A Small Interpretation of a Big Document

The Declaration of Independence was written because the people of the American Colonies were be oppressed by the tyrant King of Britain. This was a formal declaration notifying the world of Britain's wrong doing, and giving the colonies the power to govern themselves. It can be seen as a declaration of war against Britain, and the Revolutionary war did follow its signing. 

In the declaration, the author's state that it is "the Right of the People" to change or dismantle a government that is destructive to their unalienable rights. They talk about how it is might seem easier or the people might become accustom to a governments destructive behavior, but when brought to light it isn't just the peoples' right to dismantle a destructive government, it is their duty. They write in such a way to not only give head to Britain but to the future citizens of the country they were about find. That it is the future citizens duty to ensure that their government is not destructive to their unalienable rights.

The declaration also mentions that all men are created equally. America failed to stick to this principle from day one of its founding, but that is ok. They setup methods for mistakes to be rectified by allowing amendments to the constitution as well as future laws. It is true that slavery, segregation, women's inability to vote, Jim Crow era laws of the south, all took away from the premise that men are created equally. It took time in our nation, and it could be argued too much time, to get to where our nation has laws protecting the equal status of its citizens. There is another word they use though that is important: created. All of mankind might be created equally, with the same fundamental rights, but that does not mean that their outcomes will or should be the same. That is a fundamental belief of being an American. It goes back to our unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The first two unalienable rights are what should bring people together. Everybody should have the same goal as to live a long life, and they should not try to take that away from any other person. All Americans should also want to feel like they are not be stomped on by their government for their way of life. The pursuit of happiness though is what makes each and every American an individual. No two American's pursuit is going to be 100% identical, and they should, going back to their second and first right, have the liberty to live out that pursuit unhindered by the government (as long as their happiness doesn't take away the rights of anybody else).

It is this basic interpretation of a document written hundreds of years ago that was so well done that it is still relevant today. I am a child of a nation founded on the principles that I am free to live my life with the liberty to pursue my own happiness. If the government becomes so destructive to my rights, it is my duty to change the course of my government. This could be through voting in new representatives, rallying for those representatives, writing on blogger, or a full out Revolution (hopefully that doesn't happen). That is what it means to be an American.