1. The Declaration of Independence
Mr. O’Brien
Warren Hills Regional High School
The Declaration of Independence
July 1776

2. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
Not capitalized – not proper noun – not the name of a single nation - announcing a confederation of separate nations that share a common military goal

3. When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people  to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another
TJ claiming that 50 rich white guys in Philly represent all Americans – flies in the face of what England thought about colonies – i.e. they can’t get along

4. and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature  and of Nature's God  entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation  
This is Jefferson’s claim, or his ideal, that the universe is structured scientifically, rationally, mathematically (by impartial and perfectly rational laws that exist outside of humanity)
This includes laws of physics, biology, mechanics, math, but also moral and political law
In other words, just like the universe has scientific laws (e.g. gravity) that are universally true, there exist a set of political laws or truths (political science) that are universally true
Jefferson was a Deist, so believes that a creator (with a scientific mind) made the universe (then stepped back), and structured it into a perfectly rational order
We can figure these things out by applying reason (promise of Enlightenment)

5. and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature  and of Nature's God  entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation  
This may be an appeal to both Deists (the Enlightenment folks, a “creator”) and/or an appeal to Christians – i.e. an effort to be inclusive and appeal to as many people as possible
remember the purpose of the DoI – to announce that the US is open for business, so fight with us (colonists, the French), lend us money (Dutch)

6. We hold these truths to be self-evident
I’m going to list some truths – and they don’t need to be proved – b/c they prove themselves
In other words, one does not need to perform an experiment to prove these truths
They only become self-evident when one becomes familiar with the terms involved in the statement
E.g. “The whole is greater than any of its parts”
E.g. “A straight line is the shortest distance between two points.”
They are intuitive

7. 1st Truth - that all men are created equal,
When born – all are equal – but not identical, and won’t wind up equal, but that none of us are born noble (this is a rejection of born nobility and divine right monarchy) -- any inequality is the result of life circumstances
Intentionally open/vague ---
Some people, at the time and now, will read it as all people, not others
we are created equal/but need to meet a certain criteria to gain more than natural rights
ie there are certain things that may disqualify you to all of these rights -- i.e. WE STILL limit the rights for some (criminal behavior, children, and in some views: race, gender, class, etc.) – while still being citizens, and having those natural rights
we must distinguish between natural rights and political rights. That is to say, we are all born with these natural rights, but because we will eventually differ from each other, we will wind up with different status/power/wealth (voting rights, office-holding rights, property rights)
Argued that they are an “earned aristocracy”
Things that “create” inequality after creation:
life choices: work ethic, luck, intelligence, abilities
privileges race, class, gender, religion

8. 2nd Truth - that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
Humans have rights, by virtue of being human, and they can’t be taken away,
prior to our arrangement in society, we have these rights
We know we have them because it is rational, logical within a universe that is structured rationally

9. 3rd Truth – that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
3 of them (but not all) are the right to life, liberty and to pursue happiness,
in the eyes of most – Happiness and property were synonymous, but TJ meant a more vague “you can pursue what makes you happy”

10. 4th Truth – That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,
People provide gov’s with power, to protect these rights
This is the social contract
Between individual citizens (ie the people) – each other
Doesn’t involve God or the government (so gov. doesn’t set its own limits, the people do)
This is John Locke /Enlightenment

11. 5th Truth – 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.
If the gov. fails to protect these rights, then the people can replace the gov. (this is the Lockean influence _ Two Treatises of Government”
This is the right to revolution
The people will replace it with a gov. that will protect those natural rights, will keep us safe, and will our right to pursue happiness
Happiness:
Most founders interpreted this is as pursuit of property (drives society, gets people to work/labor, puts people on gerbil wheel – we will never get there [happy] but it enables civilization)
TJ meant pursuit of pleasure, whatever, within reason, makes you happy (this is broader and more important than property),
Bungee jumping vs. crosswords – gov. shouldn’t promote one or the other, it should ensure your right to pursue what you think will make you happy

12. 6th Truth - Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes;
Moderation, wisdom dictates that (not passion) Gov. should not be toppled for small reasons, otherwise we would always be in a state of chaos

13. 7th Truth – and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed
And history has shown that people would rather suffer with an imperfect gov., for a long time, before changing it
only when they are pushed too far, will/should they revolt - which is why they (the people) should be trusted – ie. Not controlled by “passions” but “intellect”
Enlightenment beliefs demonstrated thus far:
Individualism
public power
trust in people to self-govern,
conserving gov. most of the time
right to rebel (revolution)

14. 8th Truth – But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
 Not only is it within people’s rights to abolish their gov. when it is obvious that it is becoming tyrannical, it is their obligation to do so
This is TJ’s abstract theory of Revolution

15. Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.
The current situation b/w England and the 13 colonies fits the description of everything he laid out justifying revolution