declaration of independance
There are many abstractions in the Declaration of Independence. These abstractions such as: rights, freedom, liberty andhappiness have become the foundations of American society and have helped to shape the "American Identity." Power, another abstraction that reoccurs in all the major parts of the Declaration of Independence plays an equally important role in shaping "America identity." One forgets the abstraction of power, because it appears in relation to other institutions: the legislature, the King, the earth, and the military. The abstraction of power sets the tone of the Declaration, and shapes the colonists conception of government and society. Power in the Declaration of Independence flows from distinct bodies within society such as the King, the legislature, the military, The Oxford English Dictionary defines power as, "the ability to do or effect something or anything, or to act upon a person or thing" (OED 2536). Throughout the ages according to the dictionary the word power has connoted similar meanings. In 1470 the word power meant to have strength and the ability to do something, "With all thair
In contrast more modern thinkers such as Nietzche and Foucault believe power flows throughout all of society (Miller 15). The colonist's definition of power as coercive in the hands of the King and good in the hands of civil authorities identifies the King as the enemy. The colonialists adopt this interpretation of power. To make the rocks form into a fence. In the first sentence of the Declaration colonists condemn the King's violation of powers given by god to all men. It shapes the document's meaning making it philosophically harsh toward the institution of the King and tempered toward English society. They see power as a cruel force that has wedded them to a King who has "a history of repeated injuries and usurptions. In the hands of the King power corrupts in the hands of the colonists and the people it takes on divine qualities. The colonists perceive in England power emanates directly from the King. The colonists believe in the decentralization of power. If the colonists when writing the Declaration of Independence had this conception of power in mind the, the tone of the document would have been much stronger indicting all of English society. The two different uses of the world power also change the tone of the document. The colonists do not blame the people of England or the English legislature. The colonists believe power to be a force that emanates from fixed points in society.
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