The Declaration of Independence is an example of an early document of persuasion. What do you think of the document in terms of persuasion, style, rhetoric etc...? Are the concepts of this document still relevant to today? Has anything changed since July 4, 1776?
What does it make you think about the essential question for the marking period? WOW me
I think the document is persuasive for the time period because at this time America was under British rule so when “acts of pretended legislation” are mentioned, they are timely. The style in which the document is written makes it persuasive because all the bad things that happened to America under British rule are all in one paragraph which emphasizes why America wants to declare independence. Also, the document uses examples and strong vocabulary to stress the point that it’s making. I think the only part that is truly relevant to today is the last paragraph where it talks about why these states should be independent. Today, America is about being one free, united nation. Britain has not tried to take over America since this time period, so the points in the document are irrelevant to today. I think that the meaning of the unalienable rights listed in the declaration of independence have changed since 1776. It says “all men are created equal” but today racism and discrimination are widely portrayed, which makes people feel unequal to others. According to the Declaration of Independence, liberty is an unalienable right that everyone has so, yes, I think it is attainable for all. The document says that the government is instituted among men in order to secure their rights so I think the government is in charge of balancing everyone’s rights.
ReplyDeleteThough clearly much has changed in the years since the writing of the Declaration of Independence, I feel it is fair to say that the Declaration is the epitome of persuasive writing. The founding fathers used language and style to their advantage in an attempt sway the British to think their way, while not offending them. The organization of the Declaration is used to their advantage in helping the British clearly understand the point they are trying to make. The preamble as well as other sections are very relevant to today's society and often quoted. It is the quintessential document when in need a reference for the quality of American freedom. And in regards to our essential question, the lines, "We hold these truths to be self evident, that ALL men are created equal." clearly define how our government was meant to deal with the concept of liberty and justice. Liberty and justice were meant to be attainable for all, as clearly stated in the document that is the basis of our country. Our country fought for our freedom and it is preposterous to even imply that it should not be the same for its people.
ReplyDeleteThe Declaration of Independence is obviously one of the most important documents in American history. I think that its eloquence and graceful wording were meant to show England how strong determined we were. I found it most interesting that they begin the document by speaking for God. They said that "laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them [...] to the separation". This was a really strong argument considering how religious everyone was during this time period. The concepts of all men being equal and having unalienable rights are still relevant today. However, they have changed at the same time because the idea of who the country recognizes as free citizens has drastically changed. I think that due to this document liberty and freedom are attainable for everyone in the legal sense. Although this is very important many people cannot find mental freedom in their lives because of limits that our society creates. For example, people who want higher educations have to pay tuition and take out loans to go to school. In many cases people in bad economic situations are unable to better themselves because of their financial limits. In this way people have a hard time truly feeling "free" to become whoever they aspire to be.
ReplyDeleteThe Declaration of Independence, while the content is not relevant in today's society, can certainly be used as a model for persuasive writing. This document distorts the acutality of what the American people are doing (rebelling against the British government) and makes it seem like they are the innocent victims of British cruelty. Making the reader think in terms of solely one point of view is an extremely effective way to get your point across in a persuasive piece. The Declaration of Independence exemplifies this quality in that it puts the reader in the shoes of a poor victim of one whose rights are not being upheld. While a lot has changed as far as content of the piece and attitudes of writers and readers, the overall tactic that the authors of the Declaraion used is one that can still be incredibly relevant to today's society.
