When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
What does that really mean? Its killing me I can't figure it out
2007-01-13 10:33:13 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Government
Yeah its for my homework but I started reading the whole thing and its pretty interesting yet freakin complicated
2007-01-13 10:46:17 · update #1
ALSOOO... what are the four natural rights?? i can only find life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. whats the fourth one?
2007-01-13 10:51:42 · update #2
a colony has the right by god, to separate from the mother country. But they have to say why they want the separation.
2007-01-13 10:37:57 · answer #1 · answered by Donovan G 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
there comes a time when one group of people (in this case the Americans) needs to break away from another people politically (no longer be part of the British empire).
so they make their own laws, have their own government. This government needs to have equal power that the previous on did (in other words, complete sovereignty).
And when people think a certain way, they need to declare why they want to go their own way.
It's really a bill of divorce against the UK. Some say it's a sign that America has grown up.
It also implies equality of nations, and this equality is natural and no one can do anything about it.
And it is also saying that it's only right that people get what they want (democracy) and shouldn't have troops and laws from far away imposed on them.
It's easier to understand when you realize that some people in London had a right to vote and make their own laws, but those rights were being taken away from the colonies (along with others).
Here the Americans are telling Britain, in a round a bout kind of way "sometimes, things get to a point that you just have to say goodbye".
But it's about more than just the US and the UK. It's about right and wrong, and a group of ideals that the country was founded on. And the meaning of the first paragraph was debated in another war, known as the American Civil War.
FOUR NATURAL RIGHTS: includes property (life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness)
2007-01-13 18:55:48 · answer #2 · answered by dude 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I love it when you kids very obviously post your homework assignments here to be answered, but I'll give this one a shot.
You see, the first part of the Declaration of Independence was a high-minded, very impressive sounded paragraph that begins to lays out of the philosophical case for separation with Britain. "The course of human events" phrase is just simple prose. The "political bands which have connected them with another" is a phrase refering to the colonial ties between Britain and the United States - it furthers Jefferson's view that the American colonies were independent polities and that the Parliament of Great Britain had no authority over them, simply the king. The "Laws of Nature's God" phrase is a phrase whereby Jefferson begins to invoke a higher law - a believe that there is such thing as natural law and that law is not solely created by man. This is the begining of the idea that human beings have certain "unalienable rights." The last phrase "requires that they should declare the causes which impell them to separation" explains the gist of the document - basically that the Declaration was written for the outside world, as a philosophical and political statement to gain recognition from other countries and nations. Jefferson primarily was appealing for French, and to a lesser extent, Spanish aid in the burgeoning struggle against Great Britain.
2007-01-13 18:43:54 · answer #3 · answered by lordbyron39823 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It basically tells England that we, The United States of America, wish to claim our independence from England and King George's taxes and rules and be a country unto itself, and not dominated by the King's army, nor his oppressive justice system. It states that the list of complaints, which are put down in the body of the Declaration of Independence, shall be made known to the world so that the world would know why we seek independence.
At that time, England ruled countries all over the world (the British Empire), the United States being one of them. The Declaration also let the world that they could trade freely with the new nation without having to ask the King's permission or paying the King's duties and taxes.
The forth and most important is the right to defense of self, family, possessions, and country. The right of self-defense is the First Law of Nature.
The King was the giver of life and death, the protector of all under his rule, the controller of commerce, and THE Supreme Being of the Church of England. HE WAS the word of God! His 'Empire' was large (largest of the time) and spread from the tip of Africa to Scotland, from the Atlantic coast of Europe to the South China sea and beyond.
2007-01-13 18:56:18 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It means that, having been victimized by Great Britian and the powers that be in their home country, the colonists, who were citizens of that country, decided that they had the right to be a self-governing unit. Due to the fact that the King and Parliament were raising the taxes of the colonists, without representation.
When reading the D of I, read the whole thing, not just the preamble.
2007-01-13 18:51:59 · answer #5 · answered by chuckufarley2a 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It means that sometimes people have to stand up to a tyrant and break away to form a new government. But this is really serious and drastic and if we expect to be treated like a new nation, we owe it to the rest of the nations of the world to clearly state why we are doing it so they don't think we are just a bunch of lawless yahoos (sorry Yahoo!).
Brilliant and powerful writting!
[Pst- The forth natural right is mentioned in the preamble]
2007-01-13 18:42:15 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
It's a preamble not unlike the constitution's preamble declaring the intent and rational of the document, in this case the intent to declare themselves free and independent of the British Royal Crown. The founding fathers were a wordy bunch.
2007-01-13 19:41:42 · answer #7 · answered by ikeman32 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is talking about a REVOLUTION, disbanding our government by force if necessary . Disbanding those that cause disunity within the people. We are entitled to safety and freedom by the laws of God. We are to respect each others opinions, and declare the the reasons we are disunited. If you keep reading it talks about our rights as humans.
2007-01-13 18:54:35 · answer #8 · answered by fivefootnuttinhuny 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nova is right...it is about the Colonies dissolving their relationship with Great Britain...that is what the Declaration of Independence is, a declaration of Independence from England...
That is all it means!
2007-01-13 18:43:48 · answer #9 · answered by Dana 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
This was a break from the prior belief that government is based on the Bible, alone. Jeffersons belief in natural law and the inherent rights of all mankind.
2007-01-13 18:41:45 · answer #10 · answered by treejamin 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