Introduction
How important is the language of the Declaration of Independence in contributing to us living well together in a well-organized society?
The Declaration of Independence is a document crafted by our Founding Fathers—some having more influence than others—to form a basis for the Thirteen Colonies’ independence from Great Britain. Our class has analyzed this document to ultimately discover how it has affected American society, even today. We examined the different modes of persuasion–logos, ethos, and pathos–used in this text, looked at the changes made between the different versions of the document, read poems, and an article made recently that conveyed how parts of the Declaration are seen by Americans today. We have undergone all of this analysis with the goal of answering the question: How important is the language of the Declaration of Independence in contributing to us living well together in a well-organized society?
Firstly, we analyzed the Declaration by reading through it multiple times and examining what the document did at surface level. We split up the Declaration into small summaries and five points so we could pinpoint what the document was arguing. After this, we wanted to find out why this document was so convincing, and we were introduced to the three modes of persuasion: logos (logically appealing), ethos (the authority/credibility of the speaker or author), and pathos (emotionally appealing). After this, we were able to see that the Declaration fit into all three categories in some way. The document was set up in a logical manner by its essay-like order where a claim is stated, argued, a great deal of evidence is shown, and a conclusion completes it. One way that the authority of the author may have been shown was through the word choice of the document because the complex words implied that the writer had a very good education. Most of the emotional appeal in this document came from the use of ‘God’ and ‘Creator’ to support the document’s argument, as the majority of colonists and British would have been Christian at this time.
After this, we began to look at different versions and drafts of the document. The other versions shared little variation from the document today, but a huge variation in meaning and, possibly, how our society views the document today. A printing of the Declaration had been done by a woman named Katherine Goddard, who proudly put her name at the bottom of the document. If this had been the final document, we would be able to say that a woman’s name is indeed on our Declaration of Independence. Although the words “Printed by Katherine Goddard” would not have granted women the right to vote any sooner than they did, it is a possibility that this may have inspired more women to speak up and use the Declaration as the reason why they should be heard. This, however, was just one of many prints and drafts, all of which would have created a different society in present-day America. Other versions of the Document included an emphasis on God, an emphasis on the evils of slavery, and small word choices that change its connotation. For instance, the final document has the words: “We hold these truths be self-evident”, whereas Jefferson’s original draft stated: “We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable.” Although ‘self-evident’ and ‘sacred and undeniable’ have the same literal meaning, it’s the connotation that counts. Self-evident powerfully combines the words ‘sacred and undeniable’ while maintaining the flow of the document.
We then moved on to recent works of writing based upon the Declaration. One piece we had read was a poem by Tracy K. Smith, titled “Declaration”, that split up the document and only showed small excerpts of the Declaration. Keeping the parts of Declaration that described King George’s faults without explicitly saying King of Britain, we could apply the words and evidence used in the Declaration to certain people or forces that are apparent in today’s society. After all of this, it was up to each of us to formulate our own analysis of the document, focusing on one certain aspect. Smith’s poem, and some conversations I've had with my Dad about American society today, really got me interested in how this document has lead Americans to have such a powerful energy and will to fight.
Process
Discuss the
main question
Decide to focus on the 'call to action'
Write each section and find the best pictures to use in the final product.
Create rough draft of product
Create outline
Research historical context of the Declaration
Edit
&
Finalize!
Product
Product
click on any image to open PDF
My rough draft was just me trying to decide on which pieces of the Declaration I'd like to include, what font to put them in, and where they should be placed before I found pictures to put underneath them.
For my outline, I highlighted what I felt to be the most important parts of the instructions and I created listed bullet points of what I would write in each section.
The object of my product was to show the freedoms the Declaration was asking for from the British, how their duty is to fight back against a cause that is prohibiting them from exercising their freedoms, and how the Colonists' duty to fight is present in Americans today.
The picture at the top is a painting of the battle at Lexington and Concord, the beginning of the American Revolution. This battle took place in 1775; a year before the final Declaration of Independence is officially published. While the Declaration was being made, the British were planning to send their troops for the next battle. It is important for an army to be united before fighting a war, so our Declaration of Independence came to be. It was so important that this document unified the Colonists and not just to prove to the British that all Colonists support their separation. They needed to inspire the Colonists to band together and physically fight back against the British.
Below "We the people…" is a picture from a 1968 strike during the Civil Rights movement. The phrase "I am a Man" would actually connect back to the Declaration, as it states that all men are created equal with certain unalienable rights. Below the picture is the quote "Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes", the infringement on human rights is a major cause for action—which is also argued in the Declaration. The sign's messages actually show how American the protestors are for exercising their rights and duties stated in the Declaration. The final picture is from the Women's March of 2018.
Reflection
Overall, analyzing the Declaration has ended up giving me more insight about our country and why it is the way it is. The goal of this document was to tell Britain and the King why they are separating themselves from their rule. At surface level, the document may be a little difficult to read, but definitely convincing. After our in-depth analysis, it was apparent that the Declaration hit every point it needed in order to create a convincing, timeless, and powerful document. We perceive this document to be so convincing because of its words and the way they are organized. After applying some historical context and talking with others, I have realized what situation the writers were in when creating this document and how this affected what they were writing. The Colonists needed to be united under one message, and fast. British ships were heading for New York and a year had already passed from the battle at Lexington and Concord. What Colonists needed was a call to action, and that call to action was the Declaration. Nowadays, to paraphrase my father, Americans are “always” protesting or fighting something. Although we are not in the same dire situation that Colonists were in hundreds of years ago, we are affected by that same call to action. Many people would say that this document is a part of the foundation for our country, and when you have a call to action—a document that sparks patriotism and a need to fight into its readers and listeners—you will have a country that holds all of that passionate, heated energy and direct it towards anyone who is believed to be infringing on the ideals of our great country.