Written by Frank Li
In a previous post (The American Revolution is a Lie!), I argued that (1) the purported reason behind the American Revolution (e.g. “All men are created equal”) is a lie, and (2) America was created by the rich, of the rich, and for the rich.
In this post, I will focus on “Declaration of Independence”, both the document and the spirit behind it, with its profound implication today.
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1. “Declaration of Independence”, the document
To me, the document (The Declaration of Independence – 1776) can be easily divided into two parts:
- The crown jewel.
- The average.
Let me elaborate on each …
1.1 The crown jewel
Below is an excerpt from The Declaration of Independence.
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.
This is the crown jewel of the document – It is eloquent, and it is inspirational. It is, perhaps, even perpetual and worldly …
1.2 The average
The rest of the document is quite average in writing, and is definitely neither perpetual nor worldly, because it is basically a long list of grievances against the British King (i.e. George III), totally “local” to the colonies at that point in time.
2. “Declaration of Independence”, the spirit?
The document highlights the true reason behind the American Revolution. Two highlights:
- Americans (formerly known as the “colonists” or “settlers”) wanted to keep more to themselves, including the possibility of swallowing up everything that still belonged to the indigenous people, against the King’s decree (Royal Proclamation of 1763). In other words, to Native Americans, Americans would be even more ruthless than the British, and the new America would be even more tyrannical than the King, which turned out to be true! For more, read: America: An Empire Without an Emperor?
- By “freedom,” Americans simply meant freeing themselves from the British King, but little else (e.g. freedom from slavery).
The image below is worth more than 1,000 words.
3. “Declaration of Independence”, the consequences
The publication of the document was hugely consequential. Two big examples:
- America’s victory in the American Revolution.
- The birth of America, as a republic by accident.
Let me elaborate on each …
3.1 The American Revolution
Americans, known as the “ungrateful colonists” in Britain, won the revolutionary war easily, especially in terms of casualties as compared with their other wars thereafter – See image below.
Why so easily? Because it was very much a war of simple attrition, with one side clearly having a huge advantage over the other. In other words, the British might have been able to successfully fight the war for two to three years. But after it stretched into eight years, they basically gave up.
3.2 America, a republic by accident?
After winning the independence, Americans had a chance to define their new country, which again revealed the real reason behind the American Revolution …
It turned out that Americans did not really dislike the “tyranny of a king” – They just did not like the British King!
Without much imagination, Americans asked George Washington to be their “new” king. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your viewpoint), Washington declined, thus giving America a chance to be a republic (i.e. non-monarchy) …
4. From “Declaration of Independence” to the U.S. Constitution
The biggest slogan in the crown jewel (i.e. “All men are created equal”) sipped into the U.S. Constitution, as “We the People”. For more, read: “We the People,” Really?
Two notes:
- Our Founding Fathers did their best to form the republic, with all kinds of compromises (e.g. slavery).
- One thing they did not compromise: democracy! Specifically, not only did they reject it, they also instituted several mechanisms to prevent it from happening in the future, such as three different forms of majorities for the House, Senate, and Presidency, respectively!
Bottom line: The word “democracy” is not in the U.S. Constitution!
5. America today
America has progressively morphed itself into a democracy (i.e. one person, one vote) over the past 200 years, with some politicians even trying to dismantle the last safe-guard against it: the Electoral College.
In other words, democracy, rejected by the Founding Fathers, has become not only a fashionable word in America, but also a system in reality progressively, only to face the same fate as it did in Ancient Greece more than 2,000 year ago!
More profoundly, by choosing to be a republic, America has indeed avoided the “tyranny of the king”, only to replace it with a “tyranny of the majority”. For more, read: America: Towards a Tyranny of the Majority?
More fundamentally, did America simply get rid of the monarchy by diluting it from one royal family to several, as highlighted below?
6. The “crown jewel” today
To many people, especially Americans, the “crown jewel” is still shining brightly.
To me, it should be dimmed, at least. Three main reasons:
- Not all men are created equal! For more, read: “All Men Are Created Equal”, Really?
- In America, as well as in many other democracies, the slogan of “all men are created equal” has been interpreted, in one major way at least, as “all human beings are equal at a certain age to vote”. Worse yet, the voting age has been lowered over time for advantages in demographics. For more, read: Repealing the Twenty-Sixth Amendment!
- Some Americans seem to think the right of “the pursuit of Happiness” is uniquely American, not for other countries, especially China (Wikipedia – China containment policy), leading to some total silliness in America – Read the image below.
7. Discussion
Overall, the document of Declaration of Independence has served America well, for which Americans must forever be grateful to its authors and signatories.
However, nothing is perpetual, including the document of Declaration of Independence!
Here is what it really is: It’s a campaign document, not a governing one!
What, then, is the key difference between campaigning and governing? Read the image below!
Governance is hard …
It becomes even harder, if not impossible, when the folks in governing are constantly in a campaign mode, as is the case in America today.
Two informative readings:
For the most accurate diagnosis for America, as well as the best solution, read my last book: American Democracy – Why is it failing & how to fix it?
7. Closing
It’s time to recognize that (1) the “Declaration of Independence” is merely a campaign document, albeit a significant one, and (2) a campaign for power is very different from governing, be it in America today, or in China over the past 2,000 years. For more, read: The U.S. vs. China: A Great Experiment vs. A Great Civilization!
Next, if this post has helped you understand the “Declaration of Independence” from a very different angle, what else of your view of America needs, and can, be helped?
Finally, it’s time to correct the history, by re-writing it over the past 500 years! For more, read: History 2.0.
Now, please sit back and enjoy the video below – an audio readout of The Declaration of Independence – 1776.
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