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... > social science subjects > criminology and criminal justice > criminology > social history of crime > documents and acts shaping the American system of criminal justice > declaration of independence
... > social science subjects > politics and international relations > political science > American politics and society > United States Congress > origins of Congress > declaration of independence

Preferred term

declaration of independence  

Definition

  • As an iconic emblem of liberty, the Declaration of Independence has stood for nearly a quarter-century as an exemplar of the rights of people to elect self-governance in the face of tyranny. The document has also perplexed and puzzled those who wonder at how a group could espouse “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” while not only ignoring the issue of slavery, but owning enslaved people themselves. [Source: Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia; Declaration of Independence]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/declaration_of_independence

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