As I read through the Declaration of Independence I sensed urgency and freedom in the first part. The founding fathers expressed several moments that led to this need of separating from the grasp of Great Britain. So I would sum up the introduction as being celebratory and joyful. Through this we see the problems that arose as a result of Britain’s unjustified taxation, intolerable acts and unfairness which specifically caused the colonies to overthrow their ruler. The next section outlines all the basic rights America wants from its government such as equality, pursuit of happiness and liberty. Lastly these colonies agree that America is free and now an independent nation, no longer a part of Great Britain. Everything in the Declaration screams persuasive because it showcases the bad and makes readers believe change is necessary rather than optional. Anyone reading the Declaration sees the multiple wrongdoings on the behalf of Britain and would 9/10 side with the 13 colonies. After reading Randy Barnett’s article in the Washington Post there was one claim I saw which relates to current concerns in American Society today that is “late defenders of slavery eventually came to reject the Declaration”. This idea of equality among all men only supported those that were not black and so those who fought against slavery hated the fact that the constitution didn’t equally protect everyone. I certainly feel this had long lasting impacts on how black Americans are viewed in society today, people take the constitution as how Christians would interpret the bible and therefore use it accordingly. Excluding black people from the Constitution basically forced them to be seen as something else that wasn’t American. Combining that with now, people still don’t accept the fact that black people are real “Americans” which is maybe why we don’t fully reap the same benefits or have the same privilege as our counterparts. Instead of having independence from the moment America was born we were forced to earn it later down the line and the difference contributed to not being seen as original/authentic to some.Â