Hypocrisy the Declaration of Independence:

Hypocrisy

The Declaration of Independence: Hypocrisy and Irony

While the Declaration of Independence is one of the most famous and important documents in American history, something within the document is awry. In fact, some things are not as self-evident as they may seem in the document.

Leaders like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin are celebrated for their efforts in creating the Declaration of Independence and shaping our ideas about government. However, these leaders are not without their critics. Historians have pointed out that these were men with hypocrisies and contradictions. For example, Franklin and Jefferson were both slave holders despite their promotion of democratic ideals.

Many people have criticized the Declaration of Independence for being hypocritical (NIAHD, 2005). For example, the biggest issue lies in the statement: "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal." It is widely known that in 1776, all men were not considered equal. In fact, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and many of the other drafters of the Declaration owned slaves.

A century after the Declaration of Independence, the United States Supreme Court had to interpret the words of the Declaration, in a lawsuit brought by Dred Scott (Burnside, 2005). Scott was a slave who had lived 13 years in a non-slave state. He sued for a declaration that he was a free citizen of the United States. The Court held, by a 7:2 majority, that the words "all men are created equal" did not apply to African-Americans. The language of the judgment is a blatant display of the hypocrisy of the Declaration (Bunrside, 2005):

"The question before us is whether (African-American slaves) compose a portion of this people, and are constituent members of this sovereignty? We think they are not, and that they are not included, and were not intended to be included, under the word "citizens" in the Constitution, and can therefore claim none of the rights and privileges which that instrument provides for... citizens of the United States. On the contrary, they were at that time considered as a subordinate and inferior class of beings who had been subjugated by the dominant race, and, whether emancipated or not, yet remained subject to their authority

They had for more than a century before been regarded as beings of an inferior order, and altogether unfit to associate with the white race either in social or political relations, and so far inferior that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect... (they were) bought and sold, and treated as an ordinary article of merchandise and traffic whenever a profit could be made by it."

Slavery is no longer an issue yet the issue of equality lingers in today's society (Burnside, 2005). It is ignorant to state that all people and government organizations in the United States treat all men as equals. Numerous standards are used to determine equality: race, socioeconomic standing, education, and more. These standards have been used throughout history and there is no sign of them being eliminated in the near future. Therefore, it seems that fundamental and persisting human prejudice renders the Declaration of Independence hypocritical.

This famous statement, "that all men are created equal" is perhaps the most hypocritical statement in this document (NIAHD, 2005). But it is not the only one. The Declaration of Independence also states that America has declared its independence as a nation (NIAHD, 2005). The document meant that America wanted to be free from English colonial rule. With Benjamin Franklin as a leading author of this document, this statement seems hypocritical, as Franklin had always considered himself an Englishman. This statement seems to have been written to convince Americans that the rules and laws of the English were doing them great injustice. However, the true intention was more likely economic freedom from Britain.

The Declaration hardly references our economic issues with the English (taxes and trade barriers), and yet some how our elementary historical take on the conflict has labeled our desire to break from the English because America wanted "no taxation with out representation." However, the document was aimed to break economic patronage to them.

In addition, the Declaration refers to a Creator or God. However the founding fathers insisted on the separation of church and state. Many believe that, despite the Declaration's separation of church and state, the United States remains a Christian nation (Cherniss, 1998). We see demonstrators using religious slogans to gain political influence, and Supreme Court justices questioned over whether the Ten Commandments should display on government property.

The issue of separating church and state is one of the biggest conflicts in today's society. According to Cherniss (1998): "For all of the secularization and liberalization of society, religion continues to be a driving force in people's beliefs and behavior. In our own times, in our own country, religion has lost none of its inspiring and disruptive power. It has not, as some critics of American society have claimed, receded from the public sphere, scorned by secularists, mourned by the virtuous, and ignored by the majority. It is present everywhere, and both sustains our societies and threatens our liberties."

While religion and the clergy no longer have the same authority as it did a century ago, religious and quasi-religious leaders and communities remain central to many political movements (Cherniss, 1998). Religious movements dominate our politics. Many states continue to prevent atheists from holding public office, and homosexuals are constantly the victims of discrimination and condemnation.

In addition, when we consider Jefferson's views on politics and religion, his deism, his faith in reason, and his belief in natural rights, liberty, and democracy, were largely influenced by the Enlightenment (Cherniss, 1998). Jefferson's words and arguments in the Declaration often paraphrased John Locke, an Enlightenment leader. The idea of natural rights, which is seen in the Declaration, ultimately derived their authority from a contractual agreement between the governors and the governed, and therefore follow natural rights.

The original draft of the Declaration of Independence passionately denounced the slave trade, which many consider hypocritical, given that Thomas Jefferson was himself a slave owner (NIAHD, 2005). Still, it was the delegations from South Carolina and Georgia who demanded that this line be removed, as the slave trade was necessary to their livelihood. Many historians view this moment in history as the beginning of the breach that would lead to the American Civil War.

Finally, the Declaration states that the just powers of government are derived from the consent of the people (Goldwaithe, 1996). Many people believe that this statement is hypocritical because this means that as long as one person does not consent, any power exercised over that one person is unjust. If one person does not agree to pay taxes, is it unjust to force him to pay? According to the Declaration, it is unjust to force anyone to obey the law. However, we force all Americans to obey the law in the U.S., rendering this statement hypocritical.