Free Essays on Self-evident In The Declaration Of Independence

In the â€Å"Declaration of Independence,† Thomas Jefferson uses the phrase â€Å"self-evident† as a necessary modifier for the truths of equality he describes that all men are created equal and that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights. The inclusion of this phrase has a profound effect on Jefferson’s argument for freedom because of what it represents. In the original draft of the â€Å"Declaration of Independence,† it’s obvious that the phrase sacred and undeniable is crossed out and substituted with â€Å"self-evident† (2). Much has been said about Jefferson’s purpose for including the phrase â€Å"self-evident†: to justify American independence in the plainest terms, to place a stronger emphasis on the scientific logic behind equality [by removing the word sacred] or to signify the merging of religious ideals with human reason. Whatever the reason, Jefferson uses it to â€Å"command the attention and assent† of the tyrannical King of England, once arguing that the colonists were â€Å"a free people claiming their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their Chief Magistrate† (1). â€Å"Self-evident† brings validity to the basic truth of universal freedom as it is based on the laws of nature. For Jefferson and his contemporaries, the phrase â€Å"self-evident† characterizes a new way of thinking, and is an expression of â€Å"the philosophy of the natural rights of people in an age when absolute monarchs ruled throughout the world† (1). During this time, Jefferson is a philosopher and supporter of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, â€Å"which saw humanity emerging from the dark ages of superstition toward a more rational and humane future† (3). Further, it is a phrase with a scientific origin, with Rene Descartes having introduced its importance in relation to science (4). The phrase â€Å"self-evident† merely reflects the moral, philosophical and newly adapted scientific ideas of... Free Essays on Self-evident In The Declaration Of Independence Free Essays on Self-evident In The Declaration Of Independence In the â€Å"Declaration of Independence,† Thomas Jefferson uses the phrase â€Å"self-evident† as a necessary modifier for the truths of equality he describes that all men are created equal and that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights. The inclusion of this phrase has a profound effect on Jefferson’s argument for freedom because of what it represents. In the original draft of the â€Å"Declaration of Independence,† it’s obvious that the phrase sacred and undeniable is crossed out and substituted with â€Å"self-evident† (2). Much has been said about Jefferson’s purpose for including the phrase â€Å"self-evident†: to justify American independence in the plainest terms, to place a stronger emphasis on the scientific logic behind equality [by removing the word sacred] or to signify the merging of religious ideals with human reason. Whatever the reason, Jefferson uses it to â€Å"command the attention and assent† of the tyrannical King of England, once arguing that the colonists were â€Å"a free people claiming their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their Chief Magistrate† (1). â€Å"Self-evident† brings validity to the basic truth of universal freedom as it is based on the laws of nature. For Jefferson and his contemporaries, the phrase â€Å"self-evident† characterizes a new way of thinking, and is an expression of â€Å"the philosophy of the natural rights of people in an age when absolute monarchs ruled throughout the world† (1). During this time, Jefferson is a philosopher and supporter of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, â€Å"which saw humanity emerging from the dark ages of superstition toward a more rational and humane future† (3). Further, it is a phrase with a scientific origin, with Rene Descartes having introduced its importance in relation to science (4). The phrase â€Å"self-evident† merely reflects the moral, philosophical and newly adapted scientific ideas of...