FD Article #4
by Phil Hider
In my previous article on the Constitutional Republic, I indicated that there is no such historical document as The Declaration of Independence. That is another of the myths and fables of our abysmal educational system that we are attempting to rectify in this column. See my article, Founding Defenders #1, for an explanation of the use of language. The correct title and the origin of the document that declared the separation of the colonies from the British Monarchy are given below.
by Phil Hider
In my previous article on the Constitutional Republic, I indicated that there is no such historical document as The Declaration of Independence. That is another of the myths and fables of our abysmal educational system that we are attempting to rectify in this column. See my article, Founding Defenders #1, for an explanation of the use of language. The correct title and the origin of the document that declared the separation of the colonies from the British Monarchy are given below.
We have to remember that the Founding Fathers were a remarkable group of intelligent, wise and educated people, the like of which has not been seen before or since. They were familiar with human history and human nature, spoke many languages, and understood the English language better than almost anybody in America today. When they used words, they knew the full implication of those words, and were very careful in selecting the words they used to convey their ideas. Much of the confusion, or total misunderstanding, of the rights and responsibilities of the people and government, come from, among others; a poor knowledge of our language, verbal shortcuts, and lack of research by those who teach. When reading the various works of the Founding Fathers, every word has to be read, and fully understood!
The document that declares the separation of the United States from The British Monarchy is titled, “The Unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America”. It was drafted by a “Committee of Five”, led by Thomas Jefferson. The other members of the team were; Ben Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman. This document drew upon the Virginia Declaration of Rights, drafted by George Mason which was adopted June 12th, 1776. Both the Virginia Declaration and the Unanimous Declaration were based entirely on the work of the British philosopher, John Locke and his 2nd Treatise of Government, published in 1690.
John Locke was considered by his contemporaries as possibly the greatest philosopher of all times, including the ancient Greeks. The first and a majority of, the signatures were appended to the Unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America on August 2nd 1776. The final signature was appended in 1781. The document was therefore unsigned when published on July 4th, 1776.
The Unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America is one of the most articulate documents ever created. It transformed the ensuing war of independence from being a terrorist action into a legitimate act of survival. The actual statement of independence is contained in the last few lines of this lengthy document.
The declaration of independence is a philosophy and should be written with lower case letters as there is no such historic document of this title. The verbal shortcut concerning the document title causes subtle problems. Today, the world is fully aware that the USA is an independent and sovereign nation. Thus, the shortcut title is misleading, as it leads one to believe that there is little else of importance in the document. The longer title suggests that there is more. Indeed, it states that all of the words in the declaration are the unanimous beliefs and understanding of all of the founding states. It includes the statement;
The document that declares the separation of the United States from The British Monarchy is titled, “The Unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America”. It was drafted by a “Committee of Five”, led by Thomas Jefferson. The other members of the team were; Ben Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman. This document drew upon the Virginia Declaration of Rights, drafted by George Mason which was adopted June 12th, 1776. Both the Virginia Declaration and the Unanimous Declaration were based entirely on the work of the British philosopher, John Locke and his 2nd Treatise of Government, published in 1690.
John Locke was considered by his contemporaries as possibly the greatest philosopher of all times, including the ancient Greeks. The first and a majority of, the signatures were appended to the Unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America on August 2nd 1776. The final signature was appended in 1781. The document was therefore unsigned when published on July 4th, 1776.
The Unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America is one of the most articulate documents ever created. It transformed the ensuing war of independence from being a terrorist action into a legitimate act of survival. The actual statement of independence is contained in the last few lines of this lengthy document.
The declaration of independence is a philosophy and should be written with lower case letters as there is no such historic document of this title. The verbal shortcut concerning the document title causes subtle problems. Today, the world is fully aware that the USA is an independent and sovereign nation. Thus, the shortcut title is misleading, as it leads one to believe that there is little else of importance in the document. The longer title suggests that there is more. Indeed, it states that all of the words in the declaration are the unanimous beliefs and understanding of all of the founding states. It includes the statement;
“We hold these truths to be self evident, 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”.
This is an incredibly powerful, in-depth statement. Today it affects individual U.S. citizens far more than any other part of this document or perhaps any other document. It is because of this statement that it took a decade and a half to finally ratify the Constitution, and it generated the Bill of Rights. More on this in future articles.
The first few words, “We hold these truths to be self evident”, make it clear to the reader that the following facts should be as obvious to the reader as they are to the document writers and signers. “That all men are created equal”. A truly remarkable statement in a land of slavery. Was it the first step by the Founding Fathers to rid this nation of slavery? Was it something they slipped in, knowing that such an action was not possible then, but if they could sneak this phrase in unnoticed, it would have the desired impact in the future, long after they were gone? Read John Locke on the subject, who used similar but subtly different wording. In any case, it should have obviated the need for the 13th and the 19th constitutional amendments. “Endowed by their Creator”. To “endow” is to provide a permanent settlement. i.e. to provide in perpetuity, forever. “by their Creator” leaves us in no doubt that these are God given rights, not the whim of government. “certain unalienable” conveys the existence of Specific or certain rights from which “all men” cannot be alienated, separated, or transferred. Thus these rights cannot be taken from citizens in any way by anybody, or even forfeited, as they do not belong to any one person exclusively, thus denying forfeiture.
The Supreme Court ruled, during the Eisenhower administration, that:
The first few words, “We hold these truths to be self evident”, make it clear to the reader that the following facts should be as obvious to the reader as they are to the document writers and signers. “That all men are created equal”. A truly remarkable statement in a land of slavery. Was it the first step by the Founding Fathers to rid this nation of slavery? Was it something they slipped in, knowing that such an action was not possible then, but if they could sneak this phrase in unnoticed, it would have the desired impact in the future, long after they were gone? Read John Locke on the subject, who used similar but subtly different wording. In any case, it should have obviated the need for the 13th and the 19th constitutional amendments. “Endowed by their Creator”. To “endow” is to provide a permanent settlement. i.e. to provide in perpetuity, forever. “by their Creator” leaves us in no doubt that these are God given rights, not the whim of government. “certain unalienable” conveys the existence of Specific or certain rights from which “all men” cannot be alienated, separated, or transferred. Thus these rights cannot be taken from citizens in any way by anybody, or even forfeited, as they do not belong to any one person exclusively, thus denying forfeiture.
The Supreme Court ruled, during the Eisenhower administration, that:
“The Constitution supersedes all treaties ratified by the United States Senate. …”. Additionally, the same ruling continues, “… The concept that the Bill of Rights and other constitutional protections against arbitrary government are inoperant when they become inconvenient or when expediency dictates otherwise is a very dangerous doctrine and if allowed to flourish would destroy the benefit of a written Constitution and undermine the basis of our government..”
Some pretty powerful statements. The only problem was that these unalienable rights were not specified or “enumerated”. Those unalienable rights were enumerated in the Bill of Rights as the first ten amendments. They do not give United States citizens those rights but admonish all governments that those enumerated rights are God given for eternity..