The Declaration of Independence: Learning from the Learned

The Declaration of Independence

Written in 1776

In the United States of America

By Thomas Jefferson (and edited by Benjamin Franklin)

Medium: Paper

          John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau, great philosophical thinkers of the 15^thand 16^th centuries, made great contributions to society when they wrote down their ideas about how a government should function. They showed the same characteristics of learning as Isaac Newton did with his Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. Though, another great characteristic comes from the other end of this principle: the ability of effectively taking away information from what was already written. And Thomas Jefferson nailed it when he wrote The Declaration of Independence. Using what was already written by Locke and Rousseau, he created the document that Americans would revere for generations. His ability to do that affected our ability to be independent and have the freedoms that we enjoy today. We must also learn to be open-minded to what has written before and apply it in our lives.