The Declaration of Independence gave a proud middle finger to the overstepping British government. The colonists said no more and the “Don’t Tread on Me” style Gadsden flags soon appeared.
The question begs on why anyone still cares about the Declaration of Independence.
Why Should We care About the Declaration of Independence?
Because someone had to care for you to be here.
The name of the document itself is a statement based on liberty and freedom.
The word“independence” garners all sorts of emotions. It literally means free of control from an outside source.
We all have memories of different found freedoms in life that we experienced for the first time.
Do you remember that first freedom you had when you took the family car out for the first time?
You could go anywhere that you wanted without supervision. Oh, the possibilities were endless at 16!
Significance of the Declaration of Independence
As the Declaration states you have the right to “pursue life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness…”
American citizens are entitled to these rights without government inference. The government’s sole job is to protect those rights at whatever costs.
If the government does not protect those rights, then what is the purpose of the government? There wouldn’t be a need to pay half of your paycheck as taxes for some bureaucrat to spend frivolously.
Right of life
Every time that you take a breath, your existence continues.
You- as an individual- were born here on Earth for a purpose. Only you know what that purpose is or will become.
The goal is to strive for the betterment of humanity. Do something with your life by making someone’s day better.
We all have heard the saying “Pay It Forward”. That could mean pay for the person’s food behind you in the drive-thru.
Right of Liberty
Liberty! The name of the Declaration of Independence already tells what you that is.
Make your own choices in life. You have the liberty to do that.
Input from others is another way to gather information about potential decisions. However, as a strong individual, confidence in your critical thinking skills is your ultimate liberty.
Right to Pursue Happiness
What gives you goosebumps in the morning?
- Is it drinking a cup of coffee on the back porch listening to the morning sounds of nature?
- Is it tinkering on some invention in the garage?
- Is it eating a chocolate cake that you just made?
- Is it enjoying time with family and loved ones on holidays?
These are all questions to ponder on what your” pursuit of happiness” is.
Struggle for Independence
With any great nation or cause, there is a fight to transform those ideas and thoughts into action.
The Declaration was no different. It was a struggle to even have the document written. Founders knew what nations could achieve with independence.
The actions by the founders created one of the most generous countries in the world with the USA ranking in the top 10 most charitable countries, according to the Charities Aid Foundation.
Sadly, our rank is falling along with our independence. America is losing its empathy. We need to restore ourselves to the top of that list with a liberty mindset of small government influence that the Declaration instilled.
This is what the founders intended.
What’s the story behind this ancient document?
Brief History
The Declaration of Independence had to be written. The road to freedom was to fight for it. The time had come to stop teasing Britain about independence but DECLARE IT LOUDLY TO THE WORLD.
Without a formal document stating independence, foreign alliances would not respect the USA.
Britain was no longer the USA’s parent. They had to get the big black boot mark on their way out the door.
The Brevity of the Situation
Times were desperate! The colonists had enough of the constant threats and harassment.
Britain had already turned their tyrannical guns on the colonists.
LEARN MORE about what King George did to the colonists to warrant independence.
We have all heard of Lexington and Concord. The British knew where the colonists kept the gunpowder; they wanted it.
As a result, blood was spilled, and the shooting had started before the Declaration had been drafted.
That’s another reason for the 2nd amendment. Weapons scattered amongst the general populous are harder to capture than all the weapons stored at a central location.
Olive Branch Petition
This petition signified a gesture of goodwill to the British Crown for violence at Lexington and Concord and other mini-revolts.
Some members of Congress, such as John Dickinson (a representative from Pennsylvania), wanted to bow down to the British Crown and apologize for all the wrongs that “American subjects” had done.
Was this a sincere apology to Britain?
For some colonists who still had hopes of peace, this was their last chance at avoiding war.
The response from his majesty was not forgiving. People who supported the American cause for independence were considered treasonous.
Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and other writers knew the consequences of continuing their quest for freedom by showing a formal Declaration of Independence.
The British armies had formidable armies. They had decades of prior experience with their world domination. The British even had funds to hire some 30,000 mercenaries in the lead-up to and during the war.
