What you might not know about the Declaration of Independence - Kenneth C. Davis
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Date: 2020-08-22
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Comments and reviews: 10
R. a.
You make a video that just asks one question. Why? Well, let me answer that. First yes it is true slavery existed at our founding, and it was here well before, in fact it was a system that existed long before Columbus ever dreamed of finding what would become America. Slavery in fact still exists today in the middle east. But our framers still needed the southern states to united to form this federal government. There's no way that our framers could have established our country and abolished slavery all at the same time. The southern states would have never ratified the Constitution. Our framers didn't choose the system they where born in. Thomas Jefferson himself didn't like it. Little known fact if you where rich you had servants. But if you had debt you couldn't free them. You had to keep them until you paid off your debts or died. Because slaves are not technically cheap to own well. but that was how King George ruled over the colonies. Another hat tip slavery didn't become a central issue until the early 1860's. Slavery was an issue, but taxes to soutern imports was a far bigger driver of the civil war then slaves. Good old Abe saw this as a vantage point. He didn't really care about slavery as much as he cared about keeping the country togther. Around this same time the government purchased more territory in the west and they didnt desire for slavery to spread, and so good old Abe did care apperantly some. but it's not your 4th grade text book version I am sure. Do they even bother to teach any of this anymore? I kinda doubt it. As often in times the winner of wars gets to write the history. civil war was no exception.
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You make a video that just asks one question. Why? Well, let me answer that. First yes it is true slavery existed at our founding, and it was here well before, in fact it was a system that existed long before Columbus ever dreamed of finding what would become America. Slavery in fact still exists today in the middle east. But our framers still needed the southern states to united to form this federal government. There's no way that our framers could have established our country and abolished slavery all at the same time. The southern states would have never ratified the Constitution. Our framers didn't choose the system they where born in. Thomas Jefferson himself didn't like it. Little known fact if you where rich you had servants. But if you had debt you couldn't free them. You had to keep them until you paid off your debts or died. Because slaves are not technically cheap to own well. but that was how King George ruled over the colonies. Another hat tip slavery didn't become a central issue until the early 1860's. Slavery was an issue, but taxes to soutern imports was a far bigger driver of the civil war then slaves. Good old Abe saw this as a vantage point. He didn't really care about slavery as much as he cared about keeping the country togther. Around this same time the government purchased more territory in the west and they didnt desire for slavery to spread, and so good old Abe did care apperantly some. but it's not your 4th grade text book version I am sure. Do they even bother to teach any of this anymore? I kinda doubt it. As often in times the winner of wars gets to write the history. civil war was no exception.
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Troy
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 Natures God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to separation. 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 pusuit of Happiness. - - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, - - That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to rught themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
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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 Natures God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to separation. 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 pusuit of Happiness. - - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, - - That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to rught themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
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Daniel
Thank you for clarifying that the American Declaration of Independence was actually signed on July 2, 1776 and not on Jully 4th. A commitee of five was formed several months before and they drafted Thomas Paine to write the Declaration. He did so, and delivered it to the Continental Congress where John Hancock and the Secretary signed and approved it. Both Jefferson and Adams made a copy of it. Subsequently about three hundred copies were made in what we call the Dunlop Copies with the July 4th date and distributed to the other colonies for their approval. A note from John Adams has recently surfaced which reads: A beginning perhaps- Original with Jefferson- Copied from original with T. P. 's (Thomas Paine) permission. Also computer analysis has proved that Thomas Paine and not Jefferson was the true author of this most important document.
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Thank you for clarifying that the American Declaration of Independence was actually signed on July 2, 1776 and not on Jully 4th. A commitee of five was formed several months before and they drafted Thomas Paine to write the Declaration. He did so, and delivered it to the Continental Congress where John Hancock and the Secretary signed and approved it. Both Jefferson and Adams made a copy of it. Subsequently about three hundred copies were made in what we call the Dunlop Copies with the July 4th date and distributed to the other colonies for their approval. A note from John Adams has recently surfaced which reads: A beginning perhaps- Original with Jefferson- Copied from original with T. P. 's (Thomas Paine) permission. Also computer analysis has proved that Thomas Paine and not Jefferson was the true author of this most important document.
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Gabe
The slavery bit is so wildly wrong that's baffling: NOT A SINGLE NOTHERNER liked slavery one bit and they wanted the slavery be denounced in the Declaration of Independence. That bit got stopped because:
1) Virginia and the rest of the South were economic powerhouses (say whatever you want about NY, but it was Virginia making the dosh back then) when compared to the rest of the Colonies,
2) They thought that, with industrialization and newly granted freedoms, slavery would've died out naturally in a decade or two, so it wasn't an essential point to contest in a Nation that was really fragile back then. You can read Washington's memoirs about that to confirm that, even Franklin's letters confirm so.