ReplyDeleteI think the Declaration of Independence is persuasive because of all of the points it brings up about how America does not need British rule. It lists many examples of why the colonies should gain their independence from Britain. It thoroughly explains how the US wants to set up its government and shows what the people want. They portray how they feel that their goals cannot be achieved under British rule and that they can do better on their own. Very strong words are used to show that they truly desire independence. They criticize the British king and disapprove of his ruling over them. They cite a whole list of specific examples of how they would be better off without the king and by setting up their own government. Parts of this document are still relevant today. We have already gained our independence, so that is not really relevant to today's society. However, we still believe in equality for all and that everyone has the right to feel safe and happy. There are both differences and similarities from 1776 to today. The fight for independence allowed the US to become the nation it is today. A lot of the values, like the right to life, liberty, and happiness, have lasted since then. Even though society is constantly changing, our base values have remained pretty much the same. This relates to our essential question because the essential question deals with justice and liberty. This document explicitly says that the United States will be created for justice and liberty. It says that everyone is created equal, and that everyone's rights must be secured. Although it is impossible for everyone to be completely equal, our government is set up to try to provide everyone with the same rights.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Thomas Jefferson did an outstanding job of incorporating persuasiveness into the Declaration. The purpose of the document was to declare complete freedom and independence from Britain, so persuasion was necessary. As stated in the introductory paragraph on the title page, "It is probably the best summary of the watch-words of democracy in political literature." Jefferson used explicit, convincing, and appropriate terminology to properly sway Britain and represent the people of America. Also, he listed each element of opposition in the document, making his point even more clear. The concepts within this piece of writing are still relevant today, legally. However, with society, freedoms and equality evolve drastically as each July 4th passes, starting with that of 1776. Many limiting factors affect people's freedom and feeling of being equal. For example, with the enormous amount of immigration that has occurred in America since the 1700s, the nation has become a "Melting Pot" as the saying goes. Thus, there are many different races that exist in the population. With that comes excessive racism and discrimination despite the freedoms spelled out in the Declaration. This hate contributes to the emotional lack of equality in society. I believe that liberty and justice are attainable by all, if written into a legal document. The "feeling" of freedom, however, is another story, as illustrated above.
ReplyDeleteThe Declaration of Independence is without a doubt one of the most influential and persuasive pieces of writing. The delegates wrote it to convince King George, along with many colonists, that the Colonies deserved the freedom to form their own nation. The whole document provides evidence as justification for that statement. The writers used persuasive methods to get their point across, specifically repetition with “He has….” listing all of the faults of King George. It put all of the colonists’ dissents on the table and all of the reasons why they should no longer be tied to the “Mother Country”. Today, this document only has some of the relevance it had back then. Americans today are free from the rule of another nation and have received many of the liberties not available in the 1700s. There have since been many laws passed to make everyone more equal, but there is still racism present. In addition, gay couples do not have the same rights as a heterosexual couple. However, when compared to the rights people had in the 1700s, people today have much more freedom. Liberty and justice can not be attained by all because for someone to earn rights, people have to change the ways they think , judge, and act around others which rarely occurs.
ReplyDeleteThe Declaration of Independence is a persuasive document as it states the rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". The document is very influential because it captures the attention of the people through powerful words like equality, independence, happiness, etc. The opinion expressed in the document was leaning toward that Britain was truly evil and too cruel to the colonists, "He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people." This list of grievances helped to influence people to refuse British influence and fight for their own nation's freedom. At the point in time in which the document was presented, the phrase "all men are created equal" was not entirely true. There were still many minority groups within America, who did not receive equal rights as white men, such as women, African Americans, and others until later on. The essential question is debatable because there is still a lot of racism and discrimination in our country today. Liberty and justice has not yet been entirely attained for all.
