America Declares Independence (Turning Points in History, 9) - Softcover

Dershowitz, Alan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1630260290 ISBN 13: 9781630260293

Publisher: Trade Paper Press, 2003

Synopsis

The Declaration of Independence as you've never seen it before

Some of us cherish it with near-scriptural reverence. Others simply take it for granted. In this contentious new look at the Declaration of Independence, however, celebrated attorney Alan Dershowitz takes ""America's birth certificate"" and its principal author, Thomas Jefferson, to task.

Dershowitz searches for the sources, history, and underlying reasoning that produced the Declaration and its particular language, from its reference to the ""Laws of Nature and Nature's God"" through the long list of complaints against the abuses of King George III. He points out contradictions within the document, notes how the meanings of Jefferson's words have changed over the centuries, and asks many disturbing questions, including:
* Where do rights come from?
* Do we have ""unalienable rights""?
* Do rights to ""life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"" have any meaning?
* How could slaveowners claim to believe that ""all men are created equal""?
* Is the God of the Declaration the God of the Bible?
* Does the Declaration establish a Christian State?
* Are there ""Laws of Nature and of Nature's God""?
Challenging, upsetting, and controversial, this brilliant polemic may anger you, delight you, or force you to reexamine your opinions. One thing's for sure: after reading America Declares Independence, you'll never take the Declaration of Independence for granted again.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

It is the most revolutionary political statement in American history. The Declaration of Independence was more than an announcement that thirteen colonies intended to "dissolve the political bands" that bound them to their former rulers; it proclaimed a new and inspiring vision of the principles and purposes of government. But is the Declaration a "bridge between the Bible and the Constitution," as some claim? Do human beings actually have "unalienable rights"? How could slaveowners honestly claim to believe that "all men are created equal"?

In America Declares Independence, one of the nation’s most distinguished and celebrated attorneys tackles these and other disturbing questions head on. Noting that portions of the Declaration are frequently "wrenched out of context by partisan pleaders to promote parochial causes," Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz explores the document’s history, theology, and political theory in search of its true and enduring meaning. No stranger to controversy, Dershowitz also assails some of the Declaration’s underlying assumptions and questions the conclusions that these assumptions produced.

Drawing on the personal letters and published writings of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and others, Dershowitz demonstrates that the men who wrote and revised the Declaration had no intention of establishing a Christian nation. He reveals that Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration, "rejected all the central tenets of orthodox Christianity" and closely resembled what today’s Religious Right would call a "secular humanist."

In what becomes, in essence, an argument with Jefferson, Dershowitz examines the use of "natural law" to support the colonists’ right to secede from Great Britain. He distinguishes this concept from Divine Revelation, which was anathema to Jefferson, and he contends that the rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" claimed under this natural law are important–not because they are unalienable, but because they are not.

In his examinations of the contradictions inherent in the Declaration regarding equality and slavery, Dershowitz points out Jefferson’s personal contradictions on the issue. His complex set of conflicting ideas and beliefs is seen as a microcosm of the conflicts over slavery that existed at the time and would eventually lead to the Civil War.

Stimulating, combative, and relentlessly challenging, this brilliant and pugnacious review of "America’s birth certificate" is sure to provoke indignant responses from many quarters. Its irreverence may shock you, its revelations may surprise you, but its keen insights into America’s most fundamental principles and what they mean today will fill you with a new and deeper appreciation of the power of our founding document and how it changed the world.

About the Author

ALAN DERSHOWITZ, a professor at Harvard Law School, is considered one of America’s foremost appellate lawyers and most distinguished defenders of individual rights. He has written numerous bestselling books, is a newspaper columnist, and has written for dozens of periodicals, including the New York Times, the Atlantic, the Yale Law Journal, and the Harvard Law Review. His previous books include the #1 New York Times bestseller Chutzpah.

About this edition

• Publisher: Trade Paper Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 1630260290
• ISBN 13: 9781630260293
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 210