Question

In at least 200 words, discuss Thomas Jefferson's rationale for independence. For what basic requirements should a government provide, and how did Great Britain fail to provide for them? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Answer 1

the declaration opens with a preamble describing the document's necessity in explaining why the colonies have overthrown their ruler and chosen to take their place as a separate nation in the world.

All men are created equal, and there are individual unalienable rights that governments should never violate. These rights include the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When a government fails to protect those rights, it is not only the right but also the duty of the people to overthrow that government. In its place, the people should establish a government that is designed to protect those rights. Governments are rarely overthrown, and should not be defeated for trivial reasons. In this case, a long history of abuses has led the colonists to overthrow a tyrannical government.

In drafting the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson (along with Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and other members of a committee assigned to prepare this seminal document) knew that he had to present a solid legal and moral foundation upon which to build support for secession from the British Crown. Independence from Great Britain was not universally supported, and Jefferson recognized the importance of presenting the case for independence in a cogent, persuasive manner.

Answer 2

Although writing the Declaration of Independence was not the only contribution of Jefferson to the life of the colonies, it was one of his most significant ones. In the Declaration, Jefferson expresses his political ideals. He conveys his opinion on what government should be like, and the responsibilities it should have towards its citizens.

Jefferson draws heavily on other legal documents of the time, such as the Virginia Declaration of Rights and his own draft of a Virginia constitution. With this in mind, in the Declaration, Jefferson established that the colonists have a right to rebel against Great Britain if they feel their rights are not being protected and their complaints are not being listened to. Jefferson starts by claiming that all men are created equal, and that they all have the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. He argued that Great Britain was not making sure that these rights were being protected, which gave the colonists the right to rebel.