to air the opinions while such laws were being passed. Though appearing like a logical argument, the British might have viewed it as diluting their power within their own parliament. Another complaint was the King’s role in making it difficult for the Colonists to participate in governance; this might also have been seen as undermining the British power in America and then there was forbidding laws that would have established significant judiciary powers. The King being the supreme source of justice might have viewed it as undermining
On July 4 1776 in Philadelphia the continental congress and the founding fathers sing the final draft of the Declaration of Independence separating them from britain. The colonist were sick of Great britain’s king using unfair power on them. What were the reason the colonist declared their independence from britain? The colonist wanted independence because they wanted liberty, freedom of choice, and peace.
The Declaration of Independence was formed resulting from the treatment of 13 colonies from the British government without representation after subsequent denials to be represented and treated equal. This historic document was revolutionary because it’s what began the transition of our government into a democracy unlike that of parliament in the 1700’s. The British government and their ruling made decisions that didn’t involve what was right for the people; only what was in the best economic interest of parliament. This caused significant hardships on the American colonies which eventually led to them coming together as a people and forming this declaration.
At the beginning of the American Revolution, most Americans didn't actually want to be independent from Britain. They only wanted equality with other British subjects. They wanted representation in Parliament, they wanted to be able to petition the King, to write him letters
The colonists began to question if independence was for them when parliament passed the Stamp Act. The stamp act was meant to raise money for British soldiers and also to pay off some of Britain’s debt. When the King/Parliament passed laws the colonists believed that if they weren’t there when the laws were passed they were illegal (according to the Bill of Rights), which is where the slogan “no taxation against representation” came in to play. The people wanted to separate from England because of how the king only passed laws that benefited him. Colonists had a problem with their government. Thomas Paine says that government is a necessary evil. He says that their government is being hampered by oppression; he believed, along with other people, that the King was leading cruelly and not caring about his people. The Declaration of Independence also says, “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government”. Thomas Jefferson is saying that the laws that the King/Parliament were passing were becoming destructive and it was the right of the people to become independent or change their
The Declaration of Independence is a well-known document that is major part of American history. It was created because the British government was violating the colonists’ rights and the colonists demanded their independence as their own nation. Although there have been many interpretations of the Declaration of Independence, three of the major reasons were a bid for French support, an attempt to swing uncommitted Americans to the revolutionary cause, and a statement of universal principles, which led the colonists to unite to revolt against the British.
The thirteen British colonies of North America were slowly going into independence. The people (colonists) were proud of being British, they had no desire to separate from their own country. April 19, 1775 people made calls for independent. Also in that year of July the Second Continental Congress sent the King a request for redress and reconciliation, which Dickinson had to drain indubitably.
One of the reasons the Founding Fathers had written the Declaration of Independence was because they wanted America to be free so that Britain could stop taxing the citizens. There were many acts going around such as the Tea Act, the Sugar Act, and the Stamp Act. The colonists had no representation in any of it. Sparknote had stated in their article, "the King interfered with the colonists' right to self-government and for a fair Judicial system." This had ticked the colonists off along with the acts. The King had also "instituted legislation that affected the colonists without their consent." This wasn't fair to the colonists and it would be understandable that they wanted independence.