History of the Declaration of Independence - 738 Words

The Declaration of Independence: A brief history The Declaration of Independence is not a formal, legal document like the U.S. Constitution. However, it is often cited as setting forth the principles of the American system of government and used as a defense of the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the American political discourse. While not officially binding like a body of law, because of its ideological and emotional significance, the Declaration still remains relevant on a symbolic level today. The document has its origins with the Second Continental Congress, which was essentially the government of the United States from 1775 to 1788. Ever since King George III refused to reply to the petition for redress of grievances of the First Continental Congress, the Congress had taken on more and more of the responsibilities of a national government. In June 1775 the Congress established the Continental Army as well as a continental currency. By the end of July of that year, it created a post office for the United Colonies. Tensions continued to build between the crown and the colonists. King George censured the colonists for engaging in open rebellion and employed German mercenaries in preparation for war. Before the Second Congress recessed it appointed a Committee of Five to draft the document that would eventually become known as the Declaration of Independence. This committee consisted of John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman ofShow MoreRelatedHistory of the Declaration of Independence and The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen1175 Words   |  5 Pagesequal nation and government in which power was given to the people and not to a tyrannical figure. Individuals from both of these countries sat down and wrote up a letter of declaration in demand of the freedom that they so rightfully deserved. Both of them won that freedom, as the Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen flourished with success in the late 18th century. ‘How did these two important documents come about’ is the question we should be askingRead MoreThe Declaration Of Independence Is The Founding Document Of American History1362 Words à ‚  |  6 PagesThe Declaration of Independence is the founding document of American history and has been included among one of the best documents to be written in the history of the United States of America. This declaration basically has five parts though not distinctively labeled. These parts are the introduction, preamble, the Indictment of King George III, the denunciation of the British people and the conclusion. The writers of this document are able to pass their message across through the use ofRead MoreAmerican History: Life After the Declaration of Independence 1184 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Since the Declaration of Independence was drafted founding itself on individual privileges and choice, happiness and democracy, a multitude of concerns have kindled the rights disputes that we see making law an active and continually growing and interesting area of interest today. Issues arose included women suffrage, civil equality, slavery, the ability to hold a religious forum, along with many others. And, though the context and times have significantly changed with these concernsRead MoreEssay about American History: The Declaration of Independence1798 Words   |  8 Pages The roots to this unfair treatment start from beginning of history. Although not by the unfairness brought on by the British crown to the colonial Americans, but by the Americans who practiced similar unfairness to those whom they believed to have ownership over. African natives where brought (against their will) and sold here in this country with the belief that the buyers of such people now own them. The Declaration of Independence, signed on July 4th, 1776 (over 200 years ago), states that InRead MoreThoughtful Questions and Answers on the Declaration of Independence for Government or U.S. History985 Words   |  4 Pages1. Jefferson wrote, †¦That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government†¦ Clearly describe three examples from any period of American History when Americans attempted to follow these words. One example of a time that Americans attempted to al ter or change the U.S. Government was during the civil war. At this time, Southern (Confederate) states tried to withdraw from the union. Another exampleRead MoreThe Declaration Of Independence From England880 Words   |  4 Pageseventually become the United States of America, signed the declaration of Independence from England. The declaration pretty much summarized the colonists’ motivation for seeking independence. The 13 colonies