Now, you would think the Declaration of Independence was written by only one
person, but in reality, it was not, it was actually established by a committee. That
committee included twenty-nine people, for example, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin,
Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, and many other influential men.
The Declaration of Independence was also signed by Benjamin Franklin, George Read,
Roger Sherman, Robert Morris, George Clymer, and James Wilson. They all signed the
United States Constitution as well. There were a total of fifty-six delegates who signed
the Declaration of Independence, all up and down the thirteen colonies of the newly free
country.
Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness-MLA
Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness. These three famous words are written by
one of the founding fathers of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson
was the third president of the United States, as well as the author of The Declaration of
Independence. The Declaration of Independence was roughly a twenty-nine-page
document that served the colonists in search of independence from the British
monarchy. This historic lengthy agreement talks about three specific things. It speaks
about the Christian God creating all men equal, the main reasons for the government to
protect rights, and it talks about how people are free to rise up if the government tries to
withhold their liberties. The Declaration of Independence declared a separation from
Great Britain and its king and substantially served as an independent country.
One of the major themes of The Declaration of Independence is that people have
certain sacred rights, and that is where life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
originate from. When Thomas Jefferson was talking about life, he was referring to the
fact that every man has the right to basic life essentials, meaning everyone should have
the right to live without fear for their lives, and they should be safe. When referring to
liberty, Jefferson initiated freedom. This means that everyone has the right to the
freedom of speech, expression, religion, assembly, and personal freedom from slavery.
Now, when Thomas Jefferson talked about the pursuit of happiness, he was referring to
John Locke was an English philosopher. He wrote the book named, “The Two
Treatises of Civil Government”. In this novel, Locke talked about life, liberty, and
property. Life, liberty, and property originated from John Locke, but Thomas Jefferson
changed it to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the Declaration of
Independance. In John Locke’s novel, he argued for just about the same reasons as
Thomas Jefferson. “Being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in
his life, health, liberty, or possessions.” (6.John Locke, Second Treatise of Government)
They both argued for the inalienable rights of the people. Everyone should be able to
have rights and freedom. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson states,
“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.--That to secure these rights, Governments are
instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”(7)
being happy in general. Doing things that make citizens happy, things that bring citizens
joy. It includes things like pursuing their own goals. “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.”(3)
In conclusion, The Declaration of Independence acted as a detachment from
Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson, and fifty-five other delegates, signed this document, on
August 2, 1776. However, in July of 1776, The Declaration of Independence was
created, and the Second Continental Congress adopted it. This document signifies
freedom and allows people to not live in fear. Back in the years 1765 and 1777, a lot of
events led up to the creation of the Declaration of Independence.
Right before the Declaration of Independence was written, a few different events
happened. Between 1765 and 1777, independence was declared. On March 22, 1765,
Great Britain passed the Stamp Act, which was a tax on documents, newspapers, and
other legal things. On March 5, 1770, the British fired a few shots that led to the Boston
Massacre. On April 19, 1775, began the battle of Lexington and Concord, in Middlesex
County, Massachusetts. In July of 1776, the Declaration of Independence was finally
adopted by the Second Continental Congress(4). But, it was not until August 2, 1776,
that the Declaration of Independence was signed. The Declaration of Independence has
a message written on the back that states, “Original Declaration of Independence dated
4th, July 1776.”(5)
Reference:
1.Creative, Metro. "Getting to Know the Declaration of Independence." Daily
Herald, Jun 29, 2022, pp. 12. ProQuest,
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?
url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/getting-know-declaration-
independence/docview/2681832147/se-2.
"Extract from the Declaration of Independence, As Adopted by Congress, 4 July
1776 [Quote] | Jefferson Quotes & Family Letters." Monticello.Org, 4 Jan. 1790,
https://tjrs.monticello.org/letter/1682
2."10 FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE."
States News Service, 4 July 2019. Gale In Context: Biography,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A592216497/BIC?
u=vic_liberty&sid=summon&xid=c9120e48. Accessed 24 Nov. 2023.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
"Timeline of the Revolution." Nps.Gov, 5 Sept. 2022,
www.nps.gov/subjects/americanrevolution/timeline.htm.
"Of The State Of Nature Quotes." Goodreads.Com,(n.d.),
www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/of-the-state-of-nature.
Creative, M. (2023, Jul 05). 9 facts about the Declaration of Independence. Daily
Heraldhttps://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?
url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/9-facts-about-declaration-
independence/docview/2833058702/se-2
"Declaration of Independence: A Transcription | National Archives." Archives.Gov,
11 Oct. 2023, www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-
transcript#:~:text=We
%20hold%20these%20truths%20to,their%20just%20powers%20from%20the.
