LAD #3: Declaration of Independence

Summarize the Declaration of Independence in 3 parts: 1. Democratic principles, 2. List a handful of grievances, and 3. The conclusion.

1. Democratic principles in the Declaration of Independence include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the right of the people to overthrow a corrupt government, and that all men are created equal. The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are democratic in that the government is granting these rights to all citizens. The right of people to overthrow a corrupt government is extremely democratic, because if the majority of people oppose the government, then the right is given to them to change it. Finally, stating that all men are created equal is very democratic because in a democracy all citizens are given equal rights.

2. Some of the grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence are that King George III has dissolved representative houses repeatedly for opposing his meddling with the rights of the people, bribed judges to do his bidding, has kept standing armies in times of peace, forced the colonists to quarter armed troops, and cut off the colonies from trade with the rest of the world.

3. The conclusion of the Declaration of Independence states that the colonies are, and have the right to be, free and independent states. It also states that they are absolved from allegiance to the British monarch and they dissolved political connection between the states and England. Finally it declares that the colonies are able to declare war, negotiate peace, gain allies, trade with whom they please, and do all other things that independent states do. This conclusion is extremely patriotic and informed the English that the colonists were very serious about their independence. This also brought the colonists together because they were no longer just dissatisfied with the British rule; they were actually acting on their discontent with their government.