Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2014

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Part 7, Chapters 32-35Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 7: “Matters of Fact”

Part 7, Chapter 32 Summary: “Prudence…”

While the first two sentences of the Declaration make sweeping claims about humanity’s capacity to use government and determine happiness, its third sentence provides a counterweight, a safeguard against fears of judging incorrectly. Humans need to rely on “collective intelligence” to make consequential decisions about their future, as the colonists did when explaining the many areas in which George III failed them. At the same time, the consequences of this failure offer another insight into the theme of equality: The king, in falling into tyranny, has failed at “reciprocity,” at “fair give and take,” which is an essential aspect of “justice in human relationships” (192). This section of the Declaration is generally more cautious and practical.

Part 7, Chapter 33 Summary: “Dreary Pessimism”

Allen admits that much of human psychology and personal experience suggests that people are frequently bad at determining their own happiness; sometimes they even repeat the same errors, like people staying in bad relationships. The Declaration’s next sentence has this problem in mind since Jefferson states that revolution is rare, and people are more likely to endure known hardship than constantly pursue change. He addresses a “hidden question” at this point: Why, if revolution is a right, do people not constantly pursue it? The answer is both “prudence” and “habit.” Most people know that change is risky and can adapt to many less-than-ideal circumstances. Relatedly, “humans have a remarkable capacity for endurance” (196)—another gift from nature that is particularly apparent in stories of prisoners of war. Allen then asks if the implications of this claim are depressing: Are humans really capable of change, or are we too cautious after all?

Part 7, Chapter 34 Summary: “Life’s Turning Points”

Allen asserts that the Declaration’s fourth sentence explains how and why people overcome their innate hesitations and pursue revolution to improve their lives. When a pattern of circumstances reveals a consistent “design,” observers can determine what likely comes next and what they need a change. Allen compares this to a person watching skywriting and guessing the message after a few letters. She points out that all people experience moments of “turning point”—the root of the word “revolution”—and notes that these experiences are often emotional and intensely physical. She quotes several works of poetry that describe feelings of loss, betrayal, and transformation, including works by Sylvia Plath and W. H. Auden. After such an epiphany, the Declaration says citizens have a “duty” to respond to these abuses and “alter” their government. For Allen, revolution is an inextricable aspect of the “survival instinct.”

Part 7, Chapter 35 Summary: “Tyranny”

The colonists quickly act on their newfound feelings. In the next sentence of the Declaration, they compile a list of their sufferings “to a candid world” (202), and they declare that tyranny is and has been George III’s “direct object.” The king has acted deliberately and with forethought. He cannot be reasoned with, as might be possible for someone who has not planned to do harm. Allen argues that the colonists repeatedly refer to “history” and “events” to prove that they are “good anticipators” and are judging correctly when they resolve to set up a new government. What follows is a list of 18 grievances against the king, which Allen thoroughly examines in subsequent chapters.

Part 7, Chapters 32-35 Analysis

In these chapters, Allen explains the Declaration’s view of how and why people change their governments—and what prevents revolutions from becoming commonplace. The vision of humanity emerging here is increasingly complex, developing the theme of Optimism and Pessimism About Humanity. This is particularly clear in Allen’s choice of analogies; Humans enduring harsh conditions are likened to stoic prisoners of war, implying both the extent of the human capacity for tyranny and the extent of the human capacity for resilience—something commendable in a POW camp, but perhaps less desirable in circumstances that might admit of greater change. Meanwhile, people who are prepared to make change are compared to betrayed spouses unable to ignore proof of infidelity in a metaphor that suggests the initial unwillingness to act as much as it does the final concession that “divorce” is necessary.

Allen’s comparison of the relationship between king and colonists to people observing skywriting makes the Declaration at once more profound and more ordinary. George III may have been a king—apparently as remote as letters in the sky—but he was also a human whose behavior could be evaluated and assessed. Once again, the metaphor underscores Allen’s claims about the equality that the Declaration posits between all people.