Do you understand the Declaration of Independence beyond the fact that it divorced the American colonies from Great Britain? Today its words seem routine, but it’s hard to overstate how radical those ideas were at the time! Every revolution since America’s has been inspired by the words “all men are created equal.” That idea about universal human rights was rejected by every other society, and considered foolish and risky for a nation’s stability. The Declaration’s theories of government had never been tried, and even some of the signers had their doubts. They were rich men who had everything to lose, and many did.
We hope you enjoy this brief video.
Declaring That All Humans Have Natural Rights
My four-minute video clarifies five points made in the Declaration. Another thing to know is that the Declaration is not a set of laws like the Constitution. Instead, it’s a statement of philosophy. It laid the groundwork for the set of laws in the Constitution, after the colonies prevailed against England.