Coroczny Piknik Klubu Polskiego w Arvadzie

LIPIEC & SIERPIEŃ / JULY & AUGUST 2011
| Volume 62, Issue 7,8
Coroczny Piknik Klubu Polskiego w Arvadzie
Brighton - Ziębice
Sister Cities
str.3
A Recommendation
For Males Going
Through Mid-Life
Crisis
by Piotr Gzowski
str.4
Urodziny i rocznice
str.6
4 lipca - Historia
str.8
12 maja Klub Polski zorganizował
swój coroczny piknik w City Park
of Arvada.
Co ważne pogoda i frekwencja
Polonii dopisała. Piknik uświetnili
swoim występem “Krakowiacy”.
Sponsorem zabawek i atrakcji dla
dzieci była firma DISH Network dostawca polskiej telewizji.
Dziękujemy wszystkim, którzy
przyczynili się do pomocy
w organizacji tej imprezy.
więcej zdjęc: str. 7
GAZETKA | LIPIEC & SIERPIEŃ | JULY & AUGUST 2011
Zebranie członkowskie
w Klubie Polskim,
Membership Meeting:
September 11th 2011, at 3pm
Proposal by Board of Directors for
September meeting:
1. All Polish non-profit organizations, if
wish to use space of Polish Club of Denver
for an event must sign the contract 30 days
before planned event and deposit $400
(Refoundable fee) for possible damages &
cleaning.
2. For rentals Polish Club wants to offer a
rental of table cloths & chair covers for additional cost.
Reklama
Advertisment w GAZETCE
Yearly gazetka advertizing rates
Roczne ceny ogłoszeń w gazetce:
Rozmiary:
Ad size member non member
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1/3 PAGE $16 $30
1/2 PAGE $24 $40
FULL PAGE $40 $80
3 months –6 months– 12 months contract. CALL: 303-396-8880
SKŁAD ZARZĄDU
POLSKIEGO KLUBU W DENVER 2011-12
POLISH CLUB OF DENVER BOARD 2011-12
PREZES / PRESIDENT: Katarzyna Majkut-Szuta
WICEPREZES / VICE-PRESIDENT: Sabina Kaliszan
SKARBNIK / TREASURER: Agniszka Sosinowski
SEKRETARZ / SEKRETARY: Michał Płatek
MARSZAŁEK / SGT. @ ARMS: Piotr Trela
DYR. CZŁONKOSTWA / MEMBERSHIP DIR.:
Katarzyna Tegowski
DYR. BUDYNKU / BUILDING DIR.: Witold Dębski
SOCIAL DIR.: Maciej Wardak
DYR. PROGRAMOWY / PROGRAM DIR.:
Magdalena Lantz
PUBLIC RELATIONS / DYR. INFORMACJI:
Katarzyna Hypsher
DYR. WYNAJMU / RENTAL DIR. Czesława Muniz
DYR. ZAOPATRZENIA / SUPPLIES DIR.:
Sylvia Gadzina
DYR. BIBLIOTEKI / LIBRARY DIR.: Joanna Rocwa
SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE:
Ronald Tański, Stanisław Gadzina, Anna Chwiedor
ADVISORY COMMITTEE: Witold Citko,
Zbigniew Retecki, Tamara Proch
KOMISJA REWIZYJNA: Elżbieta Kubala,
Iwona Mazurek, Marzena Pilarska
Biblioteka Klubu Polskiego
będzie otwarta w lipcu 1-go, 15-go
i 29-go
w godz. 18.00 - 20.00.
Gazetkę przygotowuje Katarzyna Hypsher.
W sprawie reklam, ogłoszeń, itp.
- Proszę dzwonić: 303-396-8880
Zachęcamy Państwa do zrezygnowania z comiesięcznej przesyłki GAZETKI pocztą. Możecie Państwo czytać Gazetkę na stonie internetowej Klubu:
www.polishclubofdenver.com/gazetka lub otrzymywać ją droga emailową.
W ten sposób zaoszczędzimy dla Klubu sporo pieniędzy oraz przyczynimy się do redukcji zużycia papieru. Gorąco zapraszamy! W tym celu prosimy
o kontakt z panią viceprezes Sabiną Kaliszan, emial: [email protected]
Wszyscy, którzy zdecydują się na taką formę otrzymywania Gazetki zostaną zdjęci z naszej listy otrzymywania jej tradycyjną pocztą.
