The Paradoxes and Limitations of the Declaration of Independence
During the mid-late 1700s, the English and the French battled for more colonial control in North America, the Caribbean, and in India. The English did win these battles but the money spent on weapons for the war, caused their government to be in great debt. In order to be liberated of debt, Parliament decided to tax and pass many new laws on colonist, in order to regain the money that was spent on the battles. With command from the king, troops were placed in colonies to enforce law and collect taxes, taking away their liberties. Soon the colonist became very angry with the King and the Parliament for the passing of laws and taxes that they thought caused tyranny over their lives. The colonies then decided to take matters into their own hands and created a committee that spoke about all the unjust actions of the King and the British Parliament. This eventually led to the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence was written to justify why the colonist had a right for revolting against and becoming independent from the British. Its purpose was to assure people their rights to freedom, representation, and independence. When the Declaration of Independence was written many people celebrated the fact they could now live in Freedom, however others felt that it was contradicting and limiting. A few sources argue that the Thomas Jefferson declares a lot of rights in the Declaration of independence, but doesn’t stay true or follow through with them. Others thought that the Declaration of Independence just didn’t apply to them. Since, there are so many different viewpoints on the Declaration of Independence, and it’s paradoxes and limitations, taking the time to consider each sources view is vital. The first thing to do is to evaluate what the actual Declaration of Independence Documents Declares. The Declaration of Independence was written on July 4,1776, by Thomas Jefferson. It created a lot of joy for the colonist because they were finally set free from the oppression that had to endure for years. The purpose of this document is to state the many rights that people are and should be entitled to and not limited to. Thomas Jefferson declared many rights, the people should have throughout the entire document. Thomas Jefferson stated in this Document, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these rights, are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Meaning that all men are meant to be equal and have certain rights that the government should not be able to take away. By declaring this statement, Jefferson makes people believe in him and to have hope that they will attain this freedom that he is speaking of. Thomas Jefferson also states that, “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” This statement basically says that the government exists to support the rights of men and only through the power of people that represent it. The Declaration of Independence also states that “ 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…” From this account, one can get the people have the right to change their government when the government fails to give rights to the people. He then goes into to the abuses that the colonies suffered from the King of Great Britain. He recognizes that they have suffered greatly and wants to expose what the King has done to the colonies. Thomas Jefferson declares the colonies free and independent States. All throughout this text, Jefferson demands that everyone deserves the rights they are entitled to, but does everyone obtain those rights? Does he really follow through on his word? The only way to get a better sense of all sides is to evaluate other sources. The first source can be from the narratives of Jefferson’s slaves. There where many slaves who worked for Jefferson in the early 1800s. It was not like your average slave versus master relationship. His slaves really didn’t give much thought to the declaration of independence, because for them it didn’t really apply. According to his slaves, they felt as if they were family and never thought of themselves as slaves. So the aspect of not having freedom was not apparent to them, they enjoyed life. One slave of Jefferson’s, Israel Jefferson stated that, “Jefferson was a esteemed by both whites and blacks as a very great man.” According to Israel Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson always followed through with bringing them presents when he’d come home from a business trip. To Israel, Jefferson would always take care of them and keep them in mind. Israel once said, “When the weather was pleasant, the occupants could enjoy the air and when it was rainy, they were protected from it.” The slaves were also allowed to learn how to read, which is a privilege. Most masters would beat a slave just for being seen with a book. Peter Fossett’s, one of Jefferson’s last surviving slaves, former master Col. Johns tells him “If I ever catch you with a book in your hands, thirty-and-nine lashes on your bare back.” One can get the impression from the slaves that Thomas Jefferson was a good man, with good intentions. To them he cared for people and their well beings. However not all slaves felt this way about their master or thought of their life as easy. One can see this through the speech of Frederick Douglass. Thomas Jefferson is an intelligent slave who wrote a speech called “The meaning of July Fourth for the Negro”, which was written to show the irony of Independence amidst slavery. According to him, the Declaration of Independence was not in favor for slaves. The fourth of July wasn’t a joyful day to him because he thought of the Declaration of Independence as mockery to the life of the slaves. He shows this feeling by saying “I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings, in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me.” According to Douglass, the declaration was contradicting because the declaration says that the all men are equal and should be free yet they are neither. The blacks weren’t thought as equal to the whites and Jefferson calls upon