What are the most important principles in the Declaration of Independence?
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.
Are we all born with the same potential?
Every human being has the same raw potential at birth. Whether you have the opportunity to maximise that potential of course depends on many, many other factors after you are born: environment, nutrition, luck etc.
What are the two main purposes of the Declaration of Independence?
The introductory sentence states the Declaration’s main purpose, to explain the colonists’ right to revolution. In other words, “to declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” Congress had to prove the legitimacy of its cause. It had just defied the most powerful nation on Earth.
Why was slavery ignored in the Declaration of Independence?
The decision to remove references to slavery was political necessity. Those who drafted the Declaration believed that it was better to remove the section dealing with slavery than risk a long debate over the issue of slavery. They needed the support for independence from the southern states.
Why did Thomas Jefferson make the Declaration of Independence?
Although there was no legal reason to sign the Declaration, Jefferson and the other Founders signed it because they wanted to “mutually pledge” to each other that they were bound to support it with “our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” Their signatures were courageous because the signers realized they were …