In the following passage from the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson articulates the ideals on which the United States was founded:
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of HappinessThat to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. 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.
In this passage, Jefferson not only justifies the colonial revolt against Great Britain, but he also lays the foundation for the American belief system. Discuss this passage in relation to post-Revolutionary America. In other words, you should analyze this passage and explain what it means for Americans who feel the government is not securing the unalienable rights of the people. As you discuss this topic, you may want to consider political movements of the past (i.e., abolitionism, the Civil Rights Movement, Womens Rights) and/or current events (gay marriage, the War in Iraq, the electoral college, etc.).
