The Declaration of Independence

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”

The opening line of the Declaration of Independence (beyond the date and the pronouncement that the Declaration is “unanimous”) introduces the purpose of the document: to explain why the colonies are declaring independence. This action is not taken in haste but is done in a proper and deliberate way. It is one of several places in the text that implies independence is sanctioned by a higher power—human events have led the colonists to invoke “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” to dissolve the bond that exists with George III and his government.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

While the Declaration of Independence is in many ways a legal document, it is also a philosophical one. The opening lines of the second paragraph describe the philosophical beliefs of the men who signed the Declaration in terms that imply they are not mere beliefs but indubitable truths. These “truths” echo the philosophy of Locke who believed the social contract requires the government to protect citizens’ life, liberty, and property.

“Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

The Declaration of Independence opens by describing (without ever using the term) the social contract theory. This theory, particularly the one defined by Locke, suggests that governments are formed because people voluntarily choose to leave nature and give up certain rights to secure protection for their life, liberty, and property (or pursuit of happiness in the Declaration).