want to obtain their independence from England for many reasons. England establishing the Stamp Act was the first major American opposition to the British Policy that led Americans to realize that it was a time for change. By gaining their Independence, American colonists were finally able to confirm anRead MoreThe Declaration Of Independence1330 Words   |  6 Pagesparagraph of the most significant of all American historical documents, the Declaration of Independence. The very theory of natural rights dramatically influenced the conception o f this starting paragraph. Natural rights is a political theory that strongly asserts that each individual who enters into any society possesses certain rights that no government can deny. The Declaration of Independence is a full and formal declaration adopted on July 4, 1776 by the representatives of the thirteen coloniesRead MoreThe Declaration Of Independence : What Shaped And Provided The Freedom The United States Of America1030 Words   |  5 PagesAbstract The declaration of Independence is what shaped and provided the freedom the United States of America has today. The Declaration of Independence today is looked at a symbol for America to reflect on as it paved the way for most of the rights we have today. This document has been fundamental to american history longer than any other text because it was the first text to use â€Å"The United States of America† and in a sense the Declaration was the birth certificate of the American nationRead MoreThe Declaration of Independence: Americas Foundation Essay example1229 Words   |  5 PagesThe issue the Declaration of Independence being a legal document has been up for debate in courts for many years now. Although, the Declaration of Independence clarifies the United States identity as a free nation, it has generated intense controversy. Some feel strongly that it did not clearly define the new powers that the thirteen colonies would acquire and did not define the identity of the United States; while, others firmly believe that without the Declaration of Independence the United StatesRead MoreInfluence Of The Magna Carta789 Words   |  4 Pages 4. The Declaration of Independence is a significant document created to show that the United States was a free and independent country from Great Britain. It was signed on July 4, 1776. The Declaration was mainly written by one of our founding fathers Thomas Jefferson. At the time, the thirteen colonies declared that they wanted independence from Britain. Therefore, they decided to write a document that would declare this separation. There are four parts that outline the Declaration of Independence

Phil .Literature free essay sample

Philippine literary production during the American Period in the Philippines was spurred by two significant developments in education and culture. One is the introduction of free public instruction for all children of school age and two, the use of English as medium of instruction in all levels of education in public schools. Free public education made knowledge and information accessible to a greater number of Filipinos. Those who availed of this education through college were able to improve their social status and joined a good number of educated masses who became part of the country’s middle class. The use of English as medium of instruction introduced Filipinos to Anglo-American modes of thought, culture and life ways that would be embedded not only in the literature produced but also in the psyche of the country’s educated class. It was this educated class that would be the wellspring of a vibrant Philippine Literature in English. Philippine literature in English, as a direct result of American colonization of the country, could not escape being imitative of American models of writing especially during its period of apprenticeship. The poetry written by early poets manifested studied attempts at versification as in the following poem which is proof of the poet’s rather elementary exercise in the English language: Vacation days at last are here, And we have time for fun so dear, All boys and girls do gladly cheer, This welcomed season of the year. In early June in school we’ll meet; A harder task shall we complete And if we fail we must repeat That self same task without retreat. We simply rest to come again To school where boys and girls obtain The Creator’s gift to men Whose sanguine hopes in us remain. Vacation means a time for play For young and old in night and day My wish for all is to be gay, And evil none lead you astray- Juan F. Salazar  Ã‚  Ã‚   Philippines Free Press, May 9, 1909| The poem was anthologized in the first collection of poetry in English,  Filipino Poetry, edited by Rodolfo Dato (1909 – 1924). Among the poets featured in this anthology were