On the Declaration of Independence

On the Declaration of Independence

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.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

(U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 2023)

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,"(U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 2023)

(U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 2023)

Thomas Jefferson is most remembered as the third president of the United States of America and as the main author of the Declaration of Independence. (Whitehouse, n.d.). While his work is widely regarded as being one of poetic beauty, due to his skills in rhythm and cadence (Lucas, 1990), his personal ideals undercut the positive impact his claims within the Declaration can have. Thomas Jefferson held racist beliefs in regard to Black people. In his Notes on the State of Virginia, in a scientific manner he attempts to give reason to his ideas by classifying the actions of the people he enslaved as inferior to actions of White people. (Jefferson, 1787). Additionally, he believed that if freed, formerly enslaved Black people shouldn’t have the right to reside within American society and should rather be removed and allowed to colonize elsewhere. (Magnis, 1999) With these ideas of his in mind, the integrity of the opening statement of the preamble can be questioned. Jefferson did not believe that all men were created equal which shows that the intention of this document was not to promote the equality of all, instead only White men within American society.

“That they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

According to this quote from Gary Nash’s Sparks from the Altar of ‘76, Americans believed that the idea of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 2023) as rights for all should not be disseminated amongst enslaved populations with the intent to maintain the racial hierarchy within society. This can also be tied to a following line in the preamble, “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government” (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 2023) as it shows how the White men behind the Declaration of Independence believed they should be able to ignite a Revolution against Great Britian, but the enslaved populations within their country should not be able to rebel against the American government.

(U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 2023)

"One reason why the American Revolution did not reverberate much beyond the parts of Europe where Palmer’s work provided rich detail, is that the Americans themselves did not wish to export their revolution insofar as it spoke of universal and unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, particularly to slave-holding regimes, where it was feared that the spark of rebellion might return to enflame the fast-growing slave society in the American South." (Nash, 2010).

"And the pursuit of Happiness"

(U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 2023)

An example of the effect of the oppression perpetuated by the Declaration of Independence can be seen in the prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder in African American Communities. Within the United States, the difference between African Americans and Caucasians lies in the fact that the chronicity of disease was higher for African Americans (56%) than it was for Caucasian patients (38.6%). This is a result of many factors such as racial discrimination, lack of adequate care for those diagnosed, lack of accurate diagnoses and more (Bailey, Mokonogho & Kumar, 2019).

“We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal,”

(U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 2023)

The Declaration of Independence has been thought of as “perhaps the most masterfully written state paper of Western civilization” (Lucas, 1990). The preamble begins with this claim, which further prepares the reader for the following arguments presented. At face value, this sentiment exemplifies eighteenth-century enlightenment ideals as evidence for the necessity of the American Revolution (Lucas, 1989). However, when critically analyzing this document and its effects, a question presents itself. How does the preamble of the Declaration of Independence disillusion enslaved populations in the United States of America?

“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

(U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 2023)

James Madison, a Founding Father and a Federalist contradicted the “republican principle that political legitimacy (or right) and also armed force (or might) should reside with the people” (Jóhannesson, 2017) with intention to give the federal government the power to raise militias to quell revolts, of which slave revolts were included. This was based out of fear that he, among others, felt towards the possibility of slave rebellions. Fear of these rebellions was widespread amongst those in power, specifically plantation owners, to the extent that they would hide and have packed bags ready to flee at any moment. (Wish, 1937) This fear caused those in power, including James Madison, to find ways to remove the “right of the People to alter or abolish it” (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 2023) from the enslaved “by driving a wedge between right and might…Madison carved out a sphere for legitimate federal action.” (Jóhannesson, 2017).

This document, which from the very beginning was not designed to represent the rights of the enslaved, in contrast with its sentiments has left lasting effects that are still to be rectified in America. Since it was published in 1776, the Declaration of Independence has received backlash and critiques from abolitionists and scholars, most notably Black abolitionists and scholars. “Black condemnation of the Declaration centered basically in its failure of implementation” (Quarles, 1976-07). With continued, well-educated efforts to counteract systemic racism within the United States, it is possible the Declaration of Independence can hold up to its claims for all Americans.