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Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4th 1776 announced to the World that the Thirteen Colonies were no longer a part of the British Empire.
5,844 Questions
What are the differences between the Declaration and the Constitution?
Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776, was pretty much just what it says it was. A formal declaration by the original 13 colonies that they would now be independent of King George and Great Britain. Except for being persuasive authority as to the intent of the framers, the Declaration of Independence is NOT the law of the land. On the other hand, the Constitution was adopted in 1789 and is the principal law of the United States federalist system - and it is the law from which all other laws in the United States is derived. If an individual state passes a law, it has to conform to the United States Constitution. If the Congress passes a law, it must also be in conformity with the minimum Constitutional guarantees of liberty or risk being struck down by the courts as being unconstitutional. (See Marbury v. Madison)
What declaration of independence signer was a captain in the Atlantic slave trade?
Benjamin Rush: This is not true. Benjamin Rush was a staunch opponent of slavery and the slave trade.
Why were many afraid to sign off on a Declaration of Independence?
Dickinson was the only delegate who refused to sign the Declaration of Independence. He refused to sign because he felt the colonies should reconcile their differences with Great Britain and stay within the British Empire and its protection. He thought independence would be disastrous. The other delegate who did not sign was Robert R. Livingston of New York, but not because he refused to sign. He had voted for adoption of the Declaration but was recalled to New York before the delegates signed the official copy on August 2, 1776.
Information about how the colonists felt about British rule
by john overbay
Who is credited for writing the American Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence for the United States of America, in addition to making many/most of the important edits to it. Some others did participate in the writing of it, but it's Thomas Jefferson who contributed the original write-up and was most influential in it's development, and as such, he is credited for the writing of the historical document.
What is the theory of government presented in the declaration of independence?
The theory is based loosely on many documents including the Mecklenburg Resolve (also know as the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence), the Bible, Locke's Second Treatise of Government and what many call "natural law" or "natural rights".
The Declaration's concept of the "pursuit of happiness" as an "unalienable right" given by the Creator to Sir William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765)
Many people mistake our heritage to be an extension of Greek culture. That is very inaccurate. The Greeks had no doctrine of equality and believed, as the Romans did later, that some men by nature were superior to others. Neither the Greeks nor the Romans saw property as a right, much less as an "unalienable right."
Many of the claims to unalienable rights spring from basic Bible teachings. The bible was the foundation for certain aspects of this declaration.
The idea that man is created in God's image and has lordship over the earth is the key to the modern notion of subjective rights. Subjective rights are those that are inherent in the individual; they are inseparably part of the human personality. Being made in God's image makes man a being of enormous value and inherent worth thus endowed with these rights. This notion was foreign to all ancient systems of thought and accounts for the lack of any strong concept of subjective rights outside ancient Israel or in non-Christian cultures.
As a steward, trustee, and protector under God, a man may resist other men's unlawful interference with the performance of that duty. This is the historical analysis and starting point of the church's doctrine of the right of self-defense and of rights generally.
Why Thomas Pain argued for independence because?
Thomas Paine had an ability to describe clearly the different sides of controversial issues. He wanted a country of the people.
Why do Americans celebrate Independence Day?
Because the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4 marked the beginning of the United States of America. July 4 is a national holiday and indeed should be celebrated by all Americans.
Did any black man sign the declaration of independence?
No, black people did not sign the Declaration of Independece. Back then, black people still didn't receive their rights yet. They were still used as slaves. Only white men signed the Declaration of Independece.
Civil libel involves suing for damages; criminal libel involves punishment (if the accused is convicted) and not damages. In the U.K. prosecution on charges of criminal libel is now extremely rare.
What influence did John Locke have on the Declaration of Independence?
If the government doesn't protect the rights of the people, the people can rebel against it and choose a different government
What challenges did Thomas Jefferson have when writing the declaration of independence?
Making it appealing, even to those loyal to England and to also make it completely loophole-proof.
Who declared that all people have natural rights to life liberty and property?
Everyone who signed the Declaration of Independence, and those who fought to protect it. As well as many others.
In what room was the Declaration of Independence signed in?
Independence Hall's assembly room. Ben Gates (In national treasure) really controls the emotion of our Liberty when he said, "The last time it was here, it was being signed." You can see the independence hall in PENNSYLVANIA.
What was the position of the loyalists after the Declaration of Independence?
In many places it was dangerous to be a Loyalists- at least publicly. Loyal Patriots sometimes harassed Loyalists, attacking their farms and property and even driving them out of their town. Families were sometimes bitterly divided.
What are natural rights to Enlightnment thinkers?
It was to give life, liberty and property to the human race.
How did Thomas Jefferson travel?
By horse, or horse and buggy. he traveled by a Motorcycle :) ya feel me
When was the decleration of independence made?
The declaration of Independence was made from Thomas Jefferson in a castle at united states of America where the year the 1776 the declaration Independence was made also this was writing for British to cause any actions on them or to prepare for a battle.
Which is an enlightenment idea that Jefferson used in the declaration of independence?
"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."
There is not necessarily a quote that is most used, but there are several sentences that are found important and used widely.
When did Benjamin Franklin sign the declaration of Independence?
"Done in convention by the unanimous consent of the states present the seventeenth day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty seven and of the independence of the United States of America the twelfth."
September 17, 1787
Why is King George 3 referred to as he in The Declaration of Independence?
The Declaration of Independence lays out the charges the colonists are making against England. It goes on to state what the colonists, via the Founders, believed to be our most important natural rights.
