Which of The Following Are Not Included In The Declaration of Independence?
- Human being’s natural rights
- The issue of slavery
- The 13 colonies’ independence from Great Britain
- British King George III and Parliament
Of course, you know the answer.
Yes, it was ‘the issue of slavery, which was not included in the Declaration of Independence.
Although, while writing the first draft, its primary author Thomas Jefferson discussed the issue, mainly pointing toward British King George III.
Even, Jefferson condemned English king George III for encouraging this inhumanity through the Atlantic.
In the first draft, his condemnation words towards King George III were something like this:
“He (King) Has Waged Cruel War Against Human Nature Itself, Violating Its Most Sacred Rights of Life & Liberty In The Persons of A Distant People Who Never Offended Him, Captivating & Carrying Them Into Slavery In Another Hemisphere Or To Incur Miserable Death In Their Transportation Thither…”
[Did You Know? Though Thomas Jefferson Showed Sympathy Towards Slaves In His Writing of The First Draft; But Interestingly, Jefferson Himself Was A Lifelong Slaveholder. He Owned Around 600 Slaves During His Whole Life]
Why Slavery Issue Was Not Included In The Declaration of Independence?
During the time period of the American Revolution, slavery was a very controversial issue, the 13 colonies had different viewpoints on it.
The 13 colonies’ Southern part supported it but the Northern part didn’t.
Second Continental Congress’s delegates knew the fact and therefore, they didn’t want this issue to get discussed via the Declaration of Independence.
They were afraid, the issue could offend and stimulate Southern states to withdraw their support from the Revolutionary War.
For the Continental Congress, 13 colonies’ independence from Great Britain was far more important than freeing slaves from their masters.
In this case, when they found that Thomas Jefferson had added the issue in the first draft of the document, they preferred to remove it.
