In July of 1776, the Second Continental Congress issued its Declaration of Independence. Perhaps the most famous lines read: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,...

In July of 1776, the Second Continental Congress issued its Declaration of Independence. Perhaps the most famous lines read: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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.” To this day, the Declaration resonates as one of the most powerful and important documents in U.S. History, with particular attention paid to this excerpt. In an essay, consider the course theme of Rhetoric v. Reality and its relationship to the Declaration of Independence. Address the disconnect between the rhetoric of the Declaration and the reality of life in the American colonies and Early Republic (1600s to early 1800s). Provide and elaborate upon two specific examples from primary sources to support your argument.http://www.americanyawp.com/reader/the-early-republic/thomas-jefferson-notes-on-the-state-of-virginia-1788/


http://www.americanyawp.com/reader/the-early-republic/letter-of-cato-and-petition-by-the-negroes-who-obtained-freedom-by-the-late-act-in-postscript-to-the-freemans-journal-september-21-1781/