“Micro-Activity #9: Analyzing the Declaration of Independence”

The Declaration Of Independence is a document that was made to testify to the King and the government of England that the colonies were separating from their rule. In the first part there was a brief introduction followed by an explanation of the motives that prompt their actions. They follow by stating the belief that motivated them to take such actions. The second part was written as a record of the charges being brought against the King, as mentioned by Randy Barnett writes in his casebook, “a literal indictment of the Crown and Parliament”, the same way is done today on court proceedings. The third part was written to the “powers of the world” to strength their argument and also publish their independence to the world.

I found the document very persuasive for its clarity and straightforwardness. It was presented in a way in which to give the reader a clear understanding of their problem, followed by an argument based in facts as well as the solution that had to be implemented to fix the problem.   

“The assumption of natural rights expressed in the Declaration of Independence can be summed up by the following proposition:  “first comes rights, then comes government.” 

This quote caught my attention for how relatable it is in the American society today. Some communities of the United States population are facing growing issues with the way the police and government have been disproportionately treating and targeting them. It feels to me that there is a double standard on the way some Americans are treated depending on their race, religion, economic status or place of birth. The amount of videos witnessing the violation of the rights of different communities as well as some decisions made by the current government are a testament to that and a sad reminder of this reality.