Quote:
Originally Posted by AngusJS
The DoI attempts to justify the break with Great Britain by saying we have rights extending from the creator. It continues with a long whine about George III, and ends by stating that the colonies are now a separate country. Wow, what a founding.
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I really liked your post and I thank you for the good viewpoint. People also need to understand the reason for the Declaration of Independence.
It was to justify to the people in the colonies the rational for what was not a very popular rebellion. The audience was the people in the American colonies not the King of England.
We (the rebellion) did not even send a copy of this declaration to England. It was sent to England by some British officers.
The document is not, as often remembered, the big FU to the King, but was a document of persuasion to inform and influence public (in the colonies) opinion on what was an illegal rebellion.
So the Declaration of Independence can be used as a historical documentation of intent, but you are most correct when you say that it can not be used as a citation for government structure.
Some good books on the subject are
American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence (1997) by Pauline Maier
I can also recommend the appropriate chapters of "A people's history of the United States" (2003) by the late Dr. Howard Zinn
"Origins of the American Revolution" (1947) By John C. Miller
And my pride and joy I have a first edition of
"Notes on Historical Evidence in reference to adverse theories of the origin and nature of the Government of the United States" published in 1871 by John B Dillon. If you can find this book in a library, take the time to read it. It is fascinating!
The period between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution is one of my favorite periods of history.