Declaration of Independence is considered one of the most important
documents in world history because its effects were felt around the world and
not only in its place of origin, the United States. While blacks used context
from the declaration to challenge slavery in the United States, the French used
its ideals to start their own revolution. The Declaration of Independence can be
seen to be one of the few documents that had a profound impact on the world, and
this can be easily seen because of the changes it brought forth. The Declaration
of Independence was a document made by several delegates of the U.S. in 1776. It
was simply made as a document that declared the independence of the 13 British
colonies in America. On July 4, 1776 the Continental Congress adopted the
Declaration after a few changes were made to it. Even though I think the
Declaration’s main purpose was to declare the colonies independent, there were
many other ideas the declaration addressed. There are many important
abstractions in the Declaration of Independence. These abstractions such as:
rights, freedom, liberty and happiness have become the foundations of American
society and have helped shape the “American identity”. Power, another
abstraction that reoccurs in all major parts of the Declaration plays equally
important role in shaping “American identity”. One forgets the abstraction
of power because it appears in relation to other institutions: the King, the
earth, and the military. Even though power is addressed very indirectly in the
declaration its existence is still valued. All of these important abstractions
collectively have led to major changes in the world. A very simple phrase:
“all men are created equal” which is included in the Declaration of
Independence was quickly used by blacks in the U.S. to question slavery. They
wondered if all men were indeed created equal then how could one man own another
man. “The ideal of equity led Northern states to free slaves within their
borders in the 1780s, 1790s and 1800s”. (Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000).
We can give the Declaration credit for starting the movement against slavery. We
all know by now how important it was to get rid of slavery in order to make and
keep the U.S. a democratic and just country. Another important movement that the
Declaration of Independence helped start was the women’s rights movement. The
phrase “all men are created equal” was slightly changed to “all men and
woman are created equal”. This amended phrase was the basis of the start of
the woman’s rights movement and women’s suffrage movement, and it was used
throughout the 20th century in order for women to gain equal rights as men.
These rights were such as the ability to own land, the ability to vote, and the
ability to hold public office. “Other groups have focused of the Declaration
of Independence’s defense of the rights to rebel against an unjust
government”. (Microsoft Encarta encyclopedia 2000). According to historians
the Declaration of Independence influenced many Latin American colonies to rebel
against their mother countries. The Declaration Of Independence was used to
inspire the creation the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in
France. This document was adopted by the National Assembly of France in 1789,
and led to French stability. This is just insight on some of the global impact
the Declaration of Independence, making it worthy to be labeled one of the most
important documents in would history. In conclusion, the Declaration of
Independence can be said to be one of the most important documents in would
history, according to the facts that were presented in this argument. It is
amazing how a document which was intended to effect only a single country, could
effect the whole world. In my opinion the whole world “matured” as a direct
result of the creation of the Declaration of independence. If you stop to think
about it, where would the world be today, if the Declaration of Independence had
not been created?