DZIĘKUJEMY ZA WSPÓŁPRACĘ!!! Zachęcajcie swoich znajomych do zapisywania się do Klubu Polskiego w Denver.
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GAZETKA | LIPIEC & SIERPIEŃ | JULY & AUGUST 2011
3
Klub Polski do końca września przyjmuje
oferty firm remontowo-budowlanych na
wykonanie zadaszenia nad wejściem do
budynku. Zarząd i członkowie wybiorą
najkorzystniejszą ofertę. Dla wykonawców istnieje możliwość wystawienia
zaświadczenia do rozliczenia podatkowego
w przypadku wykonania prac społecznie.
Szczegółowe informacje: Dyr. Budynku
Witold Debski tel.720 272 0134,
lub tel.303 934 3955.
Brighton - Ziębice Sister Cities
4 czerwca w Brighton odbyło się uroczyste odsłonięcie kopii Bramy Paczkowskiej (zainspirowanej średniowieczną bramą w Ziębicach) w Parku
Brighton-Ziębice Sister Cities. Istniejąca od 16 lat organizacja miast siostrzanych została założona przez Henryka Rozwarzewskiego-Rossa i ma
na celu wymianę młodzieży szkolnej z obu krajów.
W projekt bramy, która jest częścią placu zabaw dla dzieci włączyła się
cała społeczność Brighton; wiele osób prywatnych i przedsiębiorstw. Na
imprezę przybyli goście z Polski: grupa młodzieży z Ziębic, pan Rafał
Śledź – kierownik Promocji Urzędu Miasta i Gminy Ziębice, pan Antoni
Herbowski – burmistrz Ziębic, z Los Angeles: pani Małgorzata Cup –
konsul RP do spraw kultury, prasy, edukacji polonijnej. Proboszcz polskiej
parafii przy kościele św. Józefa, ks. Marek Cieśla, pobłogosławił nowy
obiekt. Po uroczystym otwarciu odbył się piknik, którego główną atrakcją
był występ zespołu Euroband.
GAZETKA | LIPIEC & SIERPIEŃ | JULY & AUGUST 2011
A Recommendation For Males
Going Through Mid-Life Crisis
– a film commentary by Piotr Gzowski, survivor
According to the legend approximately three thousand years
ago, a flotilla of men from Greece gathered at the harbor of Aulis
and set sail across several hundred miles of the Mediterranean
to spend the next ten years trying to knock down the walls of a
then impenetrable city called Troy. Normally, wars are fought
over dominance – economic or political. However, what inspired
these men was something completely different.
It was a young woman named Helen. Helen was the trophy wife
of Menelaus, the King of Sparta. And like most of the characters
of Greek mythology, Helen was governed by her suppressed libido. Being the queen of Sparta was just not enough. One day,
a handsome young Prince, with the equally handsome name of
Paris, arrived at the court of Sparta. At first glance, both Helen and Paris were overcome by their raging hormones which
coursed through their bodies harder than a Floridian sump pump
during a hurricane. With the encouragement of the gods, nature
took its course, and inevitably, Helen ran off with Pairs for Troy,
leaving behind her older husband, Menelaus, alone and trophywifeless, in Sparta. Menelaus reacted by summoning everyone
who ever owed him a favor, gathering a formidable invasion
force, and then convincing his brother Agamemnon to sacrifice
his daughter Iphigenia to the gods for a favorable wind so that
they all could sail off to Troy in pursuit of Helen.
My suspicion is that Menelaus was probably somewhere in his
forties. Had he been older, let’s say fifty or fifty-two, he, upon
hearing about his wife’s infidelity, would probably have shrugged
his shoulders, said “Eh” and stayed in Sparta secure in the
thought that he had an air-tight pre-nup, and married someone
else. Instead, he and his Greek buddies, embarked on a ten
years enterprise, at an immeasurable cost of resources, men
and money , only to loot a city, that was probably already on the
verge of bankruptcy as a result of the war, only to bring home a
much older and somewhat used up Helen. In all probability on
the return trip, as Menelaus looked at Helen standing in the prow
of the ship, he must considered what she had cost him, and
thought “My gods, what have I done?”
A strange thing happens to men when they hit their forties. .
