Running head: COMPARISON
PAPER
1
Comparison Paper
Michael McNatt
GOVT 200-D11
LUO
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
COMPARISON PAPER 2
Comparison Paper
The Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and Thomas Jefferson’s letter to
the Danbury Baptists all contributed to the founding and was a basis for what America is today.
Each of these documents has similar ideologies yet differ in some ways. The Declaration of
Independence emphasizes the purpose of separation from other nations and a human’s
unalienable rights while the U.S. Constitution serves the principles of the Declaration of
Independence and shows how the country will politically organize itself (Rakove, 2009).
The Declaration of Independence was the first written document among the U.S. Constitution
and Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptists. In June of 1776, the Declaration of Independence
was drafted by Thomas Jefferson and later adopted by congress on July 4, 1776. The Declaration
of Independence can be divided into two sections. The first part proposes logical justification for
separation, and the second part presents a list of grievances against the King and Parliament
(McClellan, 2000). At the beginning of the Declaration, it explains the unalienable rights in
which every human is entitled to. It states that these rights are “endowed by their Creator,” and if
any government becomes destructive, violating these natural rights, it is up to the people to
“alter” or “abolish.” The Declaration of Independence laid the foundation for the U.S.
Constitution. It presented the people’s thoughts on a new and just world and sought to organize
it through the U.S. Constitution.
The U.S. Constitution was the second of these historical documents to be drafted. The
Constitution was written on September 17, 1787, almost 11 years after the Declaration of
Independence. The Constitution was created as a plan for how the United States of America will
organize its new government. This document established plans to improve and set limitations on
the government while respecting fundamental human rights. For example, the Constitution set
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limitations on the amount of time served by a senator for six years. Another example regarding
improvements is that the Constitution was to establish post offices and many other vital
aspects for the development of America.
The importance of the Declaration of Independence being drafted first was that it asserted
the people’s right to decide on their government and to recognize that every person has
infrangible human rights. With the Constitution being second, this was how the people would
govern themselves and guarantee the needs of the people were met. In other words, as Chief
Justice Warren Burger once said, “the Declaration of Independence was the promise; the
Constitution was the fulfillment” (Bodenhamer, 2007). The Declaration of Independence and the
U.S. Constitution were created in order to work with one another. Meaning that the Declaration
is the assertion of independence, and the Constitution serves the principles of the Declaration.
Among these two incredible and historical documents, Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury
Baptists also played an important role. In 1802, Jefferson wrote this letter in reply to the
Danbury Baptists due to their concern for their religious rights and freedoms. Jefferson explained
in his letter that the Constitution aimed to prevent the government from limiting the people to
one single religion. He explained further that there should be a “wall of separation between
Church and State,” meaning that the people have the legal right to exercise their faith without
government interference. However, Jefferson’s words are often misconstrued. Jefferson’s words
were not with the intent to eliminate religion from the government. The “wall of separation”
meant that the government could not force people to one specific religion.
The Declaration of Independence was written with the concept of a biblical worldview.
“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
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Happiness,” (Declaration of Independence, US 1776). The founding fathers understood that
humanity had a creator and unalienable rights they are entitled to. As stated earlier, the meaning
of “separation of Church and State” is that the government could make no laws to establish one
single religion or prohibit a religion. Separation of Church and State had no intention of
excluding God from the government. The singers of the Declaration and the Constitution intent
behind “separation of church and state” was to guarantee that no form of government could
officially recognize a sole religion, further protecting the people’s freedom of religion.
All three of these historical documents have significant roles in the government and to all
American lives. They are the foundation for what America was built on and the basis of how
important basic human rights are. Without the Declaration of Independence, there would be no
Constitution, and Jefferson’s letter would never have existed. Ultimately, God does exist in all
aspects of the government. As stated in Romans 13, “For there is no authority that which God
has established, the authorities that exist have been established by God” (Romans 13:1, New
International Version).
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References
Rakove, J. N. (2009). The Declaration of Independence. The Annotated U.S. Constitution and
Declaration of Independence, 73–102. doi: 10.2307/j.ctvjk2xzn.5
McClellan, J. (2000). Liberty, order, and justice: an introduction to the constitutional principles
of American government. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund.
Bodenhamer, D. J. (2007). Our rights. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
