Declaration Of Independence Vs Republicanism

The Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the Constitution are some of the most important documents created with the conception of the United States. At the core of these documents are the ideals and principles which have shaped the American values held today. The Preamble to the Constitution pertains to the ideals of Republicanism, whereas the Declaration of Independence is classically liberal.
The ideas presented in the Preamble to the Constitution are in line with ideas regarding to that of Republicanism. The fundamental idea behind Republicanism is that people are no longer individuals, but rather serve a higher purpose than themselves. Similarly, one “Can only be free in absence of domination, absence of a king” and “You can’t …show more content…
When reading Jefferson’s words, it becomes clear that the individual is emphasized, as individuals have their own rights and freedoms. In addition, Jefferson brings up the idea that “Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive” men have the power to “Alter or to abolish” it. Whereas Republicanism and the Preamble stresses the importance of a unified peoples and their contributions to their nation regardless of individuality, the Declaration instead accentuates the idea that an individual’s happiness is important so that they may live their lives to its full potential by employing their rights to “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” One of the values of liberalism is happiness, and Seligman refers to this idea in terms of “happy life” as the “good life” where “it's simply, as best we can find it, it's having as many of the pleasures as you can.” Adding to this is Locke’s ideas of individualism, wherein “happiness is a central feature of Lockean individualism—and at the root of liberating the individual from the tyranny of church, state, and some forms of family.” Lock makes the point that all men are in “a state of perfect freedom to order their actions” and goes on to state that within the laws of nature, they may “dispose of their possessions and persons. ” This also connects to Jefferson’s belief that the government’s purpose is to protect property as thus …show more content…
The most evident one is that of the greater good, and in the case of republicanism relates to keeping “balance between classes” and uniting people to work towards a common goal. Likewise, liberalism emphasizes individual’s freedom, but clarifies that liberty does not mean license, and brings forth the idea of keeping to the ideals “Within the bounds of the law of nature.” Overall, it is necessary to maintain stability between both Republicanism and liberalism as both emphasize different values, but together work to make for a balanced society in terms of the government and the