Smolenic Anda Manuela, Second Year, Group 4

Opinion on Thomas Jeffersons Declaration

Of Independence

Liberation brings to mind the image of people enjoying their natural birth
rights, free from control and obligations. The Declaration of Independence was
written in order to separate the colonies from the British Crown, and to impose a
new democratic government in order to protect the peoples rights, among these
are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
I do not agree with Jefferson because upon examining this document, I
noticed that the natural rights and freedoms were only applicable to the white
males of America and did not include women and slaves. The People were
actually the white male land owners, such as Thomas Jefferson himself.
Nowhere in this document does it adress the improvement of the treatment of
women and slaves. Liberation? The Declaration of Independence din nothing to
improve the lives of anyone besides the white males of the colonies, hardly
something to consider a true liberation.
The Declaration strived to establish all men as possessing equal rights and
freedoms that must be protected by a democratic government in order to create
a liberated society for all mankind. On paper this seemed like the perfect
solutin for the wellbeing of all american citizens, but the term all mankind
actually means all white males. At the time when this Declaration was written,
slaves were not seen as people but as property. Jefferson himself was a slave
owner. The natural rights and freedoms were something completely foreign to
the slaves. The terminology in the Declaration contradicts its true meaning.
The colonist were fearful of another overpowered monarch like King George III
when establishing their own government, and this ideal was intended to give
more control to the general people, and allow them to have a large influence on
the government system. Yet, in this time period, the term the people, was not
actually referring to all members of the colonies. womens safety and happiness
was definitely not protected by their government run by the white male elites.
The ideals expressed in the declaration regarding the peoples right to abolish
unjust government, excluded the entire gender of women. Women were regarded
as inferior to the white males who controlled government and devised the
Declaration in their favor.
The ideals presented in The Declaration of Independence laid the foundation for
an ideal government, separate from British control with a purpose of protecting
the happiness of American citizens. It is ironic how the founders of America used
the term the people so prevalently when referring to the protection of natural
and equal rights. I believe they should have used the phrase white males
owning a significant amount of land instead. The lives of the women and slaves
in the colonies were extremely unfair and they definitely did not have lieberties

Smolenic Anda Manuela, Second Year, Group 4

equivalent to the ones of the white males. The ideals presented, were just that
ideals because they differ greatly from the realities expericed by women and
slaves.
In conclusion I do not agree with Thomas Jefferson because the way I see it he
wrote the Declaration of Independence having in mind only the interests of the
white, land owner males like himself and completely disreagarded the women,
the slaves and the less fortunate.