Proceso Sebastian Maximo Kalaw, Fernando Maramag, Leopoldo Uichanco, Jose Ledesma, Vicente Callao, Santiago Sevilla, Bernardo Garcia, Francisco Africa, Pablo Anzures, Carlos P. Romulo, Francisco Tonogbanua, Juan Pastrana, Maria Agoncillo, Paz Marquez Benitez, Luis Dato and many others. Another anthology,  The English German  Anthology of Poetsedited by Pablo Laslo was published and covered poets published from 1924-1934 among whom were Teofilo D. Agcaoili, Aurelio Alvero, Horacio de la Costa, Amador T. Daguio, Salvador P. Lopez, Angela Manalang Gloria, Trinidad Tarrosa, Abelardo Subido and Jose Garcia Villa, among others. A third pre-war collection of poetry was edited by Carlos Bulosan,  Chorus for America: Six Philippine Poets. The six poets in this collection were Jose Garcia Villa, Rafael Zulueta da Costa, Rodrigo T. Feria, C. B. Rigor, Cecilio Baroga and Carlos Bulosan. In fiction, the period of apprenticeship in literary writing in English is marked by imitation of the style of storytelling and strict adherence to the craft of the short story as practiced by popular American fictionists. Early short story writers in English were often dubbed as the Andersons or Saroyans or the Hemingways of Philippine letters. Leopoldo Yabes in his study of the Philippine short story in English from 1925 to 1955 points to these models of American fiction exerting profound influence on the early writings of story writers like Francisco Arcellana, A. E. Litiatco, Paz Latorena. .   When the University of the Philippines was founded in 1908, an elite group of writers in English began to exert influence among the culturati. The U. P. Writers Club founded in 1926, had stated that one of its aims was to enhance and propagate the language of Shakespeare. In 1925, Paz Marquez Benitez short story,  Dead Stars  was published and was made the landmark of the maturity of the Filipino writer in English. Soon after Benitez, short story writers began publishing stories no longer imitative of American models. Thus, story writers like Icasiano Calalang, A. E. Litiatco, Arturo Rotor, Lydia Villanueva, Paz Latorena , Manuel Arguilla began publishing stories manifesting both skilled use of the language and a keen Filipino sensibility. This combination of writing in a borrowed tongue while dwelling on Filipino customs and traditions earmarked the literary output of major Filipino fictionists in English during the American period. Thus, the major novels of the period, such as the  Filipino Rebel, by Maximo Kalaw, and  His Native Soil  by Juan C. Laya, are discourses on cultural identity, nationhood and being Filipino done in the English language. Stories such as  How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife  by Manuel Arguilla scanned the scenery as well as the folkways of Ilocandia while N. V. M. Gonzales’s novels and stories such as  Children of the Ash Covered Loam,  present the panorama of Mindoro, in all its customs and traditions while configuring its characters in the human dilemma of nostalgia and poverty. Apart from Arguilla and Gonzales, noted fictionists during the period included Francisco Arcellana, whom Jose Garcia Villa lauded as a genius storyteller, Consorcio Borje, Aida Rivera, Conrado Pedroche, Amador Daguio, Sinai Hamada, Hernando Ocampo, Fernando Maria Guerrero. Jose Garcia Villa himself wrote several short stories but devoted most of his time to poetry. In 1936, when the Philippine Writers League was organized, Filipino writers in English began discussing the value of literature in society. Initiated and led by Salvador P. Lopez, whose essays on  Literature and Societyprovoked debates, the discussion centered on proletarian literature, i. e. , engaged or committed literature versus the art for art’s sake literary orientation. But this discussion curiously left out the issue of colonialism and colonial literature and the whole place of literary writing in English under a colonial set-up that was the Philippines then. With Salvador P. Lopez, the essay in English gained the upper hand in day to day discourse on politics and governance. Polemicists who used to write in Spanish like Claro M. Recto, slowly started using English in the discussion of current events even as newspaper dailies moved away from Spanish reporting into English. Among the essayists, Federico Mangahas had an easy facility with the language and the essay as genre. Other noted essayists during the period were Fernando Maramag, Carlos P. Romulo , Conrado Ramirez. On the other hand, the flowering of a vibrant literary tradition due to historical events did not altogether hamper literary production in the native or indigenous languages. In fact, the early eriod of the 20th century was remarkable for the significant literary output of all major languages in