Declaration of Independence Evaluation - Essay Example

Declaration of independence was not entirely congress original work in terms of convictions and ideas. It has several similarities with the work of John Locke work about the American treatise. The beginning clauses of the document that states that human kind was created alike with inalienable rights of liberty, life and freedom is in conjunction with the Locke philosophy. Locke point of view was that all the jurisdiction and power is equal with no citizen having more than the other does. The document further proceeds to emphasize that government is established through the decision of the citizens to protect their rights.

Furthermore, it claims that in case the state does not address and protect the rights of the people then it will be the democracy of the citizens to abolish or alter the government. The Locke’s philosophy is well enshrined in the document. Hobbes counter declaration mimics the ideologies of declaration of independence and the Hobbes ideas was to justify the king's action in England as perfectly legitimate. Hobbes perception and beliefs allowed the people to elect sovereign once and after that, the people should be obedient to the government without questioning.

The sovereign as called by Hobbes decides the successor and the rules. The perspective was seen the United States founding fathers that this method will leave the government vulnerable to corruption. With the idea they opted to apply Locke’s’ philosophy. Hobbes document saw the need for the people to abolish any political bond that is connecting them and take the power sovereign land. He further expounded that opinion of the humankind necessity declaring the cause that forces the people to dissolve.

His ideologies were evident that humanity are created alike and endowed with life by the creator and securing the rights the governments were to be formed among the few. Hobessian perspective on the declaration of independence could have stated that if any type of leadership cannot protect the people then the rights of the citizens to dissolve it could have been necessary. As the government could protect the citizens then the people must respect and obey the said government. His perspective also was of the view that the said government had the obligation of assenting to bills even if it was not the opinion of the people.

The government is endowed with rights that are suitable as far as it will not disable its ability to protect the people. Hobbes argued that equality and freedom in respect to individual rights meant that individuals could pursue their interest and survival without limitation in the state of nature. The government is without duty to respect the rights of the individuals. The state of nature herein is the state of war hence Locke has claimed the people have the duty to respect the individual’s rights even in the state of nature source of the duty being the natural law.

There is also a difference to the Hobbes perception in that Locke argued differently about the property. They both agree that individuals have rights to any property in the state of nature. They also differed in that Hobbes denies the individual duty of the citizen to respect the property of others. In this perspective, the property is made less or useless in a state of nature according to Hobbes. On the other side, Locke is of the opinion that individuals