It happens all the time. You write an email, letter, or even some sort of business document and think that everything is done but when you look it over again you realize that you missed something. Nothing that impacts the content as all of the information is there but there is a single seemingly insignificant dot or subtle line that has been either added or not included that completely changes how it is read. Sometimes the most brilliant piece of writing can be derailed by punctuation. This is the exact point (no pun intended) that is currently being debated as either a period is missing or has been added to one of this county’s founding documents, The Declaration of Independence. The full research paper can be read here.
An
opinion that I have seen bandied about since the release of this research
leaves one with a weighty sense of suspicion as there are rarely moments of
coincidence when it comes to politics and that is exactly what we find
ourselves looking at in this particular instance. Basically, what this
individual surmises, without the period, is that this cornerstone document
grants increased power to the government over the people and their rights. In
an era when the central figures in Washington are leveraging ever mode and
means to secure more and more power, the motivations behind such a ‘revelation’
are suspect at a minimum and at worst liberal propaganda. Many critics of the
research are leaning toward the latter as the supposition made by this scholar
completely flies in the face of both what we fought against to gain our
independence and what the founding fathers have expounded upon in their own
writings. Sometimes there is no error in the faded pages of time, occasionally
there is an error in the records kept, sometimes a period is nothing more than
an un-cleaned spec on a pair of glasses.
However,
there is another side to this whole argument which it the one to which I
subscribe. Given that there seems to be rather convincing evidence that the
period that we have all generally accepted in the transcript is indeed an
error, the continuation of the thought outlined in the paragraph is what we
must focus on. While some, on both sides of the political spectrum, have
concluded that the absence of the period grants additional power to the
government. However, I believe this is an overreaching statement made in error.
The rights of the people are still the central focus and the role of government
is to ensure that the rights of the people are not infringed. Basically, it is
a reinforcement of the rights of the people and that the primary role of government
is to protect those rights NOT restrict, limit, or strip them away.
There
are too many possibilities that could be the culprit to this punctuation error theory
that are too quickly glossed over and the intentions of the words and the
spirit of the declaration is completely dismissed in the hypothesis. Brave
actions and the intentions behind them are what secured our freedom from an
oppressive and negligent government and there is no possible reason for the
founders of this country to dismiss those sacrifices in order to empower the
few over the many in determining rights. While I don’t anticipate that fact to
resonate with the current administration, it is a large part of what has proven
to be the catalyst in the success of this democratic republic and government should
support the rights of the people to ensure that the tree of liberty remains
healthy and vibrant.
We
are a nation of individuals endowed with inalienable rights along with rights
that ensure our freedom and liberty even under the rule of an oppressive
government. While many may not exercise those rights or even take the time to
fully understand them, they are there for our safety and for us to protect
ourselves and protect us from being ruled rather than served. We were not
founded on the notion of an expansive government, we were founded on the
necessity of a strong people to oppose an overreaching government. The
government needs to focus on protecting our rights so that we can protect
ourselves. And while we will most likely never return to those ideals, it is
our duty to find balance in this country and to protect ourselves from views
and interpretations that fly in the face of our individual rights, liberty, and
freedom.
"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.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
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