Declaration of Independence: Compare and Contrast

Declaration of Independence: Compare and Contrast

John Locke, Second Treatise of Government (1690)

This is a long text—a book really—much of which would be more appropriate for a philosophy course. Don't worry—you don't really need to know everything he says in it right now. Locke's theory...

Massachusettensis, "Addressed: To the Inhabitants of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, December 26, 1774" (December 26, 1774)

In 1774 and 1775, a series of essays was published in Massachusetts newspapers, primarily the Boston Gazette, from two authors, known as Novanglus and Massachusettensis. Massachusettensis supported...

Thomas Gage, "A Proclamation" (June 12, 1775)

Thomas Gage was the leading British military leader in the colonies before and during the American Revolution. His proclamation in June of 1775 was a final attempt, after the events of Lexington an...

Thomas Paine, Common Sense (January 10, 1776)

Common Sense was an instant bestseller when it was published—in fact, it was the first bestseller in America, selling 120,000 copies within three months alone. (Source) It's pretty universally ac...

The Lee Resolution (June 7, 1776)

The Declaration of Independence was commissioned and assigned to Jefferson after this resolution, introduced by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, was brought before the Second Continental Congress. Th...

The Declaration of the Rights of Man (August 26, 1789)

The French Revolution began as a result of discontent among the French population, primarily with the extreme disparity between rich and poor and the increasingly oppressive taxes being put in plac...