Seemingly well adjusted individuals suddenly begin to exhibit
rather odd behavior. Suddenly, men begin to look leeringly at
women half their age, join gymnasiums, buy outrageous cars,
and take on risky enterprises. At times they leave their wives, their
families, their careers, and embark on some unrealized personal
quests. Early psychologists called it the “Peter Pan” syndrome,
the inability of a man to grow up. More recently, this phenomenon
has been described as male mid-life crisis, a much more serious
condition that can have devastating consequences. Some men
survive. Some do not. Later, however, when they are questioned
about why they did what they did, all seem to say the same thing
“It seemed like a good idea at the time”. The boats were loaded.
The men were ready. They sailed for Troy.
My mid-life crisis resulted in a pair of succulent breasts in a tight
red dress convincing me that my career as a college professor
was a waist of time, that my talent as a writer, director and producer were being squandered on an unappreciative audience,
and that it was time to move away, start my own theatre and to
give her a child. When I announced my plans to my friends, they
panicked. But, at the time I was forty four years old. I was Menelaus. I had a fleet, disguised as a red dress. It seemed like a good
idea. Within a short year and a half, everything that it took me ten
painstaking years to build lay in ruins like Berlin after the Soviets
entered it in 1945. Then, one dreary, morning, over a cold cup
of coffee after a horrendous week of arguments and betrayals, it
hit me – all this time I had been sharing my bed with the spawn
of Satan. My God, what had I done? It took another ten years to
recover. Years later, at a New Year’s Eve celebration back East, I
4
asked my friends, who had witnessed this comic-tragedy, why they
had not stopped me. They said that they tried, that they really, really tried, but at that time the only recourse was to shoot me, and I
wasn’t worth the time in jail. None of my friends recognized what it
actually was - a simple case of male mid-life crisis. I was Menelaus.
I was forty-four. There was no stopping me.
Male mid-life crisis seems to be one of those unfortunate rites of
passage that all men experience. It manifests itself in the following
ways:
1)
Loss of identity – Who am I really? How did I get here?
And, as the comedian Ray Romano once said “…who is that woman standing in my kitchen, yelling at me?”
2)
Quest hunger – The need to get away from it all. There is
no specific destination – it’s just “away.”
3)
The need to redefine – e.g. clothes, cars, muscles, babes,
etc.
On some level all men seem to experience this.
My recommendation is that when my brothers begin to feel the onset of this mid-life crisis that instead of reverting to one of the behaviors listed above they adopt a posture of transference. Rather
than going through the experience themselves, they should observe someone else, learn from the experience, and spare themselves a lot of unnecessary confusion and pain. What better way is
there to do this than to watch films? Films are the virtual substitute
for emotional experience. Furthermore, the only personal investment required is the price of a ticket, or a DVD rental, or a Netflix
subscription, and movie snacks.
There have been quite a number of male mid-life crisis films produced. Most of them, unfortunately, are rather inane. Men are portrayed as idiots behaving idiotically. Quite frankly, they are an insult
to the gender. However, in the main stream cinema, three films do
stand out as worthwhile viewing: City Slickers (1991) directed by
Ron Underwood, The Misfits (1961) directed by John Huston, and
American Beauty (1999) directed by Sam Mendes. All three address the syndrome in an intelligent, engaging manner.
In City Slickers, Mitch Robbins
(Billy Crystal) has lost his smile.
Despite the fact that he has an
ideal life everyday seems like
a pit of drudgery. Mitch’s two
best friends share his misery.
Phil (Daniel Stern) is a self professed coward who has recently
been financially destroyed by his
ex-wife. Ed (Bruno Kirby) has
begun to doubt his virility after
being abandoned by his much
younger girlfriend. One day the
three decide to go on a cattle
drive vacation from New Mexico
to Colorado. What better way to
regain their sense of gender than
the cowboy experience? The experience, of course, turns out to
be more than they bargained for.
They encounter real cowboys, who are mean, ill-tempered and
abusive; they are placed under the charge of a seemingly homicidal, tight-lipped, crusty old cowboy named Curly (Jack Palance)
who resents having to take care of a bunch of “greenhorns, and
develops a particularly dislike for Mitch. They are victims of a cattle
stampede, fowl weather, adverse environments, and the rage of the
resentful real cowboys who eventually abandon them.