this by saying “For the present, it is enough to affirm the equal manhood of the Negro race. Is it not astonishing that, while we are ploughing, planting, and reaping, using all kinds of mechanical tools, erecting houses, constructing bridges…and looking hopefully for life and immortality beyond the grave, we are called upon to prove that we are men!” Slave life was not at all easy or enjoyable for Frederick Douglass and the other slaves. According to Douglass, the fourth of July was only a reminder of the gruesome days that a slave has to experience. While the Declaration of Independence reminded Frederick Douglass and the other slaves of their daily hardships, it also caused limitations and prejudices’. To fully understand these claims, evaluating the Declaration of Sentiments by Elizabeth Stanton is necessary. Elizabeth Cady Stanton Shows a woman’s point of view of how the Declaration of Independence excludes certain groups and gives a detailed list of how it should be. In this text, which was first published in 1870, Stanton declares the unfair treatment of women by both the U.S government and society. In the Declaration of Independence, it states that men are created equal, however does not include women. Stanton rewrites that statement to show that it should include women. She states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights…” She declares that the Declaration of Independence, requires all to submit laws, yet the women still don’t have a say. According to Elizabeth Stanton, women, like men, should be able to have voice if the government fails to give the rights that should be entitled to them also. Elizabeth declares, “...in view of the unjust laws above mentioned, and because women do feel themselves aggrieved, oppressed, and fraudulently deprived of their most scared rights, we insist that they have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges that belong to them as citizens…” By declaring this statement, Elizabeth Stanton petitions that man and society has limited their freedom and women, like men, are equal citizens and should be treated as such. From evaluating all these sources one can conclude that the Declaration of Independence did say that everyone is equal and is entitled to rights, however it created paradoxes and limitations because not everyone was included in those rights that were so strongly promised and declared to everyone.
During the mid-late 1700s, the English and the French battled for more colonial control in North America, the Caribbean, and in India. The English did win these battles but the money spent on weapons for the war, caused their government to be in great debt. In order to be liberated of debt, Parliament decided to tax and pass many new laws on colonist, in order to regain the money that was spent on the battles. With command from the king, troops were placed in colonies to enforce law and collect taxes, taking away their liberties. Soon the colonist became very angry with the King and the Parliament for the passing of laws and taxes that they thought caused tyranny over their lives. The colonies then decided to take matters into their own hands and created a committee that spoke about all the unjust actions of the King and the British Parliament. This eventually led to the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence was written to justify why the colonist had a right for revolting against and becoming independent from the British. Its purpose was to assure people their rights to freedom, representation, and independence.
When the Declaration of Independence was written many people celebrated the fact they could now live in Freedom, however others felt that it was contradicting and limiting. A few sources argue that the Thomas Jefferson declares a lot of rights in the Declaration of independence, but doesn’t stay true or follow through with them. Others thought that the Declaration of Independence just didn’t apply to them. Since, there are so many different viewpoints on the Declaration of Independence, and it’s paradoxes and limitations, taking the time to consider each sources view is vital. The first thing to do is to evaluate what the actual Declaration of Independence Documents Declares.
The Declaration of Independence was written on July 4,1776, by Thomas Jefferson. It created a lot of joy for the colonist because they were finally set free from the oppression that had to endure for years. The purpose of this document is to state the many rights that people are and should be entitled to and not limited to. Thomas Jefferson declared many rights, the people should have throughout the entire document. Thomas Jefferson stated in this Document, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these rights, are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Meaning that all men are meant to be equal and have certain rights that the government should not be able to take away. By declaring this statement, Jefferson makes people believe in him and to have hope that they will attain this freedom that he is speaking of. Thomas Jefferson also states that, “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” This statement basically says that the government exists to support the rights of men and only through the power of people that represent it. The Declaration of Independence also states that “ 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…” From this account, one can get the people have the right to change their government when the government fails to give rights to the people. He then goes into to the abuses that the colonies suffered from the King of Great Britain. He recognizes that they have suffered greatly and wants to expose what the King has done to the colonies. Thomas Jefferson declares the colonies free and independent States. All throughout this text, Jefferson demands that everyone deserves the rights they are entitled to, but does everyone obtain those rights? Does he really follow through on his word? The only way to get a better sense of all sides is to evaluate other sources. The first source can be from the narratives of Jefferson’s slaves.
