How we cite our quotes: (Sentence)
Quote #1
We hold these truths to be self-evident…that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…(2)
This (partial) famous line is important for a number of reasons, one of which is its presentation of the idea that people have the inherent right to liberty. The definition of "liberty" and who really gets it shifts over the centuries, but Jefferson practically starts off the Declaration of Independence with this powerful assertion. What impact does this statement have in the context of the document? Why does Jefferson insist on this?
Quote #2
The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. (8)
Tyranny is literally in this sentence. Jefferson repeatedly uses words like "tyranny" and "Despotism" when describing the British government, and here he succinctly summarizes the colonists' vision of the King and Parliament as having become a tyrannical force. The emphasis on the abuse of the British government, going against the liberty granted to the colonists by nature, is a major device Jefferson uses to argue his case.
Quote #3
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. (14)
A number of the list of offences committed by the British government support the view of that government as a tyranny over the colonies, but this one hits the nail on the head particularly well. Jefferson says that the King has dissolved local legislatures as punishment for them fighting back, which strengthens his centralized power over the colonies. This action would no doubt contribute to the feeling that the British government was trying to exercise absolute power.
As to what "manly firmness" might be, we'll leave that up to the reader. (Over in our mind, we're imagining The Rock—a true American Instagram hero.)
Quote #4
A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. (39)
This quote has it all—freedom and tyranny, two for the price of one. Jefferson deliberately casts the King as a despot in contrast to (and in conflict with) the people, who are free. An important argument made here is that free people should not under the control of tyrannical rulers, which is another way of expressing Jefferson's primary argument for independence.
Quote #5
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America…solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States. (46)
Here's the term "free" used in a different way, referring to the colonies' separation from being under the rule of Britain. How is this type of freedom similar and/or different from the depiction of freedom Jefferson uses when discussing the people? Is the distinction clear from the context of the surrounding text?