Importance Of The Declaration Of Independence

The Declaration of Independence was a formal document that many of our founding fathers signed in order to break away from the oppression of Britain and King George III. The American colonists were taxed heavily by the british on everyday items such as coffee, paper, lead, sugar, and tea to pay for the damages of the French and Indian war. Due to the heavy taxation on daily products the colonies united to face a common enemy, Britain. Protests such as the Boston Tea Party lead by the Sons of Liberty, who are rights activists, angered King George into closing the ports which further upset the colonies. The colonists were tired of Britain’s unfair taxes and finally decided to take a diplomatic stand against it. Thus the Declaration of Independence was born. In the founding document there are four ideals that were outlined as our thought process that would forever shape America. These four ideals included: equality, unalienable rights, consent of the governed, and the right to alter or abolish government. Each ideal has a significance in the document, but there are three specific ideals that hold more power over the others. These ideals, ranging from important to most important, are consent of the government, equality, and unalienable rights. The consent of the governed is quite important to the fundamentals of our country. Consent of the governed is the approval of the people in issues involving the government and well being of the country’s citizens. Yet, consent of the governed, in a way, is like our freedom of speech and petition. If the government does something the citizens do not like it is the right of the citizens to petition against it, especially if the government becomes corrupt like that of China. “In the spring of 1989, Chinese university students and other protestors occupied Tiananmen Square in Beijing. They condemned government corruption and called for a change to democracy. ...On June 4, the protests were crushed by the Chinese government” (Doc D). The government clearly does not care for it’s citizens opinions, especially when the issue involves the way the government is ruling. Furthermore, when the government kills 3,000 kids ranging from high school to college it shows that the consent of the governed is needed in order to feel like the citizens get a say in what could effect their future. No one necessarily likes to be told how to live, everyone has an opinion and voice to give their opinion, when the government is no longer in tune with the citizens’ needs it clearly shows that there is a dire need of consent of the governed. People need to be heard and consent of the governed ensures that their opinions will be heard and used when an issue with the public occurs. Equality is the state of being equal in status, rights, and opportunities. Though the Declaration of Independence states “that all men are created equal” it never truly guaranteed women and african americans the same opportunities as white males. So in 1848 Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton held the Women’s Right Convention where the Declaration of Sentiments was created to fight for the women’s rights and equality. This rights movement lead african americans to form their own group called the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People which fought for the rights and equality of african americans. Without these movements America may not be how we know it now. These movements gained complete equality for everyone no matter race, gender, or religion. It provided Diana Pham and her family “equal opportunity to succeed” (Doc A) where other countries may have not given that same chance. Even though this is not the most important ideal it holds a large …show more content…
But, the most important ideals, ranging from important to most important, are consent of the governed, equality, and unalienable rights. Consent of the government gave citizens their voice in the the way they were governed. Equality guaranteed the citizens the right to have the same opportunities to succeed. And unalienable rights gave the citizens a fighting chance against any oppression of the government and a guaranteed way of keeping the other ideals