Notes on Politics, Power, and the Declaration of Independence

Politics as a field of study

• Politics is the study of decisions about who gets what, when, and how those decisions are made. This framing comes from early political scientist Harold Lasswell: "who gets what, when, and how."

• The core issue in politics: allocation of resources and benefits (land, property, tax breaks, social security, welfare, education, health care) and the mechanisms for distributing power.

• Politics also centers on power: who makes decisions, how power is exercised, and whether people view that power as legitimate.

• In this course, the focus is on American politics and how power is exercised to decide who gets what, when, and how in the United States.

What is political science?

• Political science studies power and how decisions about distribution of resources are made.

• It asks: who has power, how is it used, and is the use of power legitimate in the eyes of the governed?

Structure of the department and intro courses

• Department of Political Science and Public Administration.

• Three intro classes:

  • American politics: focus on U.S. political system.

  • Comparative politics: compares political systems across countries (e.g., parliamentary vs. presidential systems; democracy vs. fascism vs. communism; theocracy).

  • International relations: how countries interact, alliances, treaties, war vs. peace, and game theory as a strategic lens.

• Emphasis on the “power” to decide who gets what, when, and how within the United States.

Why study politics? audience reflection

• Politics can be awful or negative at times, but understanding how it works helps improve outcomes and policy.

• The aim: create a society where many people can live and prosper while living together with others who are different.

Field trip vignette: National Archives in Washington, DC

• The National Archives house important documents like the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence in secure cabinets.

• These documents symbolize national governance and the political choices that created the United States.

• The room and presentation emphasize the gravity of founding documents and how art (e.g., Hamilton) can shape interpretation of historical events.

• A brief tangent: the Declaration is often framed via cultural representations (e.g., the musical Hamilton) to illustrate political ideas through art.

Art, interpretation, and audience engagement

• The lecture uses an excerpt from Hamilton to illustrate how art conveys political ideas, not just facts.

• Discussion prompts focus on interpretation: what choices did the artist make (character portrayal, mood, tone, symbolism) and what those choices communicate about power, rebellion, and legitimacy.

• An exercise involved a poll/survey to capture immediate reactions and to connect mood with political messaging.

• The instructor emphasizes that offense is possible but that dialogue and listening to different perspectives are essential for political understanding.

The Declaration of Independence: context and rationale

• Audience: fellow colonists, British audience, and other nations; the goal is to justify independence and rally support.

• Theoretical foundation: the social contract, drawing on John Locke and liberal political theory. The Declaration articulates what governments are supposed to do and when they cease to do so.

• Jefferson’s framing: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as inalienable rights; government’s purpose is to protect these rights.

• The Declaration marks a shift from governance by the monarch to governance by the people of the new states, but it leaves open how this sovereignty will be realized in practice.

Locke, Jefferson, and the rights framework

• John Locke’s classic trio: life, liberty, and property (unalienable rights that governments are created to protect).

• Jefferson modifies Locke for the Declaration to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This shift may reflect political and economic considerations of the era.

• The Declaration argues that when government fails to protect these rights, consent of the governed can be withdrawn and independence pursued.

• The Declaration’s assertion that all men are created equal is a core value, but its application was complicated by the presence of slavery and gender inequality at the time.

• The purpose of government, per Locke and echoed by Jefferson, is to protect rights; when it fails, legitimacy is undermined, and the people have grounds to separate.

Key phrases and argumentative structure in the Declaration

• “All men are created equal” and related debates about equality (social, political, economic) and who is included.

• “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as a foundational rights triad, replacing Locke’s more paternalist framing of life, liberty, and property.

• The social contract as a theoretical foundation for political obligation and government legitimacy.

• The ideas intended to persuade: present the facts, justify the reasoning, and make a case to the world (a candid world).

The political shift: colonies become states, sovereignty, and power

• After independence, the colonies transition from colonies to states: sovereignty becomes the central concept.

• Distinction: states have sovereignty and can levy war, make peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, etc.

• The term United States reflects a union of independent states; the balance between unity and sovereignty is a core constitutional challenge.

• The closing pledge: with divine providence, the new states pledge lives, fortunes, and sacred honor.

Equality and its complexities in American founding values

• The phrase all men are created equal raises questions about who is included and who is excluded (slavery, women’s rights).

• Possible interpretations of equality:

  • Social equality (status), political equality (one person, one vote), or economic equality.

  • Equality as an aspirational value and a guiding standard for government responsibility to protect rights.

• The founders recognized the tension between the ideals and the realities (slavery, gender inequality), which later became pivotal in American political development and conflict (e.g., Civil War).

American values and institutions outlined in the lecture

• Core values highlighted:

  • Equality as a principle, though alignment with practice varied.

  • Inalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; rights are intrinsic to being human, not granted by government.

  • Limited government: power is constrained to protect rights, avoiding tyranny.

  • Liberty: freedom to pursue one’s own path, plus freedom from oppression and threat; religious liberty and neutrality of government on religion (no official state religion).

  • American exceptionalism: space, natural resources, expansion opportunities, and absence of a fixed noble class enabling experimentation with new political arrangements.

• Institutions identified as central to American politics:

  • Representative democracy: governance through elected representatives; concern about representation and voice for all citizens.

  • Constitution: the supreme law of the land; all officials must comply with constitutional rules.

  • Federal system: division of power between the national (federal) government and state governments; ongoing debates about the proper allocation of authority.

  • Capitalist economy with regulatory oversight: a market-based economy that protects business interests and allows competition, with regulation to correct market failures and protect public welfare.

After independence: questions about governance and the Constitution

• The question of how the 13 states would govern themselves and whether to maintain a monarchy or form a new system.

• The decision to form a single country and the expectations for a new constitutional framework were foundational; the Constitution would be explored in the next class.

Practical and pedagogical notes from the lecture

• The lecture uses a blend of historical analysis, literary/artistic interpretation, and interactive polls to engage students and illustrate political concepts.

• Poll Everywhere is used for attendance and quick assessment; students must register with their UNC Charlotte email address for participation to be recorded.

• The instructor anticipates diverse opinions on controversial art and political topics and emphasizes the importance of listening to others’ perspectives to understand political debates.

$1776$ – key date
$13$ – number of original colonies that became states
$ext{Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness}$ – Jefferson’s unalienable rights (as opposed to Locke’s Life, Liberty, and Property)
$ext{All men are created equal}$ – central, but contested, founding value
$ext{state vs colony sovereignty}$ – shift in political organization from colonies under imperial rule to independent states in a union
$ext{Representative democracy, Constitution, Federalism, Capitalism}$ – core American institutions and economic system

Summary takeaway

• Politics is about who gets what, when, and how, and political science analyzes power, legitimacy, and the distribution of resources in the context of American governance.

• The Declaration of Independence, grounded in social contract theory and Lockean rights, reframes political authority around the protection of unalienable rights and the consent of the governed, while acknowledging complex historical realities like slavery and gender inequality.

• American political culture emphasizes equality as an aspirational principle, limited government, individual liberty, religious neutrality, and a federal, representative democracy within a capitalist economy.

• The next steps in the course move toward examining how these foundational ideas are realized (or challenged) in institutional design, culminating in the U.S. Constitution