Posted on 05/28/2016 5:36:19 AM PDT by Whenifhow
The introductory passages of the Declaration have nothing to do with any egalitarian delusion. The introduction goes to the reasons for the document to follow. The explanation--endlessly quoted out of context--goes to the nature & function of legitimate Government; basic to the compact theory that follows is the concept that existing Governments--whether Kings or Parliaments--do not rule by divine right;-- but by consent of the Governed, for the purpose of securing the natural rights of the people adhering to that Government.
The equality at Creation flows from the non-existence of any divine mandate for anyone to rule anyone else. Hierarchies arise, naturally, but not by divine decree. Whether they are justified or not depends upon the behavior of the actors.
What follows, of course, before the actual declaration of State sovereignty, is the long indictment--the specific grievances of the Colonies--against the King & Parliament.
Your credulity is touching. I can promise you that politics in the 18 th century was every bit as given to special pleading as our own or any other time.
“How is it that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty from the drivers of Negroes?”
Most so called ‘slaves’ were poor white Welsh/Irish/Scottish decent, who sold their services for 7 years for passage to America. Or those trying to escape religious persecution. Called INDENTURED SERVANTS. Have an ancestor on the Muir side, and yes it’s the Muir side that champions the Redwoods in CA. He came to the US as an INDENTURED SERVANT as a 11 year old cabin boy. We have the papers of INDENTURE.
People forget how many white INDENTURED SLAVES there were in the USA because of the Potato Crop failure and the Enclosures that threw people off land they’d farmed for generations. And the Religious persecution.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.