Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence and Thomas Pains Common Sense

Thomas Jefferson was the 3^rd president of the United States and the author of the Declaration of independence an article that has been read by many. He was one of the United States most articulate champions of representative democracy and human rights. Through speech and writing, Jefferson did communicate his brilliant views about independence, philosophy and democracy. The declaration of independence was basically as a result of Thomas Jefferson’s contribution to the committee of five as a delegate in the hyped second continental congress. The document so produced (the declaration of independence) was direct information to King George III of the colonies, demanding for independence. The declaration basically recounted the problems and grievances that the colonies the United States, being in particular had against their colonial powers, the British crown, and pronounced the colonies to be independent and Free states from the colonies (Jefferson, 1821)

In the declaration Jefferson stressed on the need for the people of all the thirteen states of America working together, as that was the only way that they could use their concerted efforts to achieve independence. He stressed on the fact that all men were created equally and endowed by their creator (God) unalienable rights such as the right of life, right of liberty and the pursuit of happiness and that the people had the right to alter or abolish a government that did not subscribe to the above. This was in direct response to the king of the Great Britain, and the British government that had entrenched itself and was now oppressive in that the king had constricted the Americans freedom of expression by many at times dissolving the representative house for opposing with firmness his invasions on the rights of the people of America, as well as refusing to assent to laws that were meant to establish judicial powers of which made the judges basically dependent on the kings will alone. (Jefferson, 1821)Among other structures that forms the pillars of democratic societies.

On the other hand the other man that is regarded to have contributed to the successful out come or result of the American war of independence is Thomas Paine, who did develop the crisis pamphlet that was used to inspire the American solders with encouragement and inspirational words in 1776. (Paine, 1775).He is also proclaimed to be the first man to have used the word, the united states of America. In his pamphlet entitled common sense that was developed when the American troops were fighting the British troops at Lexington and Concord in mid 1775, he emphasized on the reasons why America should be independent from the British colony. Citing violation of human rights by the king and the British monarch through oppression, he reiterated how unjust and fooling the monarch system of government was. This document (common sense) is actually said to have paved way for the development of the Declaration of independence described above. In did research now shows that the declaration of independence was actually a draft from Thomas Paine that was developed by Thomas Jefferson.

In his book, common sense, he did criticizes the king of hypocrisy stating that the same constitution that empowers the commons to check the king also give the king more powers to check the former by empowering the king to reject the commons bills, this he proclaims as a mere absurdity in that the king was wiser than those who were supposed to be wiser than him.

Conclusion:

In summery its important to note that whoever much credit to the Declaration of independence is always given to Thomas Jefferson, its clear from the above discussion that Thomas Paine through his literary writings on the book, common sense did provide the basis on which the Declaration of independence was drawn, In fact both writers emphasized on the need for real freedom and respect of the rights of man.

References:

Jefferson, T. (1821) Jefferson’s autobiography with the declaration of independence,

Avlon Publishers.

Paine, T. (1775) Common sense: kessinger publishers