In the late eighteenth century, Britain was still smarting from the “seven year War” with France and other European powers. The war left Great Britain in huge financial debt, thus Britain then began looking for additional revenue to bolster its economic status. She then turned to the American Colonies to support her endeavors in the mother land. The voice of the colonies grew more and more restless as these levies on the Colonial goods increased. The environment in the colonies at this time was tumultuous to say the least. Life on the colonial frontier was rugged and harsh. Many of the socialites and elite had similar amenities of those of their European counterparts. As one might expect, the poor had a much tougher life. The British effectively governed the Colonies thru a concept that became known as “taxation without representation” as stated by Massachusetts lawmaker James Otis (Carpenter 1976). This was the case because the colonies had no representation in British Parliament despite having heavy tariffs placed upon them. The first direct tax placed on the Colonies was The Stamp Act of 1765. The stamp act required colonist to pay taxes on all paper goods such as newspapers and other reading material. (Coffin, 2005, p.589) Soon thereafter, a series of altercation ensued between the Colonies and England such as the Boston Tea Party and the Boston Massacre. Britain sent troops to quell the unrest and to enforce the tariffs on goods. Succession from Great Britain appeared certain, with all out war seemingly inevitable.
Soon after the start of the revolutionary war in 1775, the idea of the Declaration of Independence was coming to fruition. Many scholars believe that the Declaration of Independence was as much of a message to Britain showing the intent of the States to display organization and legitimacy, as it was to the states to ratify an agreement and operate on one accord. The British initially shrugged off the pestilent resistance of the Colonist who lacked the resources to fight a full scale war and had no mechanized military to speak of. This work will not indulge in great detail the specifics of the war itself, and the massive aid the colonies received from France. The French, who were still very much bitter after essentially losing almost all of its territory in the new world as a result of both The Seven year war and The French Indian War, had a vendetta against England. Nonetheless I would be remiss to not at least mention the heavy involvement of the French in the American-Revolutionary War. The primary purpose of the Declaration of Independence was to construct a document that served as a unilateral contract of sorts between the “States” and its subjects. It clearly expressed the obligation that the new government had towards its citizens.
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson spoke of “Self-Evident truths”. What he meant by “Self-Evident” truths was 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 term “Self-Evident” simply means not requiring evidence or in other words auspiciously obvious. Essentially the concept of “Unalienable Rights” is an ethical continuation of the work earlier philosophers such as John Locke preached in the late seventeenth Century. Locke expressed the notion of a “Social Contract” that the government had with its citizens. Locke was one of many scholars that fashioned the Theory of Enlightenment which essentially asserts the idea that mankind is born with certain rights given by god; that government has no standing to alter those rights. Notwithstanding the Declaration of Independence is not devoid of major flaws. Paradoxically, the forefathers spoke of the tyranny imposed by British rule, while many of the Social Elite, including well known political figures such as Thomas Jefferson; kept slaves. The ambidextrous Thomas Jefferson’s position is especially perplexing considering his well documented relations with his mistress Sally Hemings on the right; while using a felt tip pen to speak of “unalienable rights” with his left hand. Instead of recording the birth of the bi-racial children he fathered with Hemings he listed the births in his farm journal that he used to keep track of live stock on his farm/Plantation. (Lewis and Clark n.d.)
The term “unalienable rights” simply means that the rights are not to be taken away or transferred, and are not subject to the control of any political unit or ruler. Many of the well established rights considered to be unalienable are: The right to assemble, Rights of free speech, The right of religious freedom, and certain rights of suffrage. Theses aforementioned rights are akin to both the theory of Natural Rights and The Theory of Enlightenment. As time goes on more and more rights are being considered by special interest parties as being part of the group of rights that are considered unalienable. These Twenty-First century “new” unalienable rights include but are not limited to: Freedom of choice for women and The freedom of sexual orientation.
The ultimate purpose of government is to protect and provide commonwealth utility. The term commonwealth means “greater good or benefit”, while utility means “service”. Schools and Hospitals are examples of Commonwealth Utilities.
(Wikipedia, Commonwealth n.d.) Theoretically, all governments are either Democratic or Autocratic in nature. In a Democratic society the subjects of the government are primarily in control of who the rulers of the state will be. This inherent responsibility to the subjects creates an environment of accountability to that same electorate. This accountability the government has to its people is now effectively a social contract of sorts. Although the governments ultimate “purpose is to protect and provide, it must do this while surrendering to the will of the people. Anyone who follows current events recognizes the importance of image and perception that the government has to the citizens of the state. It becomes obvious that the inherent accountability in all democratic states that the elected officials have towards their constituency alters the decisions made by those officials. One historic example of this governmental awareness of image occurred prior to WWII. Congress was adamantly opposed to the US aiding Great Britain during the early stages of the war. Despite the overall anti-war sentiment in America, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was just as adamant about helping England. He found ways to aid Britain while circumventing congressional approval. This was all done while still yet telling the nation prior to the 1940 election that he had no interest in any American intervention in WWII. Had FDR actually played his hand, and let the nation know of his real feelings about stopping Hitler’s tyranny; he risked losing the 1940 election and an unprecedented third term. His fear was that if America left Europe isolated against the militaristic German empire, then once Hitler turned his evil intentions towards America; there would ominously be no unconquered allies in the world to come to our aid! It was his obvious understanding of the nation’s wariness of war that impacted both governmental processes and decision making. Paradoxically, when the government is ignorant and or belligerent to the will of the people, “it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” (Declaration) The aforementioned rights of the people where indeed executed in the late eighteenth century as the colonies “dissolved the Political bands” that tied them with Britain. Our forefathers eloquently expressed in the declaration of Independence the tyranny and oppression facing Colonial America prior to the Revolutionary War. The Declaration speaks of “repeated injuries and usurpations” imposed upon the States by the despot King George III of Britain. Under the tyrannical and repressive rule of King George III, it is blatantly obvious that the subjects of British ruled Colonial America had very few options other than “to institute new Government.”
As one can see, the Declaration of Independence is a very influential document that serves as a beacon that guides the entire democratic world. America has set a standard for humanity to follow in our footsteps. We lead the world in human rights activism and social reform. It is this reason that America is both duly and truly the land of opportunity.
Work Cited
1. Carpenter, William S. "Taxation without Representation" in Dictionary of
American History, Volume 7 (1976)
2. Coffin, Stacy. (2005). Western Civilization (15th Ed.). New York: Norton
3. Commonwealth. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved January 25, 2010, from
4. Natural Rights. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved January 25, 2010, from
5. The Lewis and Clark Journey of Discovery. (n.d.) Retrieved January 26, 2010, From
6. Declaration of Independence. (n.d.). retrieved February 21,2010 from
