8.1.2

Analyze the philosophy of government expressed in the Declaration of Independence, with an emphasis on government as a means of securing individual rights (e.g., key phrases such as "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights").
             Securing the individual and unalienable rights of the citizens of the United States of America,” as cited in the second and third sentences of the Preamble, was an idea that was closely linked to the philosophy and purpose of the infamous document, the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence was the document written by American colonists, stating their need for independence from their rulers, the British, primarily because of the lack of representation in the government. The philosophy of the government that the American citizens desired relied on the belief that they  “are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights.” In simpler terms, some rights were purely natural to man, such as birthrights. Furthermore, the document states “ to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men.” This, the basic philosophy of the Declaration of Independence, means that the only reason for governments to be created is to protect mankind. The colonists were already quite familiar with the idea of government as a means of protecting their unalienable rights, as first introduced by John Locke and various colonial philosophers.
             As written in the viewpoint of the authors, the Declaration of Independence “secured life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” These words mean more than their simple dictionary definitions - each holds depth and diversity, in addition to several different interpretations and meanings.
             Life, according to Professor Jack N. Rakove of Stanford University, could be defined as the right to defend against unjust government. Rakove expresses his opinion of liberty as the right to worship freely and create a from of government that protects one’s liberty. To strive for your own happiness and also for the happiness of others is probabl the most common interpretation of the last phrase, the pursuit of happiness. The pursuit of happiness did not only apply  to happiness, but to the right to own property and protect it, according to Rakove. Such self-evident truths assisted the Declaration to be accepted by the skeptical colonists.
             Despite the inspirational words written by the authors of the Declaration of Independence, particularly the infamous quote, “all men are created equal, the principle of equality still did not apply to real life. Slavery was nonetheless highly tolerated and the stereotypical duties and rights of women drastically differed from that of men. Nevertheless, people who were different races and sexes had to suffer unfair treatment. Unfortunately, many American people did not realize this truth.


More Information:

   1.    http://www.aolsvc.worldbook.aol.com/ar?/na/ar/co/ar151520.htm
          This site gives several interpretations of the unalienable rights stated in the Declaration of Independence. It also states a professor’s viewpoint of the basic philosophy of the Declaration and various links on the Declaration. This is a great site because the whole Declaration is explained piece by piece by Professor Jack N. Rakove of Stanford University.

   2.    http://www.archives.gov/exhibit_hall/charters_of_freedom/declaration/decl
          This site has information on the Declaration of Independence. It also tells about the philosophy of the Declaration of Independence in relation to the intentions of the authors of the document.