My response in writing the essay is to have a critical analysis on a famous work. I intend to look at the work and understand the deeper meaning. After internal synthesis, I can come up with a comprehensive analysis which can be used by others. I intend to give a deeper understanding to the work.
I had an insight into the plight of the American people at the time. In a broader context, I came to understand what can propel people to do what they do at given times. I sought to know the motivations behind people’s actions. This was exactly what I got.
The main challenge was in understanding the document. Given that this was a classical reading, there are many versions about it. Again, many people have tried to analyze it. Joining this group and trying to unravel the meaning behind the document was quite tasking. I felt pressured to produce something more concrete.
I enjoyed the freedom to express what I thought about this classical reading. Again, I really appreciated the fact that on completing the assignment, I would have learnt something about the famous of the old. Above all, my analytical skills would be put to the test and I could range myself.
I chose Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of the thirteen American States. The main reason as to why I chose it was that I felt it was easier to understand and analyze effectively. I am also quite interested in major historic events. This would help me understand one.
When the issue of independence is mentioned, the idea that comes to the minds of many is the idea of self governance without the rule or coercion of another authority. In other words, independence is taken as the sense of being free from the coercion from others. In this case, the essay looks at the declaration of the 13 states of the US and what precipitated to this. The essay will seek to prove that there is a sense of the need for freedom in every human being, and in case this freedom is curtailed, the people will always seek means of restoring it. Any means can be used to get this freedom, and in case where all diplomatic means fail, violent means can be used to get the freedom. These aspects are explained in the essay below.
In the declaration, Jefferson (1) starts off by describing what freedom is, and the belief that all people are born with these rights. To prove this, evidence is drawn from the history of mankind, right from creation. From this perspective, it is made clear that all human beings are equal and they should enjoy equal privileges. Furthermore, there is the documentation of the specific freedoms that the people wanted to have, such as the freedom to life, liberty and happiness.
Given that the people had not gone to any school of thought to realize these issues, it is clearly evident that there is that understanding within the human beings that they are born free, and should be let to be so. Any attempt to control or curtail these freedoms is looked at with much contempt.
With an understanding of their rights, people always have a way of noticing when these rights are trampled upon. In this case, Jefferson (6) documents the various ways in which the King of the Great Britain had failed to acknowledge the rights and freedoms of the American people. For instance, it is indicated that the king had refused to put in place regulations that were of good to the public. Rather, the rules that were in place were very discriminative, annihilating the rights of the people. This was taken as a sense of abuse to the Americans and they took it quite bitterly. It also indicated that the king had refused of the representative to pass laws that addressed pressing issues and when they did, he refused to attend to them. These were just some of the issues that the people had with the regime. From the nature of the complaints, it can be picked that people do understand when their rights are being abused. This is why the American people cried foul.
As in the human nature, there is always that tendency to seek an amicable solution to every issue. That is, the use of dialogue. This was also observed in this case as seen in Jefferson (18). He observes that on countless occasions, the Americans warned the British of the abuse of human rights that was taking place in their land. However, it is as if their complaints and concerns fell on deaf ears. The British administration was in no way inclined to listen to the people and attend to their concerns. This section serves to indicate how the people always seek out amicable and acceptable solutions to their problems, and if these fail, they always seek out other assertive means. As it is commonly said, there are many ways of killing a rat, just choosing the one that works.
When the Americans were not heeded to, they sought out a more vigorous and assertive move; the declaration of the 13 States of United States. The letter written was a very strong one as it clearly stated the terms of the Americans. Since the Britons had refused to heed their cries, then the Americans decided that it was time to go their own way, to be independent. They even employed aggressive means to show that they could fight if the need arose. As noted by Jefferson, they indicated that “denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in war, in peace, Friends” (26). The statement ended with the declaration of the independent American states.
In conclusion, the above discussion proves the thesis of this essay. It started off by indicating that people are born with a sense of freedom and if the freedom is curtailed, they seek means of restoring it. They employ diplomatic means but if these fail, more forceful means are applied. Evidence was picked from the Declaration of the 13 States of the U.S to prove this proposition.
Work Cited
Jefferson, Thomas. The Unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America. July, 4, 1779. U.S History.org. Web. 17th May 2012, http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/
