NPR Tweeted The Declaration Of Independence, And Trump Supporters Flipped Out

LTC (Join to see) - Stupidity in America might be better illustrated by the simple fact that people watch Watters world. The only statements form Trump opponents in that link do not back up your claim.

LTC (Join to see) - Granted, dumb is a universal failing on both sides, but I saw nothing in your link that showed 'lefties' were ready to "... riot in the streets".

"Stupid" shows up everywhere.......all political parties, all genders, all races, all ages......you name it, and stupid will show up.

Stupid is owned by the GOP.

While I am a long way from believing we need a second "revolution", I do believe that a bit of a reset is needed. IMV, the federal government has extended its reach (on relatively flimsy pretexts) too far into the domains of the states and the people. Education and an overly liberal interpretation of the commerce clause head my list. There are two things that I think are necessary to reinvigorate our government. The first is term limits. I am open to discussion on what they should be though three terms for a representative and two for a senator seem about right to me. The second is a sunset clause on legislation unless passed by a 2/3 vote of both the House and the Senate. The former would eliminate professional politicians ... the latter would require a positive relook and revote on issues such as tax breaks, use of military force, FISA, etc, etc.

LTC (Join to see) - You're 101% wrong.

SFC Randy Hellenbrand - Perhaps ... but you'll have to convince me. Your saying it without anything behind it doesn't make it so.

SSgt (Join to see) - You are correct on a point. Up until the end of the Civil War, the nation was THESE United States, not THE United States, and the majority of the country viewed themselves as their state, not their country. But you're making some leaps on my argument. By my logic, the Declaration is not a governmental document because a) it was created, signed, and delivered before the formation of the government of a nation, b) was a letter addressed to the world (not the Crown, as SGT Wilcox asserted) on behalf of the separate states c) formed a pact between the states, not a government. The earliest governmental document could be the Articles of Confederation, and that's only in name because, as you've said, it was scrapped and then superseded by the Constitution of the United States, which honestly makes the Constitution the true first governmental document of the United States. There are three things that separate the Constitution of the United States from the DoI. First, the Constitution purposefully, and with intent, forms the basis of a central government and sovereign nation comprised of the individual states. Second, those individual states sacrificed their independence in order to form this sovereign nation, and while the people of those states may have viewed themselves as citizens of their individual states rather than the nation, those states still acted as one nation. Third, the Constitution required ratification to be made law, and that ratification had to be by a majority of the states. Some states refused to ratify, yes (as their representatives viewed it as trading one dictator for many dictators), but enough signed to carry it into law and bind those 13 sovereign states into one sovereign nation. The DoI didn't do this at all. It just told the world that we 13 former colonies have issues that are falling on deaf royal ears, we're sick of it, so we're giving him the finger and showing his minions the door. Oh, and we're going to look out for each other and help each other and trade with each other, and you all, too, so come check out the goods we've got. Cuz, like, we need the monies.

SSgt Ryan Sylvester - What is the US Constitution other than a compact between several states, at least that is how they saw themselves at the time, which is no different than what they viewed themselves with the Declaration. This is why the South thought they were justified in seceding in 1860/61. The Articles proclaimed they were allowed secede and most states thought they still had that right when the Constitution was ratified, the Civil War proved that belief wrong.
In June of 1776 the Continental Congress determined they were going to create a confederation between the states so by saying they were not creating a nation is not completely accurate as that was their goal and the Declaration allowed them to break with the crown and become their own nation. Just a week after the Declaration the first draft of the Articles was presented to the Congress. The Articles determined how the nation would be governed but the nation came into existence with the colonies break from the crown meaning the Declaration is the first government document.
https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/articles.html

SSgt (Join to see) - And again, if it had been something more than just a letter to the world, maybe it would have been. Honestly, right there in the opening line, "The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America". The document itself acknowledged that they were thirteen separate states, only united in their mutual interest. The Constitution made a lasting, sovereign nation, and anything written up to that point, while certainly significant to the history of that nation, was not a document of that government. And let me emphasize this... I am not saying that the DoI isn't significant. It is arguably the most significant document in our history. But that doesn't mean it's a governmental document. It gives a basis for banding the original states together, it gives the idea of a nation of free people, but it doesn't form that basis. The Constitution does. And, as you pointed out, was tested and cemented through 4 blood-soaked years. Had it still been the AoC (let alone the DoI), we likely wouldn't even exist as a nation right now. And that actually laid the foundation for a nation, albeit a weak one that favored the individual parts rather than the whole.

I remember going over it line by line and what it meant.