Decleration Of Independence

Adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence not only described the natural rights of all men, but also stated the king's "repeated injuries and usurpations" of Americans' rights and liberties. And while the document was written by Thomas Jefferson to set forth the principles upon which Congress had declared the freedom and independence of the thirteen colonies from England, it was also designed to influence public opinion and gain support in both the colonies and abroad. The positive opinion set by the Declaration of Independence later helped the colonies gain relief from France in the war effort against England. Thomas Jefferson knew that, in order to be successful with the document, he needed to make solid arguments against the British. Although many legitimate points were included into the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson took certain liberties with historical truth in the reasoning and "liberties" included in this biased document in order to emphasize the reasoning of colonial independence and gain sympathy from France.

One of the points made by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence was "He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good." Jefferson was referring to the royal veto, which was when legislation passed by the colonial assemblies conflicted with British regulations, such as the Navigation Laws, and was then declared void by the Parliament of England. Although this was greatly resented by the colonists, it was only used 469 times out of 8563 laws passed. And laws such as the Navigation Laws were usually ignored by the colonists anyway. So the royal veto had very little effect on the colonists. Jefferson clearly makes the royal veto seem worse than it was by saying that the king refused to agree with laws that were good for the public while the public didn't even cooperate with many of the laws in the first place. Also, the king did drop many laws such as the Stamp Act when the colonists responded negatively.

Another point made in the Declaration of Independence was "He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage they migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands." One of the things that Thomas Jefferson was referring to in that statement was the Proclamation of 1763. The proclamation was a response to Pontiac's Rebellion and other Indian uprisings. It ordered all colonists to stop colonization to the west of the Appalachian Mountains in order to prevent further Indian hostility. But many angered colonists thought that they deserved the land by the win in the recent war. They totally ignored the proclamation and clogged the westward trails, with over a thousand wagons rolling west. Thomas Jefferson clearly blamed the King for obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners when he was only trying to