Is the Declaration of independence a viable document?

Essay by p0oksterCollege, Undergraduate December 2002

download word file, 2 pages 3.7

What does the Fourth of July mean to you? Oftentimes, we as Americans don't realize the true importance and historical significance of this day, the day the nation's most prestigious and historical document was finally accepted as a universal belief. The Declaration of Independence is regarded as one of America's most treasured symbols because it identifies the moment at which the nation was born and describes the reasons for its birth. It announced the separation of the thirteen colonies from England and recounted, for Americans and the rest of the world, the grievances that had led to the call for independence. Here, in exalted and unforgettable phrases, Jefferson expressed the many convictions present in the minds and hearts of the American people. The Declaration of Independence, although it may go unnoticed at times today, was a very viable document that served as the very backbone of the young American life.

As well as instilling within us, as Americans, the many ideals and beliefs we still carry with us to this day.

The Declaration of Independence serves as the United States' first major step toward proving itself as an individual nation. The celebrated and monumental phrase "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights..." aimed to justify a very bold new venture for freedom. Declaring a separation from the most economically and militarily powerful nation on earth (England), Jefferson and the Continental Congress utilized the notions in this phrase so that the very laws of creation seem to justify Independence for the young United States. The concepts present in this document were used as a motivational tool for gaining our sovereignty from Britain, the country we were once dependent on. Allowing us to exist...