The Declaration of Independence and its Lasting Effects

America was very powerful in the late eighteenth century and influential enough for
people, worldwide to incorporate notions of the Declaration of Independence into their own
countries. Finalized on July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was and is an important
document. It “was the first document to refer to our country as the United States of America.”
The Declaration announced the separation of the thirteen colonies from Great Britain. It included
ideologies from an early philosopher, named John Locke. Even though Thomas Jefferson wrote
the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, revisions and edits were made by John Adams,
Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston.

Signing the document now seems like a simple task, but at the time, the signers of the Declaration of Independence put their careers, reputations, and lives on the line. If the Declaration of Independence proved to be ineffective, the people who signed it would have been charged with treason; even Benjamin Rush addressed that they could be hung for what they had done.

Nevertheless, the words “all men were created equal” in the Declaration of Independence
spoke deeply to many people. Women such as Abigail Adams used the statement, as well as her
husband’s political position, to speak out about her goal to “prevent unlimited power from falling
into the hands of husbands” because she believed that “all men would be tyrants if they could.” The working men, with the inability to vote, suggested that rich and poor people have the same
natural rights, guaranteed by the Declaration of Independence. Individuals who were unable to
vote sympathized strongly with the ideas of the Declaration. Different groups of people had
varied emotions concerning the Declaration of Independence. For example, Revolutionaries
celebrated the Declaration, while Loyalists thought of it as an act of betrayal, and others only
wanted to avoid consequential damage, which later appeared during the Revolutionary Era.
Non-protestants wanted religious freedom to escape the Anglican Church because they wished
for better treatment, which they saw in Judaism and Catholicism.

Thomas Jefferson once said, “This was the object of the Declaration of Independence.
Not to find out new principles… but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject.”
The Declaration outlined many significant yet basic concepts: God made everyone equal with
natural rights, the purpose of the government is to protect its people’s rights, and if the
government tries to withhold an individual’s natural rights, then the people can overthrow the
government.

The newly published word of the Declaration spread fast; “By fall of 1776, word of the
declaration had spread to London, Scotland, Germany, Scandinavia, and the Netherlands.”
In fact, “the French Revolution in 1789 referred to multiple United States documents, including the Virginia Bill of Rights, State Constitutions, the US Constitution, and the Declaration of
Independence.” Over the next fifty years, declarations were implemented almost worldwide.

Traces of each notion found in the Declaration of Independence can also be found in
other foreign documents: France’s Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen; Vietnam’s
Declaration of Independence; Liberia’s Declaration of Independence; as well as states in the
post-Soviet sphere. Other rulers have also referenced the ideals found in our Declaration
including the Spanish Monarchy, the Habsburgs, the Hohenzollerns, the Romanovs after World
War I; Haiti in 1803; and Panama in 1821 and 1903. In fact, in the early 1800’s, The Declaration
of Independence also influenced and encouraged “Antonio de Narińo and Francisco de Miranda
to strive towards their goal of overthrowing the Spanish empire in South America.” Even in
modern times, the effects of the Declaration linger on. “Over half of the states now represented
by the United Nations (UN) all have foundational documents they call a Declaration of
Independence or something relatively similar.”

There is even a similarity between the Declaration of Independence and the Communist Manifesto
Manifesto. Written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the Communist Manifesto outlines what
communist people believe. While both documents inspired people to act and revolutionize their
own governments, “the Communist Manifesto inspired, in a word, tyranny…which took hold
first…in 1917, then spread throughout the world.” However, major differences between the two documents exist: the Communist Manifesto did not acknowledge the rights of individuals or the
presence of God. Additionally, its goal was to create a “perfect” society, while the Declaration of
Independence focused on a more perfect union. Still, many communist regimes sought
independence because of the hope given to them by the Declaration of Independence. Although
some were successful, thirty years after the downfall of the Soviet Union, millions of people still
live under communist tyranny, and long for the freedoms and rights guaranteed by our
Declaration of Independence.

“The Victims of Communism Foundation has done extensive research documenting the
damage done by tyrannical communist governments…and they cited over 100 million deaths in
only a 100-year span.” The reality is that communism is not only an ineffective governmental
and economic system, but also a treacherous way of life for many people, which leaves the
country and its people in ruins.

“People beyond the United States have viewed the Declaration as a charter for national
independence…as they have striven to organize themselves into ‘Free and Independent
States.’” The Declaration’s 250th anniversary should serve as a reminder that the Declaration of Independence influenced not only America, but also the world, and we as Americans should
ensure that people around the world can experience the freedoms we have gained as a result of
the Declaration of Independence.

Kylee Childress, a student at Patrick County High School, authored this article as part of VOC’s Student Essay Contest.