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Standing in awe of this country's great achievements, one might ask how it came to be as it is today. As simple as this question might seem, the answer has been proven to be much more complex. Distorted in the eyes of human perception, the history that built this great nation that is the United States of America is one that holds as many truths as falsehoods. Yet, this to a nation which constantly strives for truth, whether it defies the popular belief or not. Keeping to a logical frame of mind, one must be open to the idea that because human history has been written on popular perceptions, those perceptions may be distorted. Such is the matter in the case of one of the most prestigious and prized documents in this country, as well as the world.
The Declaration of Independence has stood for an array of principles since it's issue. Yet, what was it's intended purpose? What about the popular perception of the Declaration of Independence today? Which interpretation is the right one? Perhaps the most challenging of these questions is, "is there a right or wrong interpretation of the Declaration?" There are other questions now that seek answers. Throughout history, Thomas Jefferson has been credited with composing the declaration, but one must ask if this accepted fact is the truth.
Evidence has promoted the idea that Jefferson constructed the Declaration from other documents in history. With this in mind, who truly wrote the Declaration of Independence? All of these question have the significance of not only questioning history's validity, but also of standing for principles. Who owns an idea? Once an idea is presented, is it open to interpretation and use by individuals, or is it to remain focused in the intentions of the creator? Does an interpretation stand to be recognized for all time, or may an interpretation change in the light of new minds?
The eyes that gaze upon the tapestry that is the history of the United States of America are human eyes. Thus, these are the eyes of individuals, of the common man, the wealthy man, the righteous man, and the defiant man, each with their own view of the world. Is it the duty of history to be set in stone on the advertised perceptions of the few, or is it up to the individual to formulate his own tapestry of history? The search for truth has significance in that is remedies a mind in doubt. Yet, is the strive for truth pursued for fear that one lives in false interpretations because they are not the universal ideals? Dr.
Pauline Maier, writer and known authority on Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence, helped to raise all of these questions into the light of discussion... She was able to stir intriguing ideas, and also give thought provoking answers to problems that have plagued historians for years. She shed light on many viewpoints on the Declaration of Independence. It is these ideas, answers, and viewpoints which she addressed, openly or otherwise, that open the gate for further discussion.
One of the questions which appears to have an obvious answer is who wrote the Declaration of Independence? Most people would answer Thomas Jefferson. However, the answer is not as simple as most people believe it to be. Dr. Maier addressed the idea of multiple contributors and influences that constructed the document.
There is valid evidence which she presented to support this idea. In fact, there is enough substantial evidence to assure the idea that Jefferson borrowed some outside material. Previously written documents, committees, and personal contributions all create a vast multitude of sources for Jefferson to have tapped into to construct the Declaration. An interesting document that rises when speaking about the influences of the Declaration of Independence is the Bill of Rights written by the British Parliament in 1689.
Dr. Maier presented evidence that the two documents were somewhat parallel. The most blatant and obvious correlation is in the preamble. The opening paragraph in both documents state the significance of action, referring to the phrase, "When in the course of human events. " It is plausible to say that Jefferson had knowledge of this document, and borrowed some of the openly presented or underlying ideas. The connection is strong enough to suggest this, as Dr. Maier promotes.
One would agree with such evidence presented. It is probable to say that since Jefferson was a popular scholar, he would have had knowledge of the English Bill of Rights Another possible influence for Jefferson lies in Mecklenberg, North Carolina. In 1775, Mecklenberg generated a Declaration of Rights. This document is somewhat similar to the Declaration of Independence in that their messages and principles are extremely similar. Perhaps Jefferson was able to attain a copy of this document and apply it to the construction of the Declaration of Independence. Certainly one of the most outstanding possible influences to the Declaration of Independence is George Mason's Declaration of Rights for Virginia.
What is most astonishing about the correlation between the two documents lies in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence. There seems to be somewhat of a direct quote of Mason's declaration in the phrase, " 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... " Dr. Maier seemed to put an emphasis on this particular document due to the circumstances under which it was written. The date at which Mason's declaration was written is June 12, 1776, nearly a month before the Declaration of Independence was drafted. Also, Mason's declaration was published in various newspapers.
This would indicate that the document had circulated. This evidence is too strong to overlook as simply chance, yet one must decide the point at which the logical occurrence of events is purely coincidental or a safe assumption. In this case, one is inclined to agree with Dr. Maier seeing that the evidence which she presents is overwhelmingly decisive as to Mason's influence on Jefferson. Another angle at which an influence might have occurred is the Constitutional Committee assigned to draft the Declaration. It is an accepted fact that there was a committee assigned to draft the Declaration, however, Jefferson was given the task of its first draft.
Dr. Maier brought up interesting points in that evidence shows that Jefferson, after writing the first draft, sent copies to Benjamin Franklin and John Adams asking for commentary and revisions. The draft then went on to be presented to the committee for revisions. This is now simply a matter of credit.
It is obvious that the committee revised some of the original document, but is this significant enough to establish credit? Undoubtedly, the committee had influence over Jefferson, seeing that they commissioned him to draft the document. Once again, one would have to agree with Dr. Maier that the committee played a valid and substantial role in the creation of the final declaration.
One of the most obvious and profound influences on the Declaration would be that of the Continental Congress. Dr. Maier presented the fact that after Jefferson's draft had been revised by the committee, it would have to pass through Congress. There are obvious changes that occurred at this time. Some of the original language was changed due to its harsh nature. Also, a phrase pertaining to slave trade was removed.
Many of the revisions were to make the document more accurate in a historical sense, as well as, take away from the original document's unreserved language. The most interesting fact is that these revision were done in Jefferson's handwriting. This fact adds to the assumption that Jefferson himself had made the corrections, though this is obviously not the case. In determining who what...
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Research essay sample on Thomas Jefferson And The Declaration Of
