Directed by Kevin Costner, the documentary, The War that Made America , reveals a defining time in American history. Set during the colonial period, the documentary explains events that led to the American Revolution. The narration is dramatic as it unveils the story of the French and Indian War in a dynamic approach. It begins by asserting how the War started in the wilderness of the Pennsylvania frontier and spread through various colonies and, ultimately, across the globe (Waldo, 2017). The documentary commits to the accuracy and expression of the state of the world in the 18th century. Further, its content can be related to Jacques Derrida's essay on the Declaration of Independence. There are submissions of the documentary that are supporting the thoughts of Derrida and those that are challenging Derrida's thoughts on the functions of the Declaration of Independence.
In Derrida's narration, there is an assessment of the status of the people as the sovereign guarantors of America’s Constitution. Derrida asserts that people are internally differentiated and radically indeterminate. For this reason, the constitution is legitimized by the people's authority. He believes that these issues are vital to the community as they affect the economy, which is the sector that keeps people stable. The text American Declaration of Independence states that 'the people' are the guarantors of political declarations.
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Citizens have to show their support for every political process through the submission of their signatures and appointment of representation. This notion is also portrayed in the documentary The War that Made America. The documentary shows how the War forced the people to conceive as equal partners. The people's rage against inequality caused the War between the French and Indian. Politicians ignored the input of a particular section of the people, which resulted in a conflict for justice. Similar to Derrida’s assertion that every political occurrence was made legitimate by 'the people,' the documentary reveals a scenario in which the people were fighting to regain their legal power (Waldo, 2017). The conflicts in the narration encouraged colonials to fight for their equal share in the (British) empire. Britain, however, did not share the same intentions, and this led to the postwar revolution and strife.
The documentary reveals how the Native Americans' participation in the War paved the way for the American Government's subjugation of the native societies. This occurrence marked the earlier processes that later led to the American Declaration of Independence, as shown by Derrida. Derrida further tells how the people were the precise parameters and coordinators of the War. In the declarations, there is the reorientation of the metaphysics of time confrontations. It shows that for the American Declaration of Independence to be actualized, there was a lineup of events ranging from wars to political reforms (Jefferson, 1776). Therefore, events defined in the documentary, especially the War between French and Indian, could have led to the Declaration. Thus, both narrations explore the constitutive moments in American history.
Derrida, in his text, denotes the role of ethical-political exigencies. He describes how the urgency of action and engagement causes every political and social event. Such submission affirms that various claims to legitimacy can be radical. For instance, during the Declaration, some processes will require the presence of the Declaration propagates (Jefferson, 1776). During this process, conflicts and disagreements can emerge as the political heads might be scrambling for the chance to sign the Declarative Act. Such an outcome can lead to the formation of pacts with opposing views.
Differences in political ideology can lead to chaos and War as portrayed in the documentary between French and Indian. The French and Indian dispute was political as it changed the colonists' attitudes to the resentment of open hostility. The documentary expresses the motive behind the infamous Stamp Act, which was meant to make colonists submit to taxation without representation (Jefferson, 1776). Such an Act made people limitless to British authority. Other grievances that led to the conflict include forced conscription of soldiers. Such conscription was the primary cause of the American Revolution because it increased the level of tyranny. The Americans felt that tyranny from across the sea was being imposed. Therefore, if they gave in to taxation, they would be no end to such oppression as the British would come with further demands. Consequently, it was right to start a revolution (Waldo, 2017). Derrida as well portrays such occurrences in the text on the Declaration of Independence. The only opposing remark in Derrida's version is the impression he gives that 'de-legitimize' the state of the institution. He showed that the Declaration was performative. Political declarations are supposed to be made by the people and not the other way round. The self-authorizing nature and groundlessness of this point despise the provision of the constitution.
Based on the analysis presented, the content of the documentary, The War that Made America, is in alignment with Derrida's perspective on the functions of Declarations of Independence. For instance, the two narrations talk about political processes and their outcomes. The War that Made America address the French and Indian War. The documentary expresses how the War led to the American Revolution. Contrariwise, the text on the Declaration of Independence talks of the power that people possess to legitimize political processes. Citizens must be fully engaged in every process for it to be enforced as a legal occurrence. Therefore, the two narrations cover the political events that occurred before the Declaration of independence.
References
Jefferson, T. (1776). Declaration of Independence: A transcription . The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved from https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
Waldo, D. (2017). The administrative state: A study of the political theory of American public administration . Routledge.
