“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.” (Thomas Jefferson).  The Declaration of Independence is a document that serves as the basis for our freedom in the United States of America.  

The horrendous treatment of colonists by King George II fueled the idea to separate from Britain.  “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” (Thomas Jefferson).  Eventually, the colonies decided that they wanted to put forth a list of grievances to the King; Tomas Jefferson was tasked with writing this statement. 

When Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, he envisioned a country where all people are treated fairly, where everyone has the freedoms that were denied to the colonists.  While some of Jefferson’s ideas about society and politics show through today, some of his ideas do not.  

He pulled from ideas of the philosopher John Locke, writing about how humans are born with natural rights and about how the government is a social contract between the leaders and the people that can be dissolved at any time.  The ideas that Jefferson covered in the Declaration of Independence are what made America the great country that it is today.  The complaints against King George laid down the blueprints for how our founding fathers wanted to run our country: using a system of separation of powers, creating an election system to reflect the wants of the citizens, creating rights for the citizens.  But most importantly, making sure that everyone’s voice is heard.

The Declaration of Independence is what makes us Americans.  Without it and our founding fathers, our great country could never be what it is today.  America is a place where the citizens are heard, where we have the ability to live freely and how we please, where we do not get censored for criticism of our government.  As Americans, it is our responsibility to make sure that our country lives up to the standards set for us by the Declaration so that we can continue to be the great country that we are.