The Declaration of Independence has long been associated with the word “freedom”, although the history of this phrase is not so rosy, and sometimes even sad. Let’s figure out why this all happened.
American Independence
It began in the distant 1775, in May. The Second Continental Congress took place in Philadelphia, which brought together representatives of those British colonies that started an uprising against England and decided to break off all ties with it, and at the same time form an active American army, whose commander George Washington was already known to many people. The result of this decision was the Declaration of Independence, signed on July 4, 1776, which confirmed the formation of a new free state called the "United States of America" or, in other words, the United States. The author of this document was, of course, no less famous than George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, who brought with him the banner of democracy in a newly formed country. The day the signing process took place is still called Independence Day, despite the subsequent five-year war and seven-year expectation of the Paris Peace Treaty. Despite all this and the paragraphs on the abolition of Jefferson's slavery, complete democracy had to wait even more than a century: the unfree position of many people still remained - by the decision of the Congress, which included rich people, planters and tenants.
However, the Declaration of Independence has become a reflection of obvious progress in the field of human rights. It found a place for the ideas of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman, already mentioned above Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, the hero of America, in whose honor one of the states and the capital was named. The Declaration of Independence, which a total of 56 people signed, was only the first step towards a democratic society, but it already reflected its "foundation", those "pillars" on which it would rest (according to the creators of the document) in the future.
European Declaration of Independence
Despite the fact that in 1776 this phrase meant “freedom” and “democracy”, nowadays it has acquired a completely new connotation thanks to Anders Breivik, a Norwegian extremist and nationalist who organized the bombing in Oslo and the attack on the youth camp. His political views and actions led him to the 21st year of imprisonment in August 2012.
His declaration of independence not of America but of Europe was a single video clip, a four-part document that presented the idea of cultural Marxism, and also called for the political and not only isolation of Europe, for a new and next crusade, for the adoption of values Christian knights from medieval Europe. This video was deleted extremely quickly, but it was still copied by some Internet users, so it did not disappear completely. But is freedom what Breivik offers? Or not? In the end, everyone must decide for himself what freedom is and what it means to him.