The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson

The contribution of Thomas Jefferson towards the Declaration of Independence in 1776 became an essential historical event. Even though Jefferson had the desire to return to Virginia to take part in the drafting of state's constitution, the continental Congress insisted on his support, he was appointed to the five-person committee to assist in drafting The Declaration of Independence. In the document, Jefferson tried to justify the colonist's to put up a rebellion against the British government. From the document, the formation of the new government that is free from oppression rule was the main idea that Jefferson was trying to express to the American society. From the document, Jefferson believed that equality is essential in the human existence; in addition, he believed that all men are born equal and they have the inalienable rights to liberty, the pursuit of happiness and life. The Declaration of Independence was a draft formulated to remind the moderates that all human beings are entitled to free life and that colonialism was an idea to deny common people their freedom that they ought to enjoy. The main idea for writing The Declaration of Independence was to call for support from moderates in different colonists. In attempts to win the support of the moderates, making people aware of the problems they face and the people behind their problems was essential. The document was meant to radicalize the common people in readiness for war. Thomas Jefferson managed to convince the moderates that peaceful reconciliation with the British government was impossibility and they had to vote in favor of American independence.

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In his writing, Thomas Jefferson tries to set people against the British government, he elaborates that the government was unable to protect the rights that people should enjoy. The main reason for writing the document was to prepare the American people towards independence. Thomas stated that it is the responsibility of the government to take care of the people and at the same time, it is the duty of the people to remove the government that cannot protect the rights of people from power. The Declaration of Independence was meant to motivate people towards forming the government capable of protecting people's rights. In many cases, governments are hardly overthrown, and Thomas Jefferson states that they should not be overthrown for inconsequential reasons. Jefferson in his document reminds people of the long history of abuses from the British government and he cites it as the main reason why people should fight for the establishment of new government. The new government, in this case, meant establishment of an independent state governed by people elected by the moderates, a government that would, later on, be described by Abraham Lincoln as "The Government of the People, By the People and for The People."

Thomas Jefferson, in the document the Declaration of Independence, outlines that the King of Great Britain was guilty of twenty-seven major cases of abuse. Establishing the link between the moderates and the people with main agendas towards independence meant creating dissatisfaction between the commoners and the British government. The above case was the main reason for drafting the Declaration of Independence. King George III interfered with people's rights to self-governance as well as the effective judicial systems (Jefferson 31). The King also colluded with the Parliament to establish legislation without the consent of the moderates or people. The British government levied high taxes on the America colonists and thus there was a need to institute a new government that would protect the economic and social rights of the American settlers.

Thomas Jefferson devoted some of the drafts towards examining the forms of abuses imposed by King George III in his first draft of the Declaration of Independence (Armitage 157). He relates the king's abuses towards slavery and other forms of oppressive rule that the British government imposed on common people. Jefferson forced the king to account the oppressive actions attributed to his administration towards slaves. He also held King George III liable for protecting and maintaining slavery as the institutions in the colonial times. As a result, the moderate congress decided to remove all the reference to slavery in the official documents as they feared to become too radical. The Declaration of Independence aimed at evoking support from the moderates that were operating under the colonies by informing people that the civilization brought by the British government was a cruel system meant to benefits the kings and tyrants of British origin (Armitage 158). The motive behind Thomas Jefferson's work was to facilitate the American independence by inciting the colonists under the British government. The document concentrates on the weaknesses and the violent actions of the British government that earlier occupied America.

Question

Thomas Jefferson, in his work, the Declaration of Independence seemed to advocate for new democracy, what is your feeling towards his choice of language? Was his language appropriate especially as one of the leaders of the nation that was on the verge of becoming independent?

Works Cited

Armitage, David. The Declaration of Independence: A Global History. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 2007. Internet resource.

Jefferson, Thomas. The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: 1760-1775. No. 429. GP Putnam's Sons, 1892.