Human Nature and the Declaration of Independence

by Jake Repp

I would like to show that the view of human nature that is shown in The
Declaration of Independence   is taken more from the Bible and that that view is
in disagreement with two of the three esays given in class. The Biblical
perspective of man is that he was created by a divine Creator with a specific
plan in mind and made in the image of his Creator. Men are entitled to the
pursuit of happiness but also required by the Laws of Nature and Nature's God to
be the just attendants of the land and of the governed. The Nature of man is
sinful so that they must be governed but those who govern must be accountable to
God just as the founding fathers were. God is Sovereign over men as the final
Judge.

The Declaration of Independence   is a document co-written by the
founding fathers in order to declare their independence of the Crown of Britain.
They believed
this to be within their rights indowed upon them by their Creator.
Believing that they were under religious persecution and certain forms of
"absolute tyranny" from Britain
the founding fathers felt it was necessary to
break the bonds that connected them to the monarchy. Not only did they feel they
had the God given right to do that but they also based their arguments on the
workings of governments of the time and   contemporary theories of government of
writers and political-social thinkers of their time.

The three essays that were given to us in class, Politics   by Aristotle,
Of   Commonwealth by Thomas Hobbes, and Of the Limits of Government   by John
Locke are all very intersting essays on how government is supposed to funtion.
Although the founding fathers probably read all three of these essays and
simialar philosphical thought went into the writing of The Declaration of
Independence   I think that the only essay of the really used by the founding
fathers was Of the Limits of Government   by John Locke. Unfortunately the
version of this essay given...