The Declaration of Independence Analysis

The famous line "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that.....", first written by Thomas Jefferson, brings opposition and support from diverse groups of people. The majority of Americans admire the efforts of Jefferson and many times reference the document as proud citizens. From the surface, Jefferson's Declaration of Independence seems like well-crafted document that won American independence from the British. When taking a second look and understanding the course of history, it becomes clear to see how Jefferson's self-evident truths were extremely contradictory. During a time when the slave trade was reaching new heights and the bulk of men immigrating to the Americas from England were not expecting to work, it is apparent that no one believed all men were born with certain unalienable rights. Jefferson's document is flawed in another aspect in that it never references the rights given to women, men are the only ones that seem to matter.

In 1776, every successful man in the south owned at least one slave. In the north, slavery wasn't as developed but it still existed in some families. Jefferson himself was a wealthy Virginian who owned multiple slaves. The way the slaves were treated: they were not created equal; they were not guaranteed their God-given rights; they were not able to give voice in government; they were not able to abolish the system and create a new way of life that would effect their safety and happiness. The founding principles of America only apply to white settlers in this contradictory situation. Jefferson lost credibility by setting up such an important document on a lie. If slavery didn't exist in the colonies or it was a form of indentured servitude, the self-evident truths would hold more weight by involving a broader population. Even a note that the self-evident truths only applied to the whites in the colonies would have awarded Jefferson with more believability by displaying honesty.

When listing the self-evident truths, the word "she" cannot be found. Instead of using a more inclusive tern such as individuals or people, Jefferson only utilizes men. Although women were widely viewed as inferior to men, the addition of them in such an important text could have shown the British government that the colonists were evolving and deserving of independence. Women were forced to endure the policies enforced by Parliament just as men were and deserve to have the same rights as men. The sexist thinking of the era does not excuse the exclusion of women from the document. Jefferson did not necessarily have to use the word "women" but by using such a limiting term, he loses respect from anyone who views a woman as equal competition.

The Declaration of Independence is indeed a great document and without it America would not be the place it is today, but it could have been more powerful if Jefferson would have been more honest and considerate.