The Power of the Declaration
Power and The Declaration of Independence There are many abstractions in the Declaration of Independence. These abstractions such as: rights, freedom, liberty and happiness 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 "American 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, and the colonists. The English Dictionary defines power as, "the ability to do or effect something or anything, or to act upon a person or thing". 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. Nearly three hundred years later in 1785 the word power carried the same meani
The uses of the word power set the tone of the Declaration of Independence. Instead, of being an attack on the institutions of English society, the Declaration only attacks the King, the holder of power. The colonists do not blame the people of England or the English Legislature. In the first sentence of the Declaration colonists condemn the King's violation of powers given by God to all men. They sought to disperse power among the states and set up a system of counterbalancing branches of government that would prevent any single branch from having too much power. These two different uses of the word power transform the meaning and tone of the Declaration of Independence. Because the colonist's philosophical break with England was over the power of the King; the framers of the Declaration of Independence sought to prevent a monarchy from arising in the United States. Whether the King or civil authorities have a right to power. In the Declaration of Independence the colonists also write about power as a negative force. The colonist's interpretation of power has serious repercussions on the subsequent formulation of the US government. To make the rocks form into a fence. The colonists perceive, in England power emanates directly from the King. This right finds its foundation on their interpretation of the abstraction of power. Power when mentioned in association with the power of the people to make their own laws has a positive connotation, "He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to Civil power" (Wills 377). Fulfilling his role is not so much his manifestation of his power as the power of English society and its ability to control the colonies and their inhabitants.
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