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The Men Behind the Declaration of Independence

 


             Thomas Jefferson was one of 5 men that were selected by Congress in June 1776 to draft the Declaration of Independence. Out of the five men that Congress selected to draft the Declaration they selected Jefferson to be the author of the original draft. Jefferson (2013) stated "Over the next 17 days, Jefferson drafted one of the most beautiful and powerful testaments to liberty and equality in the world history" (para. 11). This single document would go on to change the history of the United States forever. One of the most powerful statements being "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". .
             Jefferson would then continue his political life returning to Virginia and serving as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1776 to 1779 (Jefferson, 2013). He was then elected on June 1, 1779 as the second governor for the state of Virginia serving a two-year term. Jefferson would then go one to fill other offices in the government to include Minister to France and Security of State before leaving public service to tend to his family and plantation in Monticello, Virginia in January 1794. It was not until 1797 when Jefferson returned to public service as the nations second Vice President of the United States. He would serve in that office from March 4, 1797 to March 4, 1801. He would then run for office as the President. Jefferson (2013), states that Jefferson would run for office against Aaron Burr. This race would end in a tie with the House of Representatives selecting Jefferson as the third President of the United States. Jefferson would serve two terms as the President leaving office on March 4, 1809 at which time he returned to his plantation in Virginia leaving out the rest of his life and passing on July 4th 1826.


Essays Related to The Men Behind the Declaration of Independence

1. "Declaration of Independence: A Contradiction"

In the Declaration of Independence it stated, "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- But, "all" men did not apply to African Americans specifically slaves. ... This view of slaves as just property is intertwined with the economic factor behind the contradiction of the Declaration of Independence Jefferson and the founding fathers wrote. Another reason for the apparent contradiction in the Declaration of Independence would be Jefferson and the founding fathers vie...

  • Word Count: 995
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. Principles in the Declaration Of Independence

On July 4th 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved and signed by fifty-six men, to whom they agreed to "mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor"; these men represented the thirteen North American colonies that were proclaiming their separation from Great Britain, founding the United States of America. ... This is the opening line of the Declaration of Independence. ... The paragraph above is the preamble which tells us the ideas behind the Declaration, people have certain rights that cannot be ignored. ... The Declaration of Independenc...

  • Word Count: 1859
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3. Self-evident In The Declaration Of Independence

In the "Declaration of Independence," Thomas Jefferson uses the phrase "self-evident" as a necessary modifier for the truths of equality he describes -- that all men are created equal and that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights. ... In the original draft of the "Declaration of Independence," it's obvious that the phrase sacred and undeniable is crossed out and substituted with "self-evident" (2). Much has been said about Jefferson's purpose for including the phrase "self-evident": to justify American independence in the plainest terms, to place a stronger emphasis on t...

  • Word Count: 364
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Declaration Of Independence

The Declaration of Independence was written to set out the reasons why the former colonists declared their independence. The document states that "all men are created equal" and they "have the rights of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." ... Jefferson's idea behind the Declaration of Independence was to declare equality of all men; the natural rights of men, granted to them by God; the principle of limited government; government only by the consent of the governed; and the right to rebel against tyrannical government. ... Some strengths of the Declaration of Independence ar...

  • Word Count: 908
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5. Slavery and the declaration

The Debate over Slavery & the Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence, written in 1776, announced the separation of the United States and Great Britain. ... The ideas behind the document tend to be flexible and can be interpreted in several ways. ... These anti slavery groups, as well as pro slavery groups, used the Declaration of Independence as their evidence for their beliefs. ... The members of the anti-slavery movement felt that the Declaration of Independence conveyed the idea of equality among all men, regardless of race. ... Walker feels that the actions of the Wh...

  • Word Count: 1037
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6. The Importance of The Declaration of Independence

In my opinion The Declaration of Independence is by far the most Important Document of Western civilization during the late eightieth Century. ... I feel that the first important fact that should be looked at is The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson during the late eightieth century in the United States of America. ... The Declaration of Independence has been a nurturing document for over 227 years. ... Now with the war itself behind us there is a new nation emerging from the ruble of war in Iraq. ... The Declaration of Independence is more tha...

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7. The Declaration

Not ago, in the nineteenth century, the words that our forefathers wrote in the Declaration of Independence, "that all men were created equal," held little value. ... It was at this first convention that Stanton delivered the Speech the "Declaration of Sentiments" which addressed the grievances that women had suffered under the "unjust government of men". ... Stanton, while she was not the sole composer of this speech, was the main driving force behind it. Upon first observation of the speech you will notice that she carefully drafted it to closely resemble the 1776 Declarati...

  • Word Count: 3184
  • Approx Pages: 13