Topic > Birth of a Nation - 905

The Birth of a Nation: 1607-1815 It has been said that the Declaration of Independence was more democratic and for equality and the Constitution was more for a republic that only benefited some people. The Declaration was idealistic, the Constitution realistic. That 1776 gave us freedom and 1787 gave us order. While it may seem unfair, this appears to be true. After gaining freedom, this country had to establish a system that would ensure order. When he declared independence, most people thought it would be “…burning the last bridge, becoming traders in the eyes of the motherland.” (Garraty 110). John Dickinson had said, “'Torn from the body to which we are joined by religion, by liberty, by law, by affection, by intercourse, by language, and by commerce, we must bleed from every vein.' “(Garraty 110). People were afraid to break away, they thought: "Where will we find another Britain." “(Garraty 110). Ultimately independence was inevitable. There was great distrust of both Parliament and George III when the colonists learned that the English were sending hired Hessian soldiers to fight against them in the revolution. The pamphlet written by Thomas Paine entitled Common Sense boldly called for complete independence. This reflected his views on George III, calling him a brute and also attacking the very idea of ​​monarchy. “Virtually everyone in the colonies must have read Common Sense or heard it explained and discussed.” (Garraty 110). John Adams dismissed it as something he had said over and over again. “The tone of the debate changed dramatically when Paine's cutting attack took effect.” (Garraty 110). Congress appointed a committee composed of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and many others. “The committee had asked Jefferson to prepare a draft” that would soon become known as the Declaration of Independence. (Garraty 112). It consisted of two parts: an introduction which justified the abstract right of any people to revolt and described the theory on which the Americans based the creation of a new republican government, and a second part which made George III look at, rather than Parliament as the 'bad guy'. “…The king was the personification of the nation against which the nation rebelled.” (Garraty 112). “The Declaration was intended to influence foreign opinion, but it had little immediate effect outside Britain, and there it only made people angry and determined to subdue the rebels.