What is the first "self evident truth" as stated in the U.S. Declaration of Independence?

surely wish that the Declaration of Independence was brought back into the biggest part of school cirriculum for all of our kids to study and understand! THIS IS A VITAL PART OF HISTORY FOR A VITAL PART OF THE FUTURE!!

For all those who want to say God has no place in our govenment - they need to read and reread that first part - " endowed by their Creator" - without God we have nothing- not life and certainly not freedom!

OrangeJuggernaut2387, In my school the Declaration of Independence is in the curriculum. Also with the Magna Carta, Constitution, Articles of Confederation, and etc.

Kerri Shaw Daugherty, yes, but the Declaration of Independence is not the Bible... All people have the right to THEIR religions , whichever that may be. Not just ONE religion ruling all . FREEDOM of religion !! One government cannot force one religion on ALL its people..

Player #2162059, Again this becomes a platform in which to nitpick religious preference. If I am correct I believe it is worded as THEIR CREATOR, thus allowing for someone to apply Christianity, Buddhism or believe as the American Indians do, who were having the lands stolen from them I will add. The topic should be focused on the fact that though I believe that men and women of any religion, color, ethnicity, etc. are equal, let's be honest, most of the world especially when it was written didn't and still don't. Women didn't get their rights just as peoples of other skin color didn't until the last century. Seems to me it was a document that was written far ahead of it's time.

It's interesting to think that he wrote the words that all men are created equal, yet he was a slave owner words and actions are very different things!

America would be a better Country if we believed that we are all "created equal".

too bad it took another hundred years for slaves to be set free. Too hundred years for women and desendants of slave to be granted civil rights.

love it! Just wish people would treat others the way they want to be treated.

I hope everyone reading this realizes that, regardless of their faith, the founding fathers were still very important. And you don't need to slam them down here in the comment section of a random trivia app; you're not going to change anybody's opinion anyways.

so about slaves...

Jefferson was tasked with creating the first draft of the declaration by the other members of the drafting committee (John Adams, Ben Franklin, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman) as he was known for his elegant prose. Jefferson drew inspiration from the Virginia Declaration of Rights—authored primarily by George Mason and adopted by the Virginia House of Delegates in June 1776. Mason had in turn drawn inspiration from English political philosopher John Locke (also a hero to Jefferson) when writing "That all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety." Jefferson was greatly peeved that, before adoption, Congress removed his anti-slavery rhetoric including "He (King George III) 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." Jefferson went on to call the institution of slavery “piratical warfare,” “execrable commerce” and an “assemblage of horrors.”

Kerri Shaw Daugherty,for

this declaration needs to be updated! We no longer live in a patriarcal society

Last year for 6th-grade graduation, my students recited the Declaration of Independence, Rights of Americans, the Preamble to the Constitution, American's Creed, and our states and capitals.

Everyone on here is arguing about race and slaves. There’s only one race. And that’s the human race. We should treat each other equally. We should be inclusive. Things happened in the past that were wrong. I agree with that. What is important is that we realized that things like slavery and segregation are wrong and made a change. All men were created equally by God

ᶜʰᵉᶠˢBeefChampion69, yes but Who made them? And Who made the people before them? What about the people before them?? And so on. We ( the human race ) can be traced all the way back to the beginning of the earth, which starts in the garden of Eden

Keith Mace, Amen to that! Btw I love ur profile pic

But they meant white men. They did not consider other races or women as equal. We have been paying a price for that with generational pain since then.

“We hold these truths to be self evident. All men and women are created, by the, you know, you know the thing” 46th president of the United States.

LoopyLynda74, the men that wrote these papers had to free themselves before they could free others.

Player #2718805, you cannot have differing religions as they all have different morals. Christians believe in love thy neighbor and not kill while the Muslim believe it's okay to kill (for whatever reason) and that women are subordinate. Also, it was Christians that founded this country and out of it their love for its citizens is shown in Declaration/Constitution.

unfortunately people still don't know or believe this is true ( like it's for some and not others)and it applies to women as well

WHYYYY I GOT IT WONGGGGG

Melekslair, In Jefferson time slaves were property. Slaves were not considered as people.

Player #2718805, what’s your point?

The history of this country is the most beautiful thing we have in this great nation! I wish people expressed themselves in the same tone today, such a vision and intelligence. Not perfect! Now Go and reread how visionary their way of thinking was 200 years later. It is the foundation of this democracy that will surely not survive another 200 years with all that is occurring. Sad to see this great nation changed due to the abuse of those who use the alienable rights given to them to drive their selfish agenda just because it’s the new thing to do. Instead people should just come together and realize that with all our faults, we can learn over time to just keep our wants and believes to ourselves and not try to create a new group Classification of groups to drive their personal agendas just because we want to feel like we are entitled and have never given our lives to this freedom that lacks in so many parts of the world.

all of us humans matter & we should respect each other.

People always confuse me with the pursuit of happiness part.

the government needs to edit update the declaration of independence because when have all been treated equal ? still waiting for that

This fails to acknowledge that in this same document American Indians are called "merciless savages"...apparently, they did not see Natives as human and/or created equal.

that's what I was going to put!

All men are created equal....but some are more equal than others.

should've known that

Kerri Shaw Daugherty, "endowed by their creator" doesn't mean put God in government. It means that men were given their freedoms by their creator; born free, not enslaved, not less than anyone else.

Most of it was stolen from Thomas Payne's book THE RIGHTS OF MAN, a book that Jefferson sneered at then plagerized. 🙄🤦

Kerri Shaw Daugherty, Absolutely Kerri Shaw, thank you so much for making that clear. We all should read and reread the 1st lines. God is our King and Creator we intrinsically have Nothing w/out his Mercy and love. thank you!

Toots, one good thing about him is he did in fact set his slaves free upon his death. a little late maybe but...

I think you're wrong

Only I’m not quite as equal as the rock