Concepts within the Declaration of Independence

Paper Summary:

This paper points out that the idea of democracy in the the Declaration of Independence wasn't new; ancient Greece had been ruled by a modified form of democracy that gave the right to vote to the upper echelons of male citizens. The paper explains that the ideas upon which the Declaration of Independence began with discoveries in science that revealed that our physical world was governed by predictable rules, by cause and effect. The author believes that John Locke had the most profound effect on the thinking of the men who would eventually shape the Constitution of the United States.

From the Paper:

"In reports of the events leading up to the American Revolution, the King of England is often depicted as a dictator who pronounced law as he saw fit based on his absolute power. However, the notion of a monarch with absolute power was not the standard for most of European history. The agreement signed after the Norman victory in 1066 required that the King share some of his power with representatives from the nobility. The idea that kings ruled by divine right was put forth by Jean Bodin in 1576 and embraced by James I of England. Oliver Cromwell embraced the idea and dissolved the Parliament, which although not a true democracy, provided some checks and balances for the ruler."

More papers on Concepts within the Declaration of Independence:

• Book Review # 134739 : "About the Declaration of Independence"
• Analytical Essay # 144505 : "The Declaration of Independence"
• Analytical Essay # 137075 : "Freedom and Equality in Nineteenth Century America"

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