Carolina Navarro

The Declaration of Independence, along with other documents, is a very well known
piece of the history of the United States. The Declaration of Independence has american pride
weaved within it that it is almost undeniable that it is the center of patriotism. It contains many
phrases that are very recognizable throughout the United States. Many of these phrases were
meant to be true, but most of these phrases are no longer held to the great expectation of what
they truly mean. The Declaration of Independence, written by the founding fathers, clearly
states,That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the
Right of the People to alter or abolish it and to institute new Government. Overwise stated,
when any government seems to be unfair, the people are able to change or overthrow it.
However, the recent events, the nation continues to show that it will do everything in its power
so that it doesnt get abolished or changed to the likings of the majority of the population. The
government does things like stopping protests, holding serious secrets, and only letting the voice
of a certain group be heard.
Protests are becoming more and more common in the United States, especially with the
recent inequality. Movements like Black Lives Matter is very common movement that shines
light on the injustices towards African Americans that the government covers up. While there are
many controversies about this movement, there is no doubt that the government plays a role too.
In a news story covered by Nbc News, the SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) unit arrived to
a yard protest in Baton Rouge to stop it. The
Black Lives Matter movement was the influence of
the protest due to the life of the young African American, Alton Sterling, who was killed by an
official and nothing majorly just was done. It was a peaceful protest until the SWAT unit arrived
and disturbed the peace that was in this neighborhood. These citizens of the United States were
speaking up about the injustices, but the government shut them down. Many injustices happen
every day and some citizens of Baton Rouge were trying to get the attention of others to show
how unfair the government is starting to become. While to the government, this protest mightve
looked like another disruption in a neighborhood, the arrival of the SWAT unit was a drastic
decision to take which can mostly prove that it was a way prevent the abolishment and change of
the current system.
The government also doesn't just use resources to stop upheavals, instead secrets are also
held. Government organizations like the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) have done many dire
things and hold many secrets as well. Nate Rawlings wrote an article on some of the government
secrets. One of these secrets was held during the Cold War. In the process of trying to find a way
to stop communist Russia and Cuba from sending a nuclear bomb to the United States, the CIA
illegally did human experimentation for mind control. While not many people know about this,
this is a gruesome secret along with many others that the government holds. The only possible
reason for the secrecy is the prevention of an uproar of upset citizens. A secret like using humans
as guinea pigs could lead to disasters, one after the other, which couldve also lead to the

abolishment for the current government. Even though it is the Right of the People, as stated in
the Declaration of Independence, the government takes that right from their citizens by keeping
secrets from the people of the United States.
Finally, the government of today is know to let only specific groups of people to express
their opinions Nbc News in Washington D.C made a report on how women protesting for a fair
immigration reform were arrested. Police officials arrived at the protest and started arresting
these women. These women were peacefully protesting but sadly, the government shut their
voices. These women have the right to have their voices heard, especially since they were
wishing to alter the government. This protest in Washington D.C couldve easily drawn attention
to the issue, but the government sent officials to stop the popularity of the opinion of these
women. The Declaration of Independence clearly states, it is the Right of the People to alter or
abolish it which proves that the people have a right to alter the government if it is unfair. These
women were doing what the Declaration of Independence states, to alter the government if it
seems unfair, and that right was stolen from them. The government has been finding new ways to
keep the current government as it is and no longer honors the written words that state the rights
of the people.
To conclude, the government has many resources to make sure the citizens of the United
States do not overthrow them. They use resources like the SWAT unit, CIA, and police officials
to stop and cover up many horrid violations of righteousness and other things they do not
approve. The government of today does not honor the words of historical documents that have
guided us for so many years. The government we see in 2016 is now becoming no different of
that of the 1880s and soon wont be any different of the 1770s. The government is slowly and
discretely violating many of the rights of the people, the rights not only written in the
Declaration of Independence but the ones in the United States Constitution as well. While the
government of the United States shows proudly how they take one step forward, they cautiously
sweep their two steps back under the carpet. The government of today should be the example the
citizens try to follow instead of the corruption politicians show. The government of today needs
to be accepting of all people and give opportunities to those who need it. The United States of
America needs to be the hopeful, optimistic and just. The United States should realize that not
everyone will terrorize the country, not everyone will cheat the country, and not everyone will
destroy the country, but rather that most of the people will help this country, for the better.

Sources:

Rawlings, Nate. "Top 10 Weird Government Secrets." Time. Time Inc., 2010. Web. 15
Sept. 2016.
Link:http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2008962_2008964_2008992
,00.html

NBCNews. "SWAT Teams Break Up Front Yard Protest in Baton Rouge - NBC News."
NBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2016.
Link:http://www.nbcnews.com/video/swat-teams-break-up-front-yard-protest-in-baton-rouge-72
2538051506
@nbcwashington. "100-Plus Women Arrested at Capitol Immigration Rally."NBC4
Washington. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2016.
Link:http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Over-100-Arrests-Made-in-Immigration-Refor
m-Protest-223470821.html