Democratic ideals in the Declaration of Independence

The goal of this video is to appreciate how ideas of natural rights, social contract, limited government, and popular sovereignty are embedded in America's founding documents. But before we start looking at the documents themselves, let's just make sure we understand the context in which they were written.

As we enter into the mid-1770s, you have the beginning of the American Revolutionary War, which begins in 1775. A little more than a year after the beginning of the war, you have the Second Continental Congress decide to formally declare independence on July 2nd, and the Declaration of Independence, which we will study a bit in this video, is formally approved on July 4th, 1776. This is not when we now celebrate Independence Day, even though some could argue that it was July 2nd.

Now, as soon as the colonies decide that they are independent from the Kingdom of Great Britain, they have to think about how do we govern ourselves? So, within roughly a week, a little more than a week after the Declaration of Independence is approved, they start drafting the Articles of Confederation. Remember, the Revolutionary War is still going on. Eventually, what will be known as the Articles of Confederation go into effect in 1781.

Now, these Articles of Confederation really treat the various colonies as, you could almost view it as, separate states that agree to work together for purposes of getting independence from Great Britain, for purposes of fighting the war, for purposes of diplomacy. Over the course of the next several years, it becomes clear, especially through things like Shay's Rebellion, which we will look at in other videos, that the Articles of Confederation don't provide a strong enough central government.

In May 1787, you have what is called a Constitutional Convention convening. It's presided over by George Washington, who led the Americans in the Revolutionary War, which they eventually will win, as you see. Obviously, we're an independent country now, and the original intent of the Constitutional Convention was to revise the Articles of Confederation. But folks like Madison and Hamilton were really intent on just completely replacing it.

What they replace it with was what is now the U.S. Constitution, which goes into effect in March of 1789. Shortly thereafter, you have the beginning of Washington's two terms. To be clear, the idea of even having a powerful executive, the idea of even having a president, was not present in the Articles of Confederation. That comes with the Constitution.

So, with that context out of the way, let's look at especially the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Here is the beginning of the Declaration of Independence, written by Jefferson and edited by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. I encourage you to pause this video and first try to read it on your own and see if you can identify these ideas of natural rights, limited government, popular sovereignty, republicanism, and social contract.

Okay, let's read this together.

"Now, when in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another," remember, this is a Declaration of Independence. They are dissolving the political bonds with the Kingdom of Great Britain "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."

So, that's starting to refer a little bit to natural rights. "A decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation." They're saying, "Hey, we're writing this document because we're trying to show the rest of mankind why the reasons for which we decide to declare our independence from Great Britain."

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." Let me underline this: "that all men are created equal." "That they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." So, this is a direct reference to natural rights. In fact, the phrase "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," most historians believe, is in direct reference to John Locke's phrase "life, liberty, and property," when he talks about natural rights.

So, this is a direct reference to the Enlightenment ideas or even the pre-Enlightenment ideas of natural rights. "That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." Alright, this is worth underlining as well because they're talking about governments being instituted among men to secure these rights. This is all about social contract.

So, that's social contract: that we form a government in order to secure rights. We might give it some rights, but in exchange, the government has to protect our rights, and they derive their powers from the consent of the governed. So, let me write that; let me underline that actually in a different color: "derive their powers from the consent of the governed." That is popular sovereignty.

Popular—I'll just write as pop sove—popular sovereignty right over here: that the people are the sovereigns. "That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form as to them shall see most likely to affect their safety and happiness."

So, this is more about social contract. They're like, "Look, if a government breaks its social contract, we have a right to replace it." The document also makes reference to organizing its powers in such form, so that's really talking about limited government. They're talking about, "Hey, this government just won't have the absolute right to do anything."

So that right over there is limited government. "Prudence indeed will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes." They're essentially saying, "Look, you shouldn't just overthrow your government on a whim."

"And accordingly, all experience has shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed." So they're saying, "Look, you know, if you're prudent, you wouldn't just overthrow your government on a whim." But they're kind of saying, "We're not so worried about that because history has shown us—experience has shown us—that, if anything, people are more likely to keep suffering even when they should be overthrowing their government."

"But when a long train of abuses and usurpations pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty to throw off such government and to provide new guards for their future security." So they are saying, "Hey look, the Kingdom of Great Britain, they are abusing us; they are usurping power." Usurping is taking something from you that is yours, and so we need to throw off such a government for our own future security.

"And here it says provide new guards for their future security," so this "provide new guards" once again making reference to limited government.