Argument Essay Of The Declaration Of Independenc

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Analysis of Declaration of Independence The author, Thomas Jefferson claims that the British colonies in America should be independent. The article opens by explaining why they have this formal declaration, overthrowing government and their wanting an independent nation. According to Jefferson, “All men are created equal” and “they are endowed with certain unalienable rights that governments should never violate. These rights include the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. These are the reasons that government is instituted. When a government fails to protect those rights, people also have the right to overthrow that government. Jefferson lists twenty-seven abuses from the King of Great Britain. All the abuses state that the king has interfered with the colonists’ rights. The colonial governments tried to reach a peaceful reconciliation of these differences with Great Britain, but were continually ignored. The King neglected the colonists’ appeal and dictates laws without their consent. After many peaceful attempts, the colonists had no choice but to declare independence from Great Britain. In this Declaration, the argument is very clear and convincing. To make his case for independence effectively, Jefferson begins by using moral reasoning and deductive logic, then shifts to inductive logic to lead up to the conclusion. As a moralist, Jefferson’s basic principles are: human beings are born equal; Creator gives them certain rights, such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As a logician, Jefferson’s premises are: government are built up to protect these rights; when government fails to do so, the people have the right to change it. From these principles and premises, Jefferson judges what are good or bad behaviors of government. In the first two paragraph, Jefferson says that the British government has usurped the rights of the

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