Discussion Post:

When you finish posting, respond affirmatively and respectfully to Deanna’s post in 2-3 sentences. You might choose to comment on their selection of the perfect word to describe the tone of the Declaration or on how another student's post helped your own understanding of the text. Your comment should affirm or agree with someone else's ideas.

Deanna Gutierrez I feel that hearing the Declaration of Independence is more impactful than reading it because of the passion behind the voices of those who were speaking. The document emphasizes the function of the American government and the rights of society that reflects the ideology of utilitarianism, the social contract theory, natural rights and republicanism. For example, the idea of the government giving its people the right and responsibility to overthrow or change government, should it become destructive, connects to the concept of utilitarianism and the social contract theory. I interpret it as balance being restored to the citizens for the greater good of society and it is the obligation of citizens to ensure and maintain this balance. I recognized keywords like “laws of nature”, “nature’s God”, “creator”, “unalienable Rights” that convey the idea of natural rights. Other keywords related to natural rights are “life”, “liberty” and “pursuit of happiness.” As for republicanism, I found keywords such as “our fortunes”, “our lives”, and “our sacred honor”, which also link to natural rights like life, liberty and property. The keyword “our” in general portrays republicanism because it symbolized the independence or separation from being a joined colony. Upon reading the Declaration of Independence and watching the clips of John Adams, I came to the conclusion that the document also embraced no longer being associated under British rule and the repetition of the phrase “he has…” implies the injustices of the king while being under the control of Britain in which American society was being oppressed. Through this, the founding fathers marked a new beginning for American society.