Declaration Of Independence And Its Influences Essay

, Research Paper

The Declaration of Independence: A Summery of European Thought

When one examines the Declaration of Independence, one questions how truly revolutionary this so called premier document of human rights truly is. In a philosophical sense, many of the ideas possessed in the Declaration of Independence were far from original. Beginning in the early 1700’s and gaining momentum all through the 18th century was a period in history commonly referred to as the Age of Enlightenment. The thoughts that characterized this age included new ideas on the construction of the universe that had gained acceptance during the Scientific Revolution. As theorists began questioning such widely accepted truths such as the Ptolemaic view of the Universe, philosophers were encouraged to question human nature. Banalities such as oppression of the lower class, exclusive rights of nobility, authority of the clergy and catholic church, and dictatorships and monarchial type governments were often targets of these revolutionary thinkers. Most notably the thoughts and writings of John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, and Voltaire are remembered for challenging the old regime and ushering in a new age of liberty, religious tolerance, and preservation of the rights of citizens. Interestingly enough, the Declaration of Independence, when viewed in light of the documents of these European thinkers, does not appear revolutionary but rather comes across as a plagiarism of new European ideals (Palmer).

The basis of Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence was borrowed from John Locke, the philospher lawyer of England who pioneered the natural rights of man. Locke believed that humans entered the world a tabula rasa, or blank page. This thought implied that human beings were innately good and orderly upon birth. Viewing humans from Locke’s perspective, the traditional purpose of government could be seen as useless, for it was formerly believed that government was a tool to combat the selfish, evil, corrupt, chaotic nature of man. Pursuing his belief, Locke saw the primary purpose of government to be the protection of the natural rights of man. Locke’s thoughts gained widespread acceptance in the colonies in the years before the revolution. During the period surrounding the writing of the Declaration of Independence, the colonist’s chief complaint of England was directed towards the oppressive nature of British government. Jefferson himself wrote of the English government as “a deliberate, systematic plan of reducing us to slavery” (Brodie, 96). Needless to say, the colonists came to agree “with [Locke] in the natural rights of man to life, liberty, and property” (Brodie, 96). Locke believed that the right to personal property was paramount and that people came together in an organized community to protect this right and gain advantages they could not individually come by. The social contract the people entered into with each other was the basis of the contract of government, under which all political power is a trust for the benefit of the people. The state, Locke believed, should be based on a contract between ruler and subjects, who give him power to protect their property that without the state could be taken away by unprincipled forces. Thomas Jefferson’s adherence to these thoughts is seen in his claim that government should be based on “unalienable rights.” Most of his Declaration of Independence was a list of grievances and indictments of King George III for his failure to keep his contract with his American subjects. American’s believed the King had broken his contract, and therefore the owed loyalty was void.

Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence was representative of a growing since of nationalism within colonial America. Colonists combined their interests and held that absolute rule by a monarchy was against their will. The French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau inspired this social bond amongst the colonists that led Jefferson to issue complaints against the King. Rousseau’s Social Contract published in 1762 qualified government as “an agreement among the people.” According to Rousseau, organized civil society rested upon a collective liberty where the wills of individuals are fused and represented in government. He believed society must be bound by the common interest of the people in a given social group. As loyalty to the King was an aberration from the common interest of enlightened colonists at the time the Declaration of Independence was written, Rousseau would have advocated a separation from the King. Rousseau thought that people should have a “sense of membership, of community and fellowship, of responsible citizenship and intimate participation in public affairs.” Rousseau’s most important contribution to the American colonists was the idea of nationalism. People of the same ethnic, religious, and cultural station in life should come together within a state. In light of this statement Jefferson believed that Colonial America no longer had ties with England but was rather a separate nation and with a new sense of nationality. Jefferson like Rousseau believed that the colonists’ allegiance should be directed towards each other rather than towards England (Palmer).

Colonial assertion of rights and liberty characterized America at the close of the 18th century. The Declaration of Independence followed the 18th century belief that American colonists