History of the American Independence Research Paper

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Introduction

The United States Declaration of Independence was a proclamation taken up on July 4, 1776, and it pronounced the freedom of the thirteen American protectorates that were at war with Britain at the time. They were no more a division of the British domain. The declaration was drafted by Thomas Jefferson as an official clarification of why Congress had expressed their desire for independence (Spaeth and Smith, 1991, p. 6). It listed complaints against the then British ruler, King George III, citing his abuse of human rights.

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The American attainment of self-rule in the year 1776 was a major event in the aggregate of past events of humankind. The event not only helped out America to gain sovereignty from the English, but also served as stimulation for other nations under colonial rule to embark on upheavals that were directed at their independence as well. The French were particularly enthused to carry out similar uprisings as the Americans in order to attain their independence (Hamowy, 1979, p. 503).

The United States Declaration of Independence

As mentioned in the introduction, this July 4, 1776 proclamation aimed at making it clear that the thirteen American protectorates under the British hitherto this date were from then independent. This declaration came more than a year after the eruption of the American Revolutionary War and was the work of Thomas Jefferson, who was later to be America’s third president (Detweiler, 1962, p. 557). Since then, Independence Day in America is commemorated on July 4, signifying the day Congress endorsed the declaration.

The Declaration of Independence gave good reasons for the self governance of the United States by way of itemizing colonial complaints and injustices in opposition to King George III. It also affirmed definite natural rights which incorporated a right of revolt.

After it fulfilled its originally intended function in declaring self rule of the United States, the content of the Declaration was at the outset paid no heed to following the American Revolution. Its importance, however, rose over the years, especially the second sentence, an across-the-board proclamation of individual human being rights (Spaeth and Smith, 1991, p. 18).

It stated; “We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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 above statement has been touted as one of the best-crafted English statements and contains the most powerful and momentous remarks in the past of the United States.

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Following the finalization of the draft on July 4, it was distributed in various ways. It was at first put out as a published onslaught that was broadly doled out and read to the civic. The most renowned account of the Declaration is a signed on copy which is normally looked upon as the Declaration of Independence and is put on view at the National Archives in Washington.

The well-known phrasing of the Declaration has in most times been called upon to guard the rights of all persons and especially those who belong to groups that tend to be relegated to a lower or outer edge, as the handicapped. It is a symbol of an ethical and honorable measure for which the United States should always stand (Detweiler, 1962, p. 558).

The first decree of the Declaration affirmed as an issue of natural law the capability of a community to presume political sovereignty. It also went ahead to recognize that the founding for such sovereignty should always be rational and understandable.

The next decree as explained earlier sought to make it clear that whenever an administration violates the subjects’ rights, the citizenry have every right to revolt against that administration and do away with it.

The third part was an itemization of accusations in opposition to King George III and it intended to show how he had gone against the natives’ rights and was consequently unqualified to be their leader. The first charge was that he had turned down consents to acts, most of which were healthy and essential for the civic good.

The charges proceeded that he had prohibited his administrators to pass regulations of urgent and imperative significance (Hamowy, 1979, p. 511). He had also out rightly chosen to ignore shelved laws thus bringing about a malfunction in governance quite a number of times.

Other charges were to the effect that King George III had ignored other American districts, had disbanded representative houses that sought for people’s rights, had put in society armies of which the populace were not comfortable with, had put the United States under a foreign constitution unaccepted by their law, had cut off business of the natives with other regions of the world, among others.

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Prevention of abuses in the new republic

The constitution and its first ten amendments sought to right the wrongs and abuses that were committed by the colonists. The original constitution spoke against what was considered to be oppressive and against natural justice. The amendments that followed later were also in the same spirit.

The Bill of Rights was brought in by James Madison to the first United States Congress in the year 1789. It was a sequence of restrictions on the authority of the United States Federal administration, guarding the expected freedoms and belongings (Detweiler, 1962, p. 562). It consisted of liberty of verbal communication, a liberated press, liberated assemblage and liberated association. In the case of an individual being suspected of a crime or offence, it recommended speedy trial by an unbiased justice system.

The First Amendment is popularly referred to as the Free Exercise Clause and covered on rights of speech, press freedom, right of assemblage and the right to petition. It barred America’s legislative body from making amendments to the effect of abusing these rights in any manner.

The second amendment touched on the right of a well controlled military being armed to protect the United States. The people were also granted the rights to hold arms according to set state regulations.

The American citizenry also got protection from quartering of soldiers in their residences in times of peace (Detweiler, 1962, p. 563). This was followed by the fourth amendment that protected them from perverse search and apprehension.

The other alterations sought to protect the citizenry against unfair and biased charges, facilitate timely and speedy trials, bar disproportionate punishments, offer rights and liberties not covered in the constitution and clarify the powers of the state and the citizens.

Conclusion

In as much as the Declaration was at first shelved after it fulfilled its initially intended function, its importance was later to be known when revisited. It was given its deserved attention when the Bill of Rights was introduced and most importantly when Abraham Lincoln, the 16th American President based his policies as president on the Declaration (Hamowy, 1979, p. 523).

Reference List

Detweiler, P. (1962). The Changing Reputation of the Declaration of Independence: The First Fifty Years. William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd series, 19. 557–74.

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Hamowy, R. (1979). Jefferson and the Scottish Enlightenment: A Critique of Garry Wills’sI Inventing America: Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence. William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd series, 36. 503–23.

Spaeth, H and Smith, E. (1991). HarperCollins College Outline: The Constitution of the United States (13th ed.). New York: HarperCollins.

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IvyPanda. (2019) 'History of the American Independence'. 27 November.

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IvyPanda. 2019. "History of the American Independence." November 27, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/american-independence/.

1. IvyPanda. "History of the American Independence." November 27, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/american-independence/.


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IvyPanda. "History of the American Independence." November 27, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/american-independence/.

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