Question 1
The United States Declaration of Independence was ratified in the country on July 4, 1776, to explain the separation of the US from the former colonial power, Britain. The declaration of independence included various ideas. The first idea was that people have particular inalienable rights, including life, the pursuit of happiness, and liberty 1 . In America, before independence, human beings' fundamental rights were disregarded in different ways that led to the need to accentuate them with the declaration of independence. The other idea of the declaration was that all people were created equal 2 . Primarily, the principle emphasized the lack of discrimination based on race, socioeconomic class, gender, disability, among other social constructs. The understanding that all people were created and treated equally was, therefore, a call to the Americans to embrace values of unity and harmony. The declaration of independence also highlighted that individuals had the duty to defend and promote their rights and those of others, as stipulated by the document 3 . The idea was to promote responsibility among the Americans and promote their expectations of being in charge of their freedom and that of the other people. The main points of the declaration of independence are a foundation for the values of responsibility, love, and freedom that the present-day US thrives on and inspires among its citizens.
Question 2
The influence of Christianity and the bible in drafting principles by the different governments is essential. According to the book, “Christianity and the Constitution: The Faith of Our Founding Fathers,” biblical principles are essential to the ideas in the declaration of independence 4 . A close look at the declaration highlights that it supports people being created equally. The bible is clear on the principle that all people are created equally in God's eyes and is against the idea of treating people differently based on their social perspectives. Therefore, the book recognizes that all people are being created equal as a quintessential part of the declaration of independence in the US 5 . Biblical principles are vital to the idea of supporting fundamental human rights, including the allowance of life, liberty, and happiness. The bible elaborates on the value of life on several chapters in books across the old and new testaments. The book supports the need for biblical principles in drafting the constitutions, among other documents relating to the political aspects of different people's livelihoods 6 . Biblical principles were also crucial at the time of the declaration of independence in that Christianity advocate for social responsibility. Thus, the book is cognizant of the biblical teachings on being each other’s keepers, which was relevant to the idealization of responsibility among Americans during the declaration of independence.
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Question 3
Even though the declaration of independence has been seen as a perfect combination of the ideas that appeal to American citizens and their leaders, it lacked various political ideas. In James McClellan’s “Liberty, Order, and Justice,” the book introduces the idea of a critical approach to the declaration of independence and offers a more in-depth insight into the political ideas that miss from the famous document 7 . One of the political ideas that were conspicuously omitted from the declaration was slavery. Slavery had been an ongoing problem during colonial America following the trans-Atlantic slave trade that saw an increase in the black population in the country, who were brought as slaves to work in the plantations owned by the white people. In the twenty-first century, passive forms of slavery are evident among the American people, with the consequences mainly affecting the African Americans who have continued to lag in socio-economic development 8 . The omission of slavery as a political issue has raised the concerns of equality among Americans, which has attracted their doubt of the government in ensuring that no forms of slavery exist among people in the country 9 . According to the book, slavery remains the most important political topic left out by the declaration of independence, a document that was created to ensure equality in post-colonial America.
Bibliography
Eidsmoe, John. Christianity and the Constitution: The Faith of Our Founding Fathers . Ada: Baker Academic, 1995.
McClellan, James. Liberty, order, and justice: an introduction to the constitutional principles of American government . Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2000.
US History. "Declaration of Independence: Projects.". Last modified 2020. https://www.ushistory.org/declaration/lessonplan/projects.html .
