

Research states that the document "helped establish Jefferson's reputation as a skillful, if radical, political writer. This notion gave the colonists the inspiration and good reason to fight against the British for independence. The Declaration of Independence was written to show a new theory of government, reasons why they were separating from England, and a formal declaration of. It was distributed throughout London, New York and Philadelphia. Despite not being able to completely convince Congress, friends of Jefferson printed the Summary in a pamphlet form. Despite his attempts, Congress agreed to a more moderate decision than Jefferson's proposed concept. When this took place, Jefferson did not attend. The work was presented to, and debated by, the First Continental Congress. But previous to the enfranchisement of the slaves we have, it is necessary to exclude all further importations from Africa yet our repeated attempts to effect this by prohibitions, and by imposing duties which might amount to a prohibition, have been hitherto defeated by his majesty's negative: Thus preferring the immediate advantages of a few African corsairs to the lasting interests of the American states, and to the rights of human nature, deeply wounded by this infamous practice." Jefferson, in this work, held that allodial title, not feudal title, was held to American lands, and thus the people did not owe fees and rents for that land to the British crown.ĭespite being a life-long slave owner, Jefferson included a strong condemnation of slavery in the tract, writing "The abolition of domestic slavery is the great object of desire in those colonies, where it was unhappily introduced in their infant state. It outlines the principles that were the foundation for declaring independence. He argues that since the individual colonies were founded they were independent of British rule. The main purpose of the Declaration was to announce the colonies as separate from England. Jefferson declares that the British Parliament did not have the right to govern the Thirteen Colonies. Declaration of Independence, in which he laid out for delegates to the First Continental Congress a set of grievances against King George III, especially against the King's and Parliament's response to the Boston Tea Party. A Summary View of the Rights of British AmericaĪ Summary View of the Rights of British America was a tract written by Thomas Jefferson in 1774, before the U.S.