There where many slaves who worked for Jefferson in the early 1800s. It was not like your average slave versus master relationship. His slaves really didn’t give much thought to the declaration of independence, because for them it didn’t really apply. According to his slaves, they felt as if they were family and never thought of themselves as slaves. So the aspect of not having freedom was not apparent to them, they enjoyed life. One slave of Jefferson’s, Israel Jefferson stated that, “Jefferson was a esteemed by both whites and blacks as a very great man.” According to Israel Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson always followed through with bringing them presents when he’d come home from a business trip. To Israel, Jefferson would always take care of them and keep them in mind. Israel once said, “When the weather was pleasant, the occupants could enjoy the air and when it was rainy, they were protected from it.” The slaves were also allowed to learn how to read, which is a privilege. Most masters would beat a slave just for being seen with a book. Peter Fossett’s, one of Jefferson’s last surviving slaves, former master Col. Johns tells him “If I ever catch you with a book in your hands, thirty-and-nine lashes on your bare back.” One can get the impression from the slaves that Thomas Jefferson was a good man, with good intentions. To them he cared for people and their well beings. However not all slaves felt this way about their master or thought of their life as easy. One can see this through the speech of Frederick Douglass.
Thomas Jefferson is an intelligent slave who wrote a speech called “The meaning of July Fourth for the Negro”, which was written to show the irony of Independence amidst slavery. According to him, the Declaration of Independence was not in favor for slaves. The fourth of July wasn’t a joyful day to him because he thought of the Declaration of Independence as mockery to the life of the slaves. He shows this feeling by saying “I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings, in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me.” According to Douglass, the declaration was contradicting because the declaration says that the all men are equal and should be free yet they are neither. The blacks weren’t thought as equal to the whites and Jefferson calls upon this by saying “For the present, it is enough to affirm the equal manhood of the Negro race. Is it not astonishing that, while we are ploughing, planting, and reaping, using all kinds of mechanical tools, erecting houses, constructing bridges…and looking hopefully for life and immortality beyond the grave, we are called upon to prove that we are men!” Slave life was not at all easy or enjoyable for Frederick Douglass and the other slaves. According to Douglass, the fourth of July was only a reminder of the gruesome days that a slave has to experience. While the Declaration of Independence reminded Frederick Douglass and the other slaves of their daily hardships, it also caused limitations and prejudices’. To fully understand these claims, evaluating the Declaration of Sentiments by Elizabeth Stanton is necessary.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton Shows a woman’s point of view of how the Declaration of Independence excludes certain groups and gives a detailed list of how it should be. In this text, which was first published in 1870, Stanton declares the unfair treatment of women by both the U.S government and society. In the Declaration of Independence, it states that men are created equal, however does not include women. Stanton rewrites that statement to show that it should include women. She states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights…” She declares that the Declaration of Independence, requires all to submit laws, yet the women still don’t have a say. According to Elizabeth Stanton, women, like men, should be able to have voice if the government fails to give the rights that should be entitled to them also. Elizabeth declares, “...in view of the unjust laws above mentioned, and because women do feel themselves aggrieved, oppressed, and fraudulently deprived of their most scared rights, we insist that they have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges that belong to them as citizens…” By declaring this statement, Elizabeth Stanton petitions that man and society has limited their freedom and women, like men, are equal citizens and should be treated as such.
From evaluating all these sources one can conclude that the Declaration of Independence did say that everyone is equal and is entitled to rights, however it created paradoxes and limitations because not everyone was included in those rights that were so strongly promised and declared to everyone.