How Cultures Influence Declarations of America and Korea Throughout history, there have been many cries for freedom, liberty and justice against the powers of despotism and aristocrats. The French revolution fighting against aristocrats, Protestant Reformations by Martin Luther which contested for religious justice and more recently the Arab Spring protesting against dictatorship, absolute monarchy and human rights violations shows that the fight for freedom has co-existed with mankind. Among these outcries, the fight for independence could be said to be the most desperate cries for freedom. Such can be observed in sources from the western end to the eastern hemisphere all with differing ideologies and historical backgrounds being the cause. …show more content…
It is common sense that both appeal for freedom but it is a surprising coincidence that they both appeal to a superior being or god for their independence. The American Declaration of Independence appeals to “the Supreme Judge of the world” or prays for “the protection of divine Providence.” By mentioning a supreme being inside the declaration, the American Declaration of Independence tries to emphasize that god is in favor of their independence. The Korean Declaration of Independence does so similarly by the phrase “this is in accordance with the command of Heaven.” Supreme Judge, divine Providence and Heaven all refers to the same being, god. It could be said that to some point that they are relying on credibility from a supreme leader or ethos. Although the supreme judge in here may be pointing to different gods, both cultures wanted desperately that their god would help and support their independence. Another factor to see is the reasoning behind the independence. The American Declaration of Independence states three fundamental rights being violated: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Same as the American counterpart, the Korean Declaration of Independence mentions the distinctive rights to be liberty, freedom and the pursuit of happiness of a full life. It can be seen that both nations evaluate their colonists as those who neglect and divest their most fundamental rights. With these fundamental principles, the two declarations reasons in contrasting ways. Western reasoning is based on Cartesianism, which means that it stresses careful analysis and logic when arguing. The U.S Declaration of Independence elaborates on the specific conditions to institute new government, and by showing that the specific conditions are met in their status quo, the Declaration efficiently justifies its declaration. Although not all Korean