Introduction
The example that I have selected to describe is one of the most significant American documents, the Declaration of Independence. The US Declaration of Independence is a historical document in which the British colonies in North America declared independence from Great Britain. This paper served as the beginning of the formation of the American nation and became one of the symbols of freedom and equality, which are now being propagated all over the world.
The value of the declaration for the history of America is rather difficult to overestimate since its signing marked a new era in the development of society and determined the further country’s path. The document, which is now stored in the National Archives, is one of the fundamental steps that have influenced modern cultural and political trends.
Declaration of Independence: Origins and Context
The emergence of the prerequisites for the creation of the Declaration of Independence began just at the time when North America was engulfed by violent unrest in connection with the increased pressure coming from London. The colonists performed stiff resistance to the policy of England, and subsequently, after the suggestion of John Adams, the Continental Congress officially sanctioned the formation of the states independent of Britain.
The project of the Declaration was adopted on July 4, 1776, and one of its primary creators was Thomas Jefferson. As Allen (2015) notes, it was Jefferson who was asked to determine which items were to be included in the document. As a result, the United States proclaimed sovereignty as the basis of its state structure. The original of the paper is kept in the building of the National Archives in Washington.
The Influence on Contemporary Cultural Patterns
The influence of one of the most significant American papers on the modern cultural and political sphere is quite evident. According to Perry (2016), due to the Declaration of independence, we have such inalienable rights as the right to live, to be free, and to pursue happiness. Because of its being one of the guarantors of a civilized society this document has become the object of many documentary and feature films, writers wrote and still write books about it, its text is taught and memorized at schools.
In the context of a regular struggle for power and a desire for control, the declaration remains one of the principal sources regulating the style of policy-making. Such its popularity is due to not only its importance but also the very history of how it was signed. For several centuries the descendants of the people of that time have been proud of the courage of those who were ready to defend human values, and today the document has not lost its significance. There is a connection of this paper with many political documents, which allows us to call it one of the primary sources for the formation of a free nation.
Thus, the Declaration can be considered a document that laid the foundation of a civilized society and sufficiently influenced modern political and cultural trends. The fact that this paper is put on a par with the most important historical documents emphasizes that its impact on the development of America’s modernity is still high. Studying the text of the Declaration and a constant quoting in various sources testifies that people do not forget their history and honor the memory of their country.
References
Allen, D. (2015). Our declaration: A reading of the Declaration of Independence in defense of equality. New York, NY: Norton & Company.
Perry, S. D. (2016). The Declaration of Independence, god, and evolution. Bigfork, MT: Big Fork Publishing.