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The slavery bit is so wildly wrong that's baffling: NOT A SINGLE NOTHERNER liked slavery one bit and they wanted the slavery be denounced in the Declaration of Independence. That bit got stopped because:
1) Virginia and the rest of the South were economic powerhouses (say whatever you want about NY, but it was Virginia making the dosh back then) when compared to the rest of the Colonies,
2) They thought that, with industrialization and newly granted freedoms, slavery would've died out naturally in a decade or two, so it wasn't an essential point to contest in a Nation that was really fragile back then. You can read Washington's memoirs about that to confirm that, even Franklin's letters confirm so.
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John
This is so inaccurate it isn't even close to reality. The reason they removed Jefferson's passage was because it stated it was King George's fault the Americans owned slaves. It was written in such a way that it would either have needed substantial revisions or needed to be removed.
It wasn't that the framers didn't care about slavery, it was that Jefferson wrote something so inaccurate about the situation that it would have been a joke to include it.
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This is so inaccurate it isn't even close to reality. The reason they removed Jefferson's passage was because it stated it was King George's fault the Americans owned slaves. It was written in such a way that it would either have needed substantial revisions or needed to be removed.
It wasn't that the framers didn't care about slavery, it was that Jefferson wrote something so inaccurate about the situation that it would have been a joke to include it.
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Sam
Slavery was put to the side and tabled because the founders knew that the issue would divide them. What they were focused on during the revolution was victory eventually slavery could no longer be ignored and then the civil war happened. America, simply put, was fighting for survival in being recognized as a country even up to the war of 1812 and beyond but after time as we grew more powerful we had the strength to abololish slavery.
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Slavery was put to the side and tabled because the founders knew that the issue would divide them. What they were focused on during the revolution was victory eventually slavery could no longer be ignored and then the civil war happened. America, simply put, was fighting for survival in being recognized as a country even up to the war of 1812 and beyond but after time as we grew more powerful we had the strength to abololish slavery.
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Neil
'What you might know about the Declaration of Independence' is that there was no war with England.
Read the Declaration - it's Great Britain.
The flag in your cartoon isn't England - it's Great Britain.
England isn't mentioned anywhere in your Declaration.
You then show the flag of the United Kingdom later in the cartoon which didn't exist at the time.
Try and get the facts right please.
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'What you might know about the Declaration of Independence' is that there was no war with England.
Read the Declaration - it's Great Britain.
The flag in your cartoon isn't England - it's Great Britain.
England isn't mentioned anywhere in your Declaration.
You then show the flag of the United Kingdom later in the cartoon which didn't exist at the time.
Try and get the facts right please.
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Andy
This video simplifies a much more complex argument. When they say Congress didn't want the mention of slavery in the Declaration, it almost leads one to believe that that was a unanimous decision. It needs to be explained that this was a huge argument between the northern and southern colonies. Removing slavery from the Declaration was a concession by the north in order to insure ratification from the south.
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This video simplifies a much more complex argument. When they say Congress didn't want the mention of slavery in the Declaration, it almost leads one to believe that that was a unanimous decision. It needs to be explained that this was a huge argument between the northern and southern colonies. Removing slavery from the Declaration was a concession by the north in order to insure ratification from the south.
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Richard
The? Was answered long before the civil war. It is because of Georgia, and S Carolina. 11 out of 13 States voted to end slavery, but the founders new if they didnt all hang together, they would all hang separately. This? is mostly asked today by conniving people who want to create racial divide, and drag us back into political dark ages.
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The? Was answered long before the civil war. It is because of Georgia, and S Carolina. 11 out of 13 States voted to end slavery, but the founders new if they didnt all hang together, they would all hang separately. This? is mostly asked today by conniving people who want to create racial divide, and drag us back into political dark ages.
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Layton
One key thing to remember here is that the founders knew that they had to be UNANIMOUS in their Declaration of Independence or it would be more likely to fail. Two of the thirteen colonies were in favor of keeping slavery and that my friends was a main factor in the declaration being dramatically altered.
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One key thing to remember here is that the founders knew that they had to be UNANIMOUS in their Declaration of Independence or it would be more likely to fail. Two of the thirteen colonies were in favor of keeping slavery and that my friends was a main factor in the declaration being dramatically altered.
reply
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