I just wrote this for class.
“The Changing Reputation of the Declaration of Independence: The First Fifty Years”. Detweiler, Philip F. The William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd ser., Vol, 19, No. 4 (October, 1962), pp. 557-574.
This article by Philip Detweiler tells the Historiographical history of how the Declaration of Independence was viewed over the first fifty years of American independence. Since it was first signed on July 4, 1776, it was viewed in different ways. The article stresses how the Preamble of the document was originally not viewed as important. The Declaration was seen as merely a “proclamation of independence”. It wasn’t until many years later that it was seen as a document of rights proclaiming “all men are created equal”. Rather, the part of the Declaration stating “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.” was stressed. It was more viewed as the manifesto of grievances with the King of England proclaiming the newly independent United States of America.
The Declaration of Independence was written to explain the break with England. It states that people have a right to revolution if that is the last resort. The document lists 28 different complaints against the King. The complaints are directed against him since h is the figurehead of England who signs all the bills of Parliament. Thomas Jefferson writes he document for the American colonists although it is addressed to the “candid world” and mankind such as Parliament, fellow Britons, and European nations. It was also written for G-d and future generations.
G-d is mentioned four times in the Decoration. Although there is the Deist reference of “Nature’s G-d”, He is also called “Our Creator” and “Supreme Judge”. His Divine Providence is mentioned signifying that he plays an active part in the worldly affairs, which is a Judeo-Christian belief.
The interpretation of the Declaration was subject to party politics starting in the 1790’s when the Federalist and Anti-Federalist (Democratic-Republican) Parties arose. The Federalists didn’t take much notice of the Declaration since Jefferson was an Anti-Federalist. The Federalist Papers served as a commentary on the Constitution but there was no such document commenting on the Declaration. While Jefferson served as President, his political opponents looked down on the Declaration that he had written. It fell victim to party politics.
Eventually, the “all men are created equal” part of the document was stressed. Originally it had meant white, land owning, educated, male voters. It left out Indians, slaves, women, and poor people such as those without land. All of the people left out were denied the right to vote. Over time, “all men are created equal” began to include more and more groups of people. Nowadays it includes just about every citizen above the age of 18.
Thomas Jefferson also was inspire by John Locke in the writing of the Declaration of Independence. When he says “by the pursuit of happiness”, he means that everyone should have the right to own their own house, the right if independence, a family, security, and be self-sufficient. This is the American way.
The article does a good job at telling the history of the Historiographical approach of learning the way the views of Americans towards the Declaration of Independence has changed over time. This Historiographical approach is a very important contribution to the field of early American History. It lets people be aware that the Declaration is not a static document but rather that it is interpreted by the people around in each time period. It is an overall good summary of the subject matter.
Topic: The Declaration of Independence (Read 1582 times)