The statement was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4th, 1776, a time when thirteen American colonies were at war with Great Britain. Many misinterpret the timeline and make the mistake of believing that the signing of the declaration was colonists declaring war on England, but it came after the fact. The American Revolution had already been raging for over a year.
I'm no historian, and it is not my intention to try and pontificate on the nuances of the American Revolution in the Dream Outfitter blog, but rather to try to better define the American Dream. What was it that our forefathers were after? What was their dream? the original American Dream?
The Declaration was a justification for the independence of the United States which contained a list of colonial grievances against the King and legislature while asking the support of the populace. King George III reigned over Great Britain and Ireland longer than any previous British monarch (1760-1820) and the colonists charged that "He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people."
The colonists were unhappy with King George and Parliament for the lack of representation in the face of having direct taxes levied on them without their consent. Thomas Jefferson, author of the original draft, later stated, "The declaration was intended to be an expression of the American mind, and to give to that expression the proper tone and spirit called for by the occasion."
So basically, the Amercian Colonsists were fed up with taxation without representation and they were not going to put up with it anymore. They declared their independence and suggested to the rest of the world that the American Dream was to be able to our lives freely and to be able to follow our hearts desires (pursuit of Happiness) without the hindrance of an oppressive Government.
This is our second installation in a series on Happiness. I intend to write more on happiness before moving on to the next topic. It's apparent that people are searching for happiness and maybe I can help people understand they have control over their own happiness. I may not convince everyone, especially as we go through tough times, but I want to help people discover their happiness and plot a course to their dreams.
I am including the second and third sentences of the Declaration of Independence to give you a better sense of what our forefathers have laid out as the basis for the American Dream. I believe that the pursuit of happiness is at the core of what makes our country great. Read this and believe that the dream is still alive in the United States...
"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 — 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 Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and happiness."
