The U.S. Declaration of Independence, adopted July 4, 1776, was the first formal statement by a nation's people asser Drafted by Thomas Jefferson and approved by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was influenced by 17th century Enlightenment philosopher John Locke’s ideas on natural law, social contract, and right to revolution, and in particular, by Locke’s Second Treatise of Government (1689). In the federalist #40 and #43 james madison cites the Declaration's right of revolution to explain and to support the revolutionary proposals of the constitutional convention. The idea of the right to revolt was famously articulated in the Declaration of Independence, which declared that “whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends [life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness], it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government.” The Declaration of Independence devotes more space to the right of revolution than to any other single concept. The people create the government, but in so doing they do not forfeit their right to vindicate their own rights, even against the very government they created. July 4, 1776: The day the American dream of independence was born and how it changed history The American Revolution was a turning point in modern history. It was one of the first successful In political philosophy, the right of revolution or right of rebellion is the right or duty of a people to "alter or abolish" a government that acts against their common interests or threatens the safety of the people without justifiable cause. Stated throughout history in one form or another, the belief in this right has been used to justify various revolutions, including the American The introductory sentence states the Declaration’s main purpose, to explain the colonists’ right to revolution. In other words, “to declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” Congress had to prove the legitimacy of its cause. It had just defied the most powerful nation on Earth. The Declaration of Inde pendence proclaimed both the right of revolution for all peoples and the independence of one particular people. Their independence led to the formation of a republic owing its birth to that universal right. But instead of defending both the principle and its application, Americans today are falling back on the defensive. Declaration of Independence APUSH Definition and Significance The definition of the Declaration of Independence for APUSH is a foundational document adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. Drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson, it announced the independence of the 13 Original Colonies from British rule. The Declaration of Independence is the foundational document of the United States of America. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, it explains why the Thirteen Colonies decided to separate from Great 13a. The Declaration of Independence and Its Legacy "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that They also recognized a number of civil rights, all of which bolstered the protection of the natural rights to life, liberty, and property. Advocates of the right of revolution emphasized that governments could not be dissolved, as Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence, “for light and transient causes.” The Declaration of Independence devotes more space to the right of revolution than to any other single concept. The people create the government, but in so doing they do not forfeit their right to vindicate their own rights, even against the very government they created. Declaration of Independence: A Transcription Note: The following text is a transcription of the Stone Engraving of the parchment Declaration of Independence (the document on display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum.) D.give Americans the right to fish in Atlantic waters off of Canada. E.require the restoration of Loyalist property seized by local and state governments., Most of the text of the Declaration of Independence: A.was originally drafted by Benjamin Franklin and then brilliantly edited by Thomas Jefferson. According to the American Declaration of Independence, people enter into political society for the sake of protecting their inalienable rights, which are otherwise insecure. The question then arises: what can the people do if the government betrays its trust, and violates their rights? The Declaration justified the independence of the colonies, citing 27 colonial grievances against King George III and asserting certain natural and legal rights, including a right of revolution. The Declaration was unanimously ratified on July 4 by the Second Continental Congress, whose delegates represented each of the Thirteen Colonies. An important right asserted by early American colonists during the American founding era and acknowledged in the U. S. Declaration of Independence of 1776 was the people’s right to revolution, the right to resist tyranny and unjust oppression. Nearly every printed or manuscript edition of the Declaration of Independence has slight differences in punctuation, capitalization, and even wording. To find out more about the diverse textual tradition of the Declaration, check out our Which Version is This, and Why Does it Matter? resource.
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