However, in the course of the story each of our heroes discovers
his own personal element. Mitch discovers that for a man’s life to
have any meaning there has to be that “one thing” that defines his
purpose, and that “one-thing” is something that the man has to discover for himself and then fully embrace. Phil discovers courage
when he is confronted by the mean cowboys. And, Ed discovers
that his virility is not defined by his paramours with younger women
but in his ability to face impossible odds with grace. The film does
have somewhat of a fairy tale quality, a kind of Wizard of Oz Goes
GAZETKA | LIPIEC & SIERPIEŃ | JULY & AUGUST 2011
West, but the message to men in mid-life crisis is clear enough.
Furthermore, City Slickers does produce some pleasing performances. Jack Palance won an Academy Award for his portrayal
as the leather skinned Curly. Crystal, Stern and Kirby do an admirable job as the three misfits from the East trying to live up to the
image of the West. All in all City Slickers does provide 112 minutes
of enjoyable diversion.
The Misfits is a landmark film.
This enterprise brought together
seven legendary individuals who
have, since the film’s release,
all passed away, but who have
also joined the ranks of the immortals – actors Clark Gable,
Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery
Clift, Eli Wallach, and Thelma
Ritter, the director John Huston,
and the playwright Arthur Miller
(who at the time was married to
Monroe and who also wrote the
screenplay). The film is a simple
tale about a band of individuals
attempting to survive a world
that has outpaced them. Gay
(Gable) an over-the-hill cowboy,
Perce (Clift), a washed-up rodeo rider, and Guido (Wallach) an
unemployed crop duster, join together in an enterprise in the Nevada outback to capture wild horses, mustangs. They are joined
in the adventure by Roslyn (Monroe) a beautiful, fragile, divorcee
who is infatuated with Gay, and Isabelle, her cynical, matronly,
companion.
Once they reach the wilderness, Gay, Perce, and Guido track
down and capture the mustangs. They revel in the thought that
the horses will yield a handsome profit at the dog food factory.
They have no scruples regarding the mustangs’ fate. In an age
governed by automobiles and airplanes, wild horses play no role
as part of the modern West. Mustangs are “misfits”. Their eventual extinction doesn’t really matter. It is Roslyn’s intervention that
capsizes the venture. Initially believing that the cowboys’ intention
was to tame the ‘misfits” and then to sell them to riding stables,
she discovers their true fate. Disgusted she attempts to free most
of the horses from captivity draining the resources of the group.
The act spurs a violent conflict. In a culminating moment, Roslyn
accuses Gay, Perce, and Guido of hypocrisy, of pretending to live
the independent cowboy life, but denying the fact that society considers them the same way they consider the mustangs -“misfits”.
They are obsolete.
The Misfits doesn’t deal directly with male mid-life crisis, however,
it aptly addresses a theme that is prevalent among men in their
forties – the pursuit of an ideal in a world that no longer supports it.
Huston chose to shoot the film in black and white rather than color.
It adds to the harshness and desolation of a world where the traditional cowboy values have become an anachronism. Unless these
men change and develop, their eventual extinction will not matter.
American Beauty opens with its narrator, Lester Burnham (Kevin
Spacey) confessing that despite the appearance of a successful middle class lifestyle, he considers himself a total loser. His
relationship with his wife Carolyn (Annette Benning) has staled;
although he loves his teenaged daughter Jane (Thora Burch) he
feels inadequate as a father; his life is devoid of any excitement,
joy or beauty. Then, one afternoon at a high school sporting event
he meets Angela (Mina Suvari) Jane’s friend. His infatuation for
her fuels drastic changes in his life. He quits his prestigious job;
blackmails his boss into giving him a handsome severance package; finds another job as burger flipper at a drive-in; exchanges
his Toyota for a 1970 Pontiac Firebird; transforms his garage into
a mini gym; and befriends Ricky Fitts (Wes Beatty), an amateur
videographer who is attracted to Jane who becomes Lester’s marijuana supplier and who is also the son of Lester’s homophobic
neighbor, Frank. In the course of several weeks Lester Bingham
undergoes a complete metamorphosis which his wife and daughter interpret as complete madness. Nevertheless, Lester relent-
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lessly rediscovers his self-confidence, develops and intense appreciate for the beauty of life, and learns to take things in stride.
When he discovers that Carolyn is having an affair with one of her
colleagues he handles the situation with humor and acceptance.
He delights in the growing relationship between Jane and Ricky.
In a tense moment when Ricky’s father, Frank, reveals his homosexuality to Lester, Lester treats him with careful compassion.
Finally, near the end of the film Angela offers herself to Lester, his
ultimate sexual fantasy her virginity