Transcript
Some people believe that the Declaration of Independence has no relevance to modern America. They say, rightly, that it was written in a time that was very different than the modern era. Yet, the principles enshrined in it set the standard for American values.
Today, many talk about American values. Yet, few struggle to agree on what they are in a fast-paced society undergoing a lot of change. The Declaration of Independence is the one document that holds American values that have shaped the country for centuries.
So, what is in the document that separates it from every other one since the Continental Congress agreed upon it on July 3, 1776, and we celebrate it on July 4 of every year?
From the 1760s through the 1770s, the monarch and parliament were at odds with their 13 colonies in North America. The empire spent considerable money protecting the colonists during the Seven Years’ War, also known as the French and Indian War. As the coffers emptied, King George III had few places to recoup his dwindling funds as a result of fighting off the French in the western part of the colonies. So, parliament enacted several tax measures to eliminate their debt. They felt it was only fair to tax the North Americans for the protection given them.
The legislation and levies included:
- In 1764, parliament passed the Currency Act, which prohibited the colonies from printing their own money and ultimately devaluing their assets.
- Following the Currency Act, lawmakers passed the Sugar and Molasses Act. It required colonists to pay taxes on the import of foreign molasses through the West India Companies. Yet, the tax collection was so corrupt people evaded paying the tax. Not long after, parliament refined the tax and called it the Sugar Act. It added new products to the list of taxable items, including sugar, certain wines, coffee, lumber, iron, and more. The tax heavily disrupted the colonial economy, setting the stage for the Stamp Act rebellion.
- The Stamp Act required citizens to pay the government for legal documents and paper goods. Soon after, parliament did away with it instead of fighting the colonists.
- In 1767, the Townshend Acts were enacted. It granted the East India Company a monopoly on the tax-free import of tea. It had the effect of forcing colonial tea traders into a non-competitive position, and colonists responded by boycotts.
- In 1774, parliament passed The Intolerable Acts act as the people rebelled. Lawmakers in London demanded colonists pay back the West India Company for the destruction of their goods. When Massachusetts rebelled, the government tried to put Massachusetts under direct British control and made General Thomas Gage the governor of the colony.
As the colonists moved farther apart from the government, the chief argument by colonial leaders was that British law called for taxation with representation. Yet, the colonists weren’t afforded that privilege under the law. As they rebelled, the government sent in thousands of soldiers to Boston, invaded the countryside as if citizens were enemies, and forced the colonists to provide housing and food for British soldiers – it was known as quartering.
As the Continental Congress tried to persuade King George III of its position, he ultimately rejected his subjects as traitors. In turn, the Continental Congress was forced to declare separation and the start of a new country.
There are two parts to the Declaration of Independence. One is it was a legal declaration of separation from England. It lays out in detail it’s reasoning. Primary among them was the abuse of government at the hands of King George III. The second part is highly practical.
The Declaration’s most famous sentence reads: “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.
Let’s talk briefly about this statement, as it has been a source of controversy since it was written. In 1776, the colonies were a paternalistic society governed by a monarch. There were issues embedded deep in the culture that many of the founders wanted to change but weren’t able to for numerous reasons beyond the scope of this study. If you really want a grasp of it, I encourage you to read “The Radicalism of the American Revolution” by historian Gorden Wood.
While the Declaration of Independence espoused equality, history has shown America has failed to live up to it. In 1776, Abigail Adams wrote her husband, John Adams, to say he should not forget about the women and that Congress should be more favorable to them.
Many of the Continental Congress owned slaves, including the chief writer of the Declaration — Thomas Jefferson. In his original writing of the Declaration of Independence, Congress took out his statements condemning King George III for allowing the slave trade to flourish.
Still, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” and the “consent of the governed” is the whole and entire purpose of government according to the Declaration of Independence. If the consent is betrayed by politicians, it said it’s the “right of the people to alter or abolish” the government for a new one that wouldn’t.
This was a radical rejection of monarchy with the goal of replacing it with a republican government. The document paved the way for the US Constitution and ultimately provided a framework for working on equality.
Next in our series. We are going to take a look at the US Constitution, its ratification in 1787, and the implications of the Bill of Rights.