The Declaration of Independence – a perspective

Probably one of the most cited political documents in the political landscape of the United States, perhaps cited only less then the actual Constitution of the United States itself, is the Declaration of Independence penned by Thomas Jefferson in 1776.  Most citizens of the United States are familiar with the portions of the opening lines of the Declaration, usually the most famous quote of all: “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, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  Some who are particularly familiar with the document will also know that right after those famous words Jefferson proceeds to state that governments are created by groups of people to safeguard those rights and, should a government fail to do so, it is the duty of the citizens under that government to remove it and replace it with one that does safeguard those rights.  Sadly though most citizens of the United States have never read the rest of the document nor are they particularly familiar with the political reality with which Jefferson and his fellow delegates at the Continental Congress were attempting to grapple, a nearly despotic government in the literal sense of the word.

Right after the famous introduction to the Declaration of Independence Jefferson proceeded to state a specific list of charges against the King of England and the King’s government over the colonies, specific charges of misconduct that were the reason that the American colonies needed to end their long standing allegiance to the British crown and instead seek out to forge a new independent nation.  I highly recommend you take a moment and pursue these charges leveled against the King and his government, check out the source linked below for an accurate rendition of the text of the Declaration of Independence.  Probably the most common theme that Jefferson writes about is how the King, through various means, has prevented the colonies from passing legislation to administer their own affairs efficiently, properly, and internally.  In addition the King is accused of taking active steps to make it very difficult for the legislatures of the colonies to meet or conduct their business on behalf of those who have elected them to office.  In addition Jefferson also charges that the British crown has taken from the colonists property without proper compensation, by forcing them to quarter troops on their own property, and maintained standing armies on the soil of the colonies without the consent of those forced to provide for, and live among, those troops.  Finally Jefferson outlines many cases in which citizens of the colonies have been denied what could be considered a fair trial, through mechanisms such as being transported to England for trail, false trails for crimes committed on behalf of the Crown’s interests, and individuals being simply seized for service in the British navy without any sort of recourse.  Finally Jefferson outlines several cases in which the policy of the British crown has arbitrarily imposed taxes upon the citizens of the colonies and has blocked the natural economic growth of the American colonies.

The key element to the Declaration of Independence that many modern citizens of the United States fail to comprehend is that Jefferson was writing against a system of government that was, for the colonies, very nearly a true tyranny.  The British crown had considerable authority within the American colonies, by 1776 many of them had had their charters revoked and had instead been turned into Crown colonies, meaning that their political, civil, and judicial leadership was answerable solely to the British crown.  The citizens of the American colonies had no legal recourse to appeal against the edicts imposed upon them by the British crown and executed by military forces loyal to the British crown, military forces that were disconnected from the communities in which they enforced the law.  (Hence the charge by Jefferson that the British crown had placed mercenary forces in the colonies, specifically German mercenaries whose loyalty was purchased by the British crown, a long-standing relationship.)  Even the British parliament, a legislative force that could restrict the power of the British crown in any way it chose to, had no representatives from the American colonies within it to promote the interests of the colonists.

The Declaration of Independence was a statement of desperation in many ways, as well as a potent tool of political propaganda, Jefferson and his fellow delegates were arguing the case for independence more to their own fellow citizens then stating their causes to the British crown.  None the less though the Declaration clearly argues that because of all the violations by the British crown of the basic human rights held by the colonists, and because the British crown was unresponsive to all efforts to end these abuses, the colonists had no choice but to take up arms to win their independence from an unresponsive, tyrannical form of government.  Fortunately modern citizens of the United States have another option short of armed rebellion to instill change in their government, the ballot box, which despite the feelings of some citizens of the United States is a powerful tool by which the citizen base not only provides its consent to be ruled but also directly shapes the nature of government.  Now this is not to say that democracy in the United States is not without its serious flaws, historic and modern, but the very fact that citizens of the United States can vote, and those votes do select the leadership of the various governments of the United States, marks this nation as one which has moved far from the tyrannical roots that the Jefferson with his Declaration of Independence cried out against.

As an interesting additional exercise after reading the Declaration of Independence review the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States, specifically the Bill of Rights, you will notice that each amendment in the Bill of Rights neatly addresses some aspect of the abuses of power outlined in the Declaration of Independence.  It is a brilliant symmetry of design and one often not appreciated today.

Sources:
The Declaration of Independence, a full text

The Bill of Rights to the Constitution of the United States of America, a full text