The Declaration of Independence

The founding document of the United States of America had one purpose, and one purpose only — to proclaim the independence of the original thirteen American colonies from Great Britain. The government of the United States is not based upon it; that document is the Constitution. There is, in some quarters, a desire to view the Declaration as a part of the Constitution; this is patently incorrect. While the Declaration has been mentioned in numerous court cases, not a single point of law or legal decision has turned upon it. It has no provisions, as does the Constitution, for amendment, and in fact has…