![]() ![]() Virginians and other southerners feared that it would provoke widespread slave revolts. This was particularly true for Virginia slave owners, who were deeply disturbed by a proclamation issued in November 1775 by Virginia Governor Lord Dunmore, which promised enslaved people held by revolutionaries freedom in exchange for joining the British army. The first, the king’s incitement of “domestic insurrections,” refers to slave revolts and reveals a hard truth recently brought to the public’s attention by The New York Times Magazine’s 1619 Project: Some of those who sought independence aimed to protect the institution of slavery. The last of a list of 27 grievances against King George III, they read as follows: “He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions.” These words call attention to hard truths about America’s founding that have often been brushed aside.Īdam Serwer: White nationalism’s deep American roots The closing words of the Declaration are far less known. On July 19, the Second Continental Congress ordered that an official copy of the document be made.“We hold these truths to be self evident.” Say these words, and many Americans will be able to recite what follows: “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.” The opening words of the Declaration of Independence-and easily its most remembered part-are widely celebrated as signifying the beginning of an exceptional American history, one characterized, despite setbacks, by a progressive expansion of rights. This version was sent to the Second Continental Congress on July 2, and after two days of debate and revisions, the final draft of the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. When Jefferson had finished his draft, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Jefferson met to make changes. The Declaration of Independence was first written by Thomas Jefferson. One of the most famous phrases in the Declaration is the second sentence: “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 those are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Writing and signing the Declaration of Independence took courage, since the signers would be acting against authority and could be accused of treason, but the drafting of the document was an important step in the founding of our Government. ![]() The last part is the list of grievances or complaints against King George III. As you read the Declaration of Independence, see how the first part gives notice of the break with England and the reasons for the break. The second portion of the document describes how King George III had disregarded those natural rights to establish a tyranny over the colonies, and sets up a justification for American independence. The opening paragraphs of the document outline the natural rights afforded to all people, calling them self-evident truths, and using them to form the basis of a governmental system. The fundamental American ideal of government is based on the theory of natural rights. The Declaration is a combination of general principles and an abstract theory of government.
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