Secretive Meetings
Dim lights, smokey rooms, and an ore of mystery are another working part on how the Declaration came to exist.
There is an organization that inevitably pops up when circumstances become so dire in any desperate situation. The Sons of Liberty became that organization during the American Revolution.
Some saw the Sons of Liberty as bullies to a cause that didn’t seem righteous to local crowds. Yet, American culture has popularized this organization by having a famous beer named after one of the leading Sons of Liberty- Samuel Adams.
Samuel and John Adams were cousins that met with members of the Second Continental Congress in secret taverns. They negotiated with state representatives swaying their vote for freedom from the British Crown.
The details of these meetings are hazy, but they did exist with the final outcome being the Declaration of Independence.
Other Patriots
Thomas Paine
Don’t forget one of the most outspoken voices for independence.
Thomas Paine- a former British subject turned American Patriot- wrote a sensational work called Common Sense. This work convinced American citizens not to accept the status quo of British influence any longer.
This is equivalent to someone going to the top of a skyscraper with a megaphone warning you of the impending doom of what will happen if you do not act NOW.
Common Sense came out in January 1776 a few months before the Declaration. This had a substantial impact on the American psyche for independence
The answer was no more British rule.
How could we look to a document for freedom when the writers and supporters for independence owned slaves?
We can all agree that slavery is the exact opposite of liberty and freedom. Having chains around your ankles and hands is an abomination to those ideals.
It is easy to look at history and judge the founding fathers with hate for having the gall to want freedom for themselves- but not for their slaves.
What will history say of you and your actions in the years to come?
The good news is that the Declaration of Independence helped to start the conversation for the independence of not only America but enslaved people in the Western world. We shouldn’t attribute slavery to just the USA because it has existed since the ancient world.
Conversation and discussion are key to starting any revolutionary change about troubling subjects.
King George’s Response to Slaves in America
John Lind wrote Great Britain’s response to the Declaration.
His synopsis was that Americans could not be virtuous with slavery active in America.
What most people forget is that slavery was brought to the USA under British influence. Slavery was not abolished in the British Empire until 1833 under the Slavery Abolition Act.
King George III was not a virtuous individual. He wanted to tame those colonial savages. He saw the colonists as slaves to the British empire when the reason they left was for freedom.
Founders’ Actions on Slavery
Mass freedom and conversation has been achieved from the Declaration of Independence.
George Washington freed his slaves upon his death. There is an argument that not all his slaves were freed at his death because of estate issues.
Thomas Jefferson wrote a passage that criticized slavery as a means of almost certain death on the slave’s transportation across the Atlantic. That passage was removed by editors of the Declaration for unknown reasons. Speculation points toward Southern influence.
Who would sign the Declaration of Independence?
56 patriots, traitors, or idiots would sign the Declaration of Independence. There were representatives from all the 13 treasonous colonies.
American Patriots and liberty supporters considered the signers virtuous. The British perspective considered the signers traitors and idiots.
What fool would give up their life, comfort, and security to sign such a document?
JOHN HANCOCK would sign it no problem. When you need to make a bold statement signing a document, most people will say “Please give me your JOHN HANCOCK!”. This refers to John Hancock being the first and most prominent signature on the Declaration.
Pros of Signing:
- Declared Independence to all other nations
- Independent power to negotiate and broker deals
- Sense of pride and unity in declaring liberty
- Seen as natural leaders
- Most signers believed this document would leave a legacy for children, grandchild, and many, many future generations
Cons of Signing:
- Certain death by hanging for treason
- More physical harm
- Chains of British tyranny with no freedom
Conclusion
The Declaration of Independence is a sacred piece of American history that we all are indebted to. Without this fantastic document, our liberty, rights, and freedoms would not be a gleaming example of what real liberty can accomplish over 200 years.
Many of our founders fought with diligence in the face of great opposition. They fought sacrificing their honor, their dignity, and their lives for liberty.
I would love to go back in history to see the faces of British aristocrats at a high society tea party when they discovered that the Americans had given them the middle finger by signing the Declaration of Independence.
