Declaration of Independence, Continental Congress July 1776

The argument for the declaration of independence was done so based upon religious and self-imposed convictions that a union with Great Britain was no longer possible. As Thomas Jefferson writes on November 29, 1775 in response to the inevitable independence from Great Britain, “    Believe me, dear Sir: there is not in the British empire a man who more cordially loves a union with Great Britain than I do. But, by the God that made me, I will cease to exist before I yield to a connection on such terms as the British Parliament proposes; and in this, I think I speak the sentiments of America.” I love this quote it simply states why we as Americans had a duty to preserve our way of life. It also shows us that they did try to reason with the King, and that we did everything humanly possible to avoid a war. But with the actions of the privileged comes consequences and it shows that we will not stand idle and allow our god given rights to be stripped from us.

The logos, pathos and ethos in the Declaration of Independence are simply put with the first sentence of the Declaration. It simply shows as a matter of law that the people are to assume an independence that’s political and at the same time acknowledging within reason the grounds for the Independence from Great Britain. In the Declaration it states in the first 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 these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; 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.” With that we can see how appealing this declaration was for the people, and how it sparked a fire in all people to stand up and fight. Facing the wrath of the British Empire at that time was a scary thing because of the powerful force they had, but with these motivational words we got to take back our natural rights as human beings "that all men are created equal."

The historical significance is that by January of that year, it had become clear that the king was not inclined to act as a peacemaker, as we read in Thomas Paine’s article, “Common Sense.”  Also by the time the Declaration of Independence was being conceived the Colonies were already at war for over a year. This Declaration gave the spark to all the American Colonies to continue fighting and to eventually win, in my opinion.  Also it was not only significant for our country, but for others as well. It was kind of a role model in a sense to those countries that were experiencing the same turmoil that the Colonies were facing from Great Britain at the time. But the biggest significance it holds is our freedom from Great Britain, and it justified our rights to fight against a government that no longer valued or guaranteed our rights.  

The argument Continental Congress makes is very convincing. You can see how important it was to break off of the British Empire and start a new world free from tyranny. You sometimes forget the importance of the ideals and fundamentals of a free society, and take for granted a place where everyone will be held to the same standard regardless of position or standard. It really makes you value our founding fathers all the more reading the excerpt again, and seeing the passion of the continental congress as it expressed its oppositions of King George III. With this Declaration we broke off as a FREE and INDEPENDENT country, and made us a powerful force to be reckoned with.