ReplyDeleteThe D.O.I. was a very important document in history and was a good example of how writing can persuade an individual, or in this case, an entire nation. The document succeeded in persuading Americans by repeating the King's immoral acts set upon them. The concept of equality was mentioned in the document but was really only extended to white males, whereas today the phrase complete equality is present. When relating the Declaration of Independence to the essential question, I truly do not believe that liberty and justice are attainable for all. The officials who signed the document were only able to do so because of their status in society and would otherwise would not be able to express their point of view to an audience as large as the entire American population.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of persuasion, the document proved to be ineffective as it simply pointed out the injustices of and attacked the British king. It seems to be more of a statement than a persuasive essay as the king was unconvinced to let the colonists be independent and waged a war. In terms of style, it was right to the point and got a message across. the topics discussed are irrelevant in modern times as it discusses tyranny, which doesn't exist in the civilized world today and with public outrage and pressure, a people as dissatisfied as the colonists would have large government reforms rather than a revolution.In this age in American society, everyone has access to the three basic rights, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
ReplyDeleteI think that the Declaration of Independence is a very forceful yet logical document. In order to validate their point, they first lay out a guideline of what government should be like, and then prove how King George has broken those rules. The founders want to make it impossible to disagree with the document. Therefore, there is no question in there reasoning and they do not acknowledge an alternative. The rhetoric shows determination and a will to not give up, because they were tired of being mistreated by England. It also, however, does not have many extra words that can be misinterpreted. Everything is neatly spelled out in rather plain language (compared to other documents I've seen from the time). It's written more like a legal document than an open letter to a King. The concepts of this document are still relevant today, and I believe they were always be relevant. As was shown in the Arab Revolutions this past year, when government is not doing its job to satisfy life, liberty, and happiness, people can and should rebel. There is no justification for not having freedom and liberty. People want fair representation and for their voice to be heard. The colonists' situation exemplifies the need for liberty and justice. While they technically have both of them, the King has slowly taken it away. He has tightened his rule on the colonies, and they are being tried unfairly in England or other foreign places. One of the founder's main goals when they framed the new country was the securing of those rights for posterity. I think that today for the most part we have achieved their goals. However, there can also never be 100 % liberty because then people would do whatever pleases them. Justice is meant to protect everyone's liberty and make sure that other's cannot infringe upon it. The writers of the Declaration of Independence were talking about ideals and values that are universal, and in any age and time are desired by the people.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it was an important document in relation to the rest of American history, the Declaration of Independence was virtually useless as a persuasive document. Its main intention was to convince the King of England to lessen the harsh restrictions placed upon the American colonists, and to eventually gain independence from Great Britain. However, it completely failed in doing so. In essence, this document is more of a useless statement, rather than a successful persuasive document. Its style and rhetoric, however, are impressive, as it uses very eloquent language while still remaining concise and to the point. Thomas Jefferson stated all of his points without sounding redundant, and presented endless valid arguments. Unfortunately, these arguments proved to be unable to sway the decisions of the English government, as they continued to heavily tax and discriminate against their colonists. Times have obviously changed, and ruthless tyrants are much less common in our world. The main rights stated in the Declaration of Independence are also relevant today, and most government Constitutions include some variation of the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In relation to this marking period's essential question, the Declaration of Independence is a prime example of an attempt for liberty and justice, although it was not successful. Instead, in order to actually obtain liberty and justice, the American people had to fight in a war against Great Britain.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I feel the Declaration of Independence was not a very persuasive document in pleading for America's freedom from Great Britain. If it were, then the Revolutionary War would have ended in 1776. Despite the Declarations powerful words, it was a failed document, having no positive outcomes during the time period. One aspect of this document not being very persuasive was Jefferson's overuse of the words, "He has refused." As time progresses, however, this document (along with the Constitution) has become the basis of our modern day society. It states our rights and reasons why we should be a free, independent nation. The D.O.I. states that everyone has the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, which is still in use today.
ReplyDeleteThough at the time the Declaration of Independence was written, people and society placed values on different things and aspects of society, many of the points made in the document are still relevant today. The society and government of the United States still places emphasis on individuality and the idea that government gets its power from the "consent of the governed." When Jefferson lists all the wrong-doings of the King, we can still identify such actions as being morally wrong and unacceptable by a government still today. By listing these actions and taking such a strong stand on what government and rights should be, Jefferson's writing is very persuading. It provides the reader with the idea that they should have every right and a say in their government: an idea that is pleasing and comforting to all. Though many of the points made in this Declaration have become rhetoric and cliche today, they were revolutionary for their time and stood for something radical and all new to the society in which they were living in. This document proves that rights and justice should be provided to all people, regardless of social status, race, nationality, etc. Because this Declaration was successful, it shows the power of the governed to overthrow a government and fight for the rights and liberties which they deserve.
