PARAPHRASING

Declaration of Independence (498 words)

When one group or entity needs to remove political ties between them and another group or
entity, it is decent for them to explain why they have removed these ties.
All people are equal, and they all have God-given rights, which include life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness. To protect these rights, people created governments that draw their
powers of justice from the belief that people have in the government. The people also have
the right to dissolve the government if it abuses its power and replace it with a new one.
Governments should only be changed when there has been a history of abuse. This is
applicable to the tyranny of Great Britain’s King over the United States. These facts prove
this:
The King has refused to pass laws for the good of the American people.
He has suspended laws that need to be passed quickly and refuses to address them.
He has refused to pass laws for large areas unless they give up their right to be
represented.
He has called meetings in difficult circumstances in order to tire out American
legislators.
He has dissolved Representative Houses for disagreeing with him.
He has prevented the dissolved Houses from being replaced for long periods of time.
He has done his best to prevent people moving to the United States and increasing
its population.
He has refused to grant Assent to laws establishing judiciary power, essentially
preventing the USA from having a justice system.
This has made judges depend on his will in order to deliver judgements.
He has created new roles for British Officers to fill, which has led to them abusing
Americans.
He has kept armies in America without legislatorial consent.
These armies are superior to and independent of the American military.
He has colluded to make America subject to foreign jurisdiction:
For billeting armies among the American people.
For protecting them from punishment for murders of American citizens.
For preventing the USA from trading with the world.
For imposing taxes on citizens without consent.
For depriving Americans of Trial by Jury.
For extraditing Americans to try them for false offences.
 For creating a province purely to exact English law on the American Colonies.
For abolishing valuable laws, changing important Forms of Government and giving
themselves the power to legislate for them.
The King has removed the USA from his protection and waged war against them.
He has attacked and destroyed the lives of Americans.
He is currently transporting troops to carry out atrocities.
He has forced Americans to kill their fellows or be killed themselves.
He has ignited tensions between the Colonists and the Native Americans.
Throughout all of this, the American people have petitioned for this to stop, which has not
happened. These actions are the mark of a tyrant.
Therefore, the Representatives of the USA declare that they are no longer allegiant to the
British Crown – they are Free and Independent states. On this the Representatives lay their
lives, fortunes and honour.

Declaration of the Rights of Man – 1789 (498 words)

The French representatives, as a whole, under the impression that the ignorance, neglect or
contempt of human rights are the only reason for public disasters and the corrupt nature of
the government, have decided to declare the natural and unassailable rights of all people, so
that this document will remind people of their rights and duties; so that examples of
legislation and executive power can be compared with the reason for its existence, creating
more respect for it, and so that complaints of citizens can be more coherent and create a
better constitution, creating happiness for all. Therefore, the National Assembly states that
these are the rights of all under God:
1. All people are born and live in freedom and equality. Divides between people
should only be created for the god of all.
2. The aim of the government and al political business is the protection of the rights
of all. These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.
3. There is no royalty – all sovereignty is split between the people. No one is able to
wield power that isn’t given to them by the people.
4. Liberty is defined as the freedom to commit any act that doesn’t have negative
consequences for others. This means that human rights are unlimited unless they
are protecting people from other people.
5. Law can only stop people from committing harm to society. People must follow
the law and only the law.
6. Law is expressed by what the people want. Everyone can create law through
representation, and the law applies to everyone in the same way. Everyone is
eligible for public service, depending on their ability.
7. No one can be made to suffer the penalty of law unless they have broken the law.
Anyone accused of breaking the law shall submit to be tried – resisting this is
illegal.
8. Punishments under law shall be equal in magnitude to the crime committed, and
no one shall be punished unless stated in the law.
9. People are innocent until declared guilty.
10. No one should be persecuted for their beliefs, as long as the execution of their
beliefs does not break the law.
11. People are entitled to freedom of speech, which extends to printing and writing,
as long as it does not break the law.
12. Any public enforcement that exists exists for the good of everyone and not for the
personal use of their owner.
13. Money must be contributed by all for the administration of these rights and must
be contributed in equal amounts.
14. Everyone is able to decide, by themselves or through representation, how public
contribution should be administered.
15. Everyone has the right to know how public officials are administering their office.
16. Any society in which the law is not obeyed has a meaningless constitution.
17. No one shall have their property taken unless it is for the necessity of everyone
and the person whose property is taken is properly compensated.