The fourth chapter of the book After the Fact is about the Declaration of Independance, and the historical events that surrounded its creation. The Declaration of Independence can be difficult to read for someone who doesn’t know much about the time period during which the document was created. The chapter helps enhance the Declaration of Independence by providing information through Heuristics and Synthesis. The chapter also employs multiple BAGPIPE themes when analyzing the Document. The chapter first explains how some of our notions about the Declaration of Independance are wrong. It explains how the Continental Congress actually agreed on the document on July 2nd, not July 4th. It also shows that through secretary Thomson’s journal, the …show more content…
The first method used is Heuristics. Heuristics is the identification of relevant material to use as sources of information. The chapter uses heuristics when it corrects modern misconceptions about the Declaration of Independence, such as the date when the Continental Congress voted for Independence or the date when the state delegates signed the declaration. To correct these misconceptions, the chapter utilizes the journal of Secretary Thomson. The chapter also uses Heuristics when describing Jefferson’s inspiration for the Declaration of Independance. The chapter references George Mason’s Preamble to the Virginia Constitution, which is very similar to the opening of the Declaration of Independance. Using these other documents helps us understand the texts in that time period, without the biases we have today. However, Heuristics can be considered weak because sometimes, the connections between document can seem shaky. Another method used by the chapter is Synthesis. Synthesis is the connection to other time periods. The chapter uses Synthesis when it connects the Declaration of Independance to the Age of Enlightenment and John Locke’s writings in the 1690s. The chapter does so to establish where Jefferson got his inspiration for the Declaration of Independance. Synthesis is also used when discussing the Stamp Act Congress. The chapter contrasts these two time periods, as the Stamp act congress still owes its allegiance to Parliament, while the Declaration of Independence doesn’t even mention parliament. Synthesis can be useful as it can give some context to documents written in a specific era. The weakness of Synthesis is that sometimes the time periods used aren’t