ReplyDeleteThe Declaration of Independence is an ultimate persuasive essay trying to convince the world of Great Britain's tyranny and how America could be independent. However, at the time the Declaration did little convince the world that America was ready to be sovereign. It was Revolution that backed up the document, proving how strong America was. The concepts discussed in the Declaration are still very relevant today. The document sites the right of all humans to have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Although, at the time this was only meant for white males, over time the right has extended to all humans no matter the race or gender. Over time the ideas discussed in the document may no longer be relevant to it's original intent, however the interpretation of the document can still be applied to modern life. In terms of the essential question, liberty and justice as of now is not obtainable for all. There are too many deep rooted sentiments that create too much racism to allow all to be equal and obtain justice.
ReplyDeleteThe Declaration is certainly a highly persuasive document, which is good considering that this was its original purpose. I really like the style of writing (actually I love anything formal-English style). The concepts being stated are relevant to today's society, however the issue is that society (and the government) suppress such issues. For example:
ReplyDelete"But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."
Today's high inflation, and other economic issues, are due to the government printing large amounts of paper money. According to this statement, we, the people, should be overthrowing such government and providing new guards for our future security. However, the government would see that as anarchy and suppress these actions.
So... Are these concepts relevant? Yes, it can be said that we still have the same types of issues today as they did back then. But no, we can't go about handling it in the same way.
Also this was my favorite line from National Treasure and I just had to use it. :)
Great movie!
DeleteThe Declaration of Independence has proven to be one of the most persuasive and well written works in American history. Although American leaders no longer worry about obtaining freedom from Britain, the core values Thomas Jefferson incorporated in this document are still valued in American society. These concepts include that all men are created equal and that all everyone should have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, many American values have changed since the time the Declaration was written. When people come to America they're not only in be in search of freedom but an opportunity to make money and live the American dream. Americans emphasize money and success more than they do freedom. Americas as a whole though, is often associated with freedom and that is due to the persuasiveness and rhetoric of the Declaration of Independence.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the Declaration of Independence is certainly one of the most persuasive documents in our nation's history. Thomas Jefferson did a phenomenal job in clearly dictating everything England did to belittle the colonies and how the colonies deserved to chose their future. The document contains concepts such as equality, natural human rights, and "life liberty and the pursuit of happiness". And even though we still strongly believe in these terms now, they have developed a different meaning since 1776. In 1776, when Jefferson spoke of equality, he was only referring to prosperous white males. Not everyone had the ability to really live a life of equality, liberty or happiness. Nowadays, every person of our country is seen as equals, no matter their color, race or gender. There are still people, especially whites, that are demeaning to other ethnic, religious, or gender groups, but we have certainly come a long way since the creation of the Declaration. In the Declaration, Jefferson describe the unjust things England does to the colonies. We see that at the time, justice and liberty was not attainable to the colonists. They had to fight to obtain their rights and their freedom to chose their own futures. As America grew, more and more people slowly began to obtain their freedom and justice. However, we can still see that liberty and justice are not yet attainable for all. Discrimination and prejudice is still a major part of our country, even though what we discriminate against is broader than what it was in 1776.
ReplyDeleteThe style of the Declaration of Independence shows that it was written to make a point, not to persuade. The colonists knew based on how Great Britain had previously treated them that they would not pay much attention to the colonists or their document. The concepts in the document as still the same. Many people live in American or come to America for the same reason, to seek mankind's basic rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Much has changed since the time period that the Declaration of Independence was written in. For example, the declaration always talks about the rights and freedoms of males, more specifically white males since they were the only people who had rights. However now women and minority groups have somewhat been able to gain the same rights as white men. The declaration makes me think that there is still a chance for liberty and justice to be attainable to all, but first society must change some of its views.
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