The Founding Principles of the Declaration of Independence
Introduction and Preamble
America is a country different from the rest of the world. So very different, that those inside the country have no idea how unusual we are, and those outside the country - while they see that something is different - have no real comprehension of what it is that is so very different.
Indeed, we cannot even move past the introductory clause and preamble of the Declaration of Independence before we run headlong into the first evidences of this difference.
"The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."
In essence, this was not an insurrection, nor a revolt, nor a declaration of war, nor the substitution of a new monarch for a prior monarch -- all the "standard" historical steps taken when a sub-group decides it is time for a change of governance. Nor was it the type of group that historically breaks away - either a disenchanted oligarchical grouping, or a disaffected peasant uprising. Nor were they "fed up" and determined to strike baldly out on their own. Nor yet were they even setting up a new country!
So, this was a unanimous statement by thirteen very different colonies, based on the opinion of a wide swath of the populace - from shop-keepers to small farmers to wealthy landowners, that since their rightful status as loyal, true, and full British subjects was being ignored by the Crown, that they had NO OTHER CHOICE than to dissolve their allegiance to their sovereign. Why? Because above their allegiance to their sovereign king was their allegiance to their Sovereign And King - God - and duty to Him comes before all earthly duties. (You don't believe in God - or doubt Him? That's fine - but in Colonial America that was an extremely rare view (after all, most of the colonies were founded by those who took their faith so seriously that they were willing to abandon everything they had, to begin again here, and practice their faith freely). So even if you personally disagree, please understand this was the viewpoint of the Colonies in 1776, not your viewpoint of today.) From the first sentence of the Declaration, the united States were acting in a fashion the world had not seen before.
"...in the course of human events" -- here they state their understanding of the vast panoply of human history, and see themselves as figuring in that long story. In their view, it had become necessary -- needful -- required -- no longer optional -- to dissolve the allegiance to Great Britain. Why? Because the Laws of Nature, and of Nature's God, entitled them to assume a separate and equal station to the other political powers of earth.
William Blackstone (Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England; 1803) confirms that Natural Law is the only reliable basis for justice and a stable society. But what are the "laws of Nature and of Nature's God" - and what do those have to do with breaking away from England?
We need to go farther back in time, to Marcus Tullius Cicero. Please recall that in the late 1700's, every one who had any schooling past the most rudimentary studied the classical writers. For the most part, those studies were in the original languages (Greek and Latin). This certainly applied to American statesmen of the time (many of whom did those studies as children, home-schooled, as their families could not afford to send them off to school in England).
Cicero studied law and philosophy. By profession he was a lawyer, and at one point rose to the office of Roman Consul - the highest office of state. He resisted the progression of Rome from Republic to Empire (and was eventually murdered for his trouble). He certainly understood the machinations of power.
In pagan Rome, Cicero was able to deduce the existence of a Supreme Creator (to him, possibly the creator of Rome's many gods). He determined that, once the existence of a Creator is established, that the only approach to government and justice that would ultimately work (i.e., not implode due to its internal essential contradictions) is one where reason is in agreement with Nature - by which he meant that Supreme Creator, and the rules He wrote into the structure of the cosmos.
In the physical world, we cannot argue with this point. No matter how many laws are passed, gravity will not be over-ruled. Pi will never equal three. Even if optical illusions seem to show otherwise, water always flows down hill. The nuclear reactions at the heart of our sun cannot be put on "pause" even for a millisecond.
Cicero's postulate is that, unless government is obedient to the unchangeable laws of God's reason and universal structure, it will ultimately fail: outside of Natural Law, no structure can stand, no structure can last.
The preamble ends with a promise to declare the causes that impel (moral pressure to take action; again a reference to Natural Law) the separation just declared.
©2014 by the author
Indeed, we cannot even move past the introductory clause and preamble of the Declaration of Independence before we run headlong into the first evidences of this difference.
"The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."
In essence, this was not an insurrection, nor a revolt, nor a declaration of war, nor the substitution of a new monarch for a prior monarch -- all the "standard" historical steps taken when a sub-group decides it is time for a change of governance. Nor was it the type of group that historically breaks away - either a disenchanted oligarchical grouping, or a disaffected peasant uprising. Nor were they "fed up" and determined to strike baldly out on their own. Nor yet were they even setting up a new country!
- Unanimous -- every one of the thirteen states was in agreement.
- Declaration -- formal statement.
- united States -- the thirteen States were united - yet they saw themselves as thirteen individual and independent States, and not as one new country. While they would act in concert in this separation, they retained their individual identities as separate sovereign jurisdictions.
So, this was a unanimous statement by thirteen very different colonies, based on the opinion of a wide swath of the populace - from shop-keepers to small farmers to wealthy landowners, that since their rightful status as loyal, true, and full British subjects was being ignored by the Crown, that they had NO OTHER CHOICE than to dissolve their allegiance to their sovereign. Why? Because above their allegiance to their sovereign king was their allegiance to their Sovereign And King - God - and duty to Him comes before all earthly duties. (You don't believe in God - or doubt Him? That's fine - but in Colonial America that was an extremely rare view (after all, most of the colonies were founded by those who took their faith so seriously that they were willing to abandon everything they had, to begin again here, and practice their faith freely). So even if you personally disagree, please understand this was the viewpoint of the Colonies in 1776, not your viewpoint of today.) From the first sentence of the Declaration, the united States were acting in a fashion the world had not seen before.
"...in the course of human events" -- here they state their understanding of the vast panoply of human history, and see themselves as figuring in that long story. In their view, it had become necessary -- needful -- required -- no longer optional -- to dissolve the allegiance to Great Britain. Why? Because the Laws of Nature, and of Nature's God, entitled them to assume a separate and equal station to the other political powers of earth.
William Blackstone (Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England; 1803) confirms that Natural Law is the only reliable basis for justice and a stable society. But what are the "laws of Nature and of Nature's God" - and what do those have to do with breaking away from England?
We need to go farther back in time, to Marcus Tullius Cicero. Please recall that in the late 1700's, every one who had any schooling past the most rudimentary studied the classical writers. For the most part, those studies were in the original languages (Greek and Latin). This certainly applied to American statesmen of the time (many of whom did those studies as children, home-schooled, as their families could not afford to send them off to school in England).
Cicero studied law and philosophy. By profession he was a lawyer, and at one point rose to the office of Roman Consul - the highest office of state. He resisted the progression of Rome from Republic to Empire (and was eventually murdered for his trouble). He certainly understood the machinations of power.
In pagan Rome, Cicero was able to deduce the existence of a Supreme Creator (to him, possibly the creator of Rome's many gods). He determined that, once the existence of a Creator is established, that the only approach to government and justice that would ultimately work (i.e., not implode due to its internal essential contradictions) is one where reason is in agreement with Nature - by which he meant that Supreme Creator, and the rules He wrote into the structure of the cosmos.
In the physical world, we cannot argue with this point. No matter how many laws are passed, gravity will not be over-ruled. Pi will never equal three. Even if optical illusions seem to show otherwise, water always flows down hill. The nuclear reactions at the heart of our sun cannot be put on "pause" even for a millisecond.
Cicero's postulate is that, unless government is obedient to the unchangeable laws of God's reason and universal structure, it will ultimately fail: outside of Natural Law, no structure can stand, no structure can last.
The preamble ends with a promise to declare the causes that impel (moral pressure to take action; again a reference to Natural Law) the separation just declared.
©2014 by the author