the various literary genre. It was during the early American period that seditious plays, using the form of the zarsuwela, were mounted. Zarsuwelistas Juan Abad, Aurelio Tolentino ,Juan Matapang Cruz. Juan Crisostomo Sotto mounted the classics like  Tanikalang Ginto, Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas  and  Hindi Ako Patay,  all directed against the Amer ican imperialists. Patricio Mariano’s  Anak ng Dagat  and Severino Reyes’s  Walang Sugat  are equally remarkable zarsuwelas staged during the period. On the eve of World War II, Wilfredo Maria Guerrero would gain dominance in theatre through his one-act plays which he toured through his mobile theatre. Thus,  Wanted a Chaperone  and  The Forsaken Housebecame very popular in campuses throughout the archipelago. The novel in Tagalog, Iloko, Hiligaynon and Sugbuanon also developed during the period aided largely by the steady publication of weekly magazines like the  Liwayway,  Bannawag  and  Bisaya  which serialized the novels. Among the early Tagalog novelists of the 20th  century were Ishmael Amado, Valeriano Hernandez Pena, Faustino Aguilar, Lope K. Santos and Lazaro Francisco. Ishmael Amado’s  Bulalakaw ng Pag-asa  published in 1909 was one of the earliest novels that dealt with the theme of American imperialism in the Philippines. The novel, however, was not released from the printing press until 1916, at which time, the author, by his own admission and after having been sent as a  pensionado  to the U. S. , had other ideas apart from those he wrote in the novel. Valeriano Hernandez Pena’s  Nena at Neneng  narrates the story of two women who happened to be best of friends as they cope with their relationships with the men in their lives. Nena succeeds in her married life while Neneng suffers from a stormy marriage because of her jealous husband. Faustino Aguilar published  Pinaglahuan, a love triangle set in the early years of the century when the workers movement was being formed. The novel’s hero, Luis Gatbuhay, is a worker in a printery who isimprisoned  for a false accusation and loses his love, Danding, to his rival Rojalde, son of a wealthy capitalist. Lope K. Santos,  Banaag at Sikat  has almost the same theme and motif as the hero of the novel, Delfin, also falls in love with a rich woman, daughter of a wealthy landlord. The love story of course is set also within the background of development of the worker’s trade union movement and throughout the novel, Santos engages the readers in lengthy treatises and discourses on socialism and capitalism. Many other Tagalog novelists wrote on variations of the same theme, i. e. , the interplay of fate, love and social justice. Among these writers are Inigo Ed Regalado, Roman Reyes, Fausto J. Galauran, Susana de Guzman, Rosario de Guzman-Lingat, Lazaro Francisco, Hilaria Labog, Rosalia Aguinaldo, Amado V. Hernandez. Many of these writers were able to produce three or more novels as Soledad Reyes would bear out in her book which is the result of her dissertation,  Ang Nobelang Tagalog (1979). Among the Iloko writers, noted novelists were Leon Pichay, who was also the region’s poet laureate then, Hermogenes Belen, and Mena Pecson Crisologo whose  Mining wenno Ayat ti Kararwa  is considered to be the Iloko version of a Noli me Tangere. In the Visayas, Magdalena Jalandoni and Ramon Muzones would lead most writers in writing the novels that dwelt on the themes of love, courtship, life in the farmlands, and other social upheavals of the period. Marcel Navarra wrote stories and novels in Sugbuhanon. Poetry in all languages continued to flourish in all regions of the country during the American period. The Tagalogs, hailing Francisco F. Balagtas as the nation’s foremost poet invented the  balagtasan  in his honor. Thebalagtasan  is a debate in verse, a poetical joust done almost spontaneously between protagonists who debate over the pros and cons of an issue. The first  balagtasan  was held in March 1924 at the Instituto de Mujeres, with Jose Corazon de Jesus and Florentino Collantes as rivals, bubuyog (bee) and paru-paro (butterfly) aiming for the love of kampupot (jasmine). It was during this  balagtasan  that Jose Corazon de Jesus, known as  Huseng Batute, emerged triumphant to become the first king of the  Balagtasan. Jose Corazon de Jesus was the finest master of the genre. He was later followed by  balagtasistas, Emilio Mar Antonio and Crescenciano Marquez, who also became King of the  Balagtasan  in their own time. As  Huseng Batute, de Jesus also produced the finest poems and lyrics during the period. His debates with Amado V. Hernandez on the political issue of independence from America and nationhood were mostly done in verse and are testament to the vitality of Tagalog poetry during the era. Lope K.