Editorial about the Declaration of Independence

April 16, 2012

2^nd draft/Final

Editorial about the Declaration of Independence

By Veronica

On July 4^th, the Declaration of Independence was released to the public and Thomas Jefferson’s name was quickly known from all over the 13 colonies. The Continental Congress had been working on the Declaration for just shy of 1 and half years before finishing the final draft in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence that does not mean, though, that he made the laws and all the rules by himself. He had lots of help from the Continental Congress. We celebrate the Declaration of Independence on July 4^th each year as a holiday representing freedom. Back then, it was a day of freedom, but miles away a war was still raging.

Your question was, “Why is the Declaration of Independence so famous?” In my personal opinion, I think it was one of the many building blocks to the Democratic Government. The Declaration clearly stated that the 13 colonies would unite as states, and as one country. One of the most famous lines in the Declaration is, “ 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.” This famous line means, that unlike King George who said that God picked him to be king, all men in the colonies, whether born from monarchy or not have their say in the government. All men were equal in the colonies and had representation. This created an uproar with the African Americans. They said that they were clearly men and were promised in the Declaration that they would have a say in the government and be equal to white men.

The Declaration has taught many generations to come the beautiful manner of writing a convincing, honest, and moving paper. The Declaration is quoted to this day because of its poetic writing style and critical analysis of the way the king ruled over England. Thomas Jefferson was very brave to include pages of blunt criticism about the king when he knew that the Declaration would reach the king’s hands.

In the early 1900s thousands of immigrants from all over the world sailed to America in hope of freedom, happiness and opportunity. When I think of America this is what I think of. The Declaration set the stage for American values by stating that when the colonies united as one, all men would have a say in the government, and every man would be created equal. There would be Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

I hope this answers your questions on why the Declaration was so important in American history and why it is so famous.