Declaration of Independence Document
The Declaration of Independence is a cherished and hallowed American document. Along with the Constitution, it holds a place of honor at the National Archives where visitors line up every day to catch a glimpse of the faded parchment. However, the Declaration is not a document that creates a system of government. Indeed, it seeks to destroy one established relationship and leaves open the door for the next one. If we limit our view of the Declaration to these two options, then its usefulness and application to our current lives is fairly minimal. It is important to consider the Declaration as a document spelling out the ideals of why government should exist. One can easily argue that we regularly fall short of these ideals, but the Declaration is always there to point us in the right direction.
With this in mind, I want you to review the Declaration of Independence and tackle the following questions:
- Identify a section of the Declaration that you think is most central/important to the history of the United States
- Explain how your selected passage can play a role in shaping American politics today.
- Finally, how (if at all) has the meaning and intent of the passage you’ve selected changed from 1776 compared to today?
American Government
The section of the Declaration that is most central to the history of the United States is “all men are created equal, that their Creator endows them with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –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, 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 of Independence: A Transcription, n.d.).” This section is particularly important because it shows that the country was founded on equality, which was to be safeguarded by all governments after that.
The current political climate gives no room for equality. In the past years and recently, in the events leading to the last presidential election, the country has been divided along racial lines. The prejudice against the Black community has reached an all-time high seen in the rising incidences of police brutality perpetrated against African Americans. Equality is being disregarded in these scenarios and the government, especially the previous one, failed to protect the rights of African Americans. In many instances, the former American president Donald Trump, through his speech and actions, perpetuated unequal treatment of Blacks among his white supporters. The selected passage from the Declaration can remind the incumbent government about the country’s founding principles and help bring into closer perspective the ongoing limitations to equality.
The meaning of the selected passage has not changed. However, contextually, the passage’s meaning has been trivialized if the current political climate is anything to go by. The government has failed to safeguard equality and, in some ways, has conspired with individuals to destroy the people it was tasked with protecting. From the selected passage, it is evident that the government should derive its power from the people. However, the current situation is that the government holds power through a select number of individuals that control it.
References
- Declaration of Independence: A Transcription. (n.d.). Retrieved from National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript