This Declaration poignantly asserted the Colonies’ “inalienable rights” to be independent. These are natural rights of all mankind. It is the responsibility of the government to protect those rights. No longer would King George III dictate what the national citizenry’s sovereignty should decide in the North American colonies.
The Preamble is internationally known and respected. It outlines how the individual and not the Monarchy is independent to act and choose equality, the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. A significant part of the Preamble asserts that the government derives its power from the consent of the governed citizens!
This was a revolutionary concept.
It dared suggest that citizens hold the power to direct government instead of the government holding power to direct the citizens; the individual decides what the State is to do rather than the State deciding what the individual is to do!
In the era of the “divine right of Kings,” this was a treasonous concept.
Our Declaration of Independence stresses the inherent rights of individuals. These rights must not be surrendered or taken away. These inalienable rights confirm the individual is more valuable than the State. When these rights are violated, the Declaration argues it is the duty of the people to alter or abolish a government seeking to remove the role of the citizen and destroy individualism replacing it with onerous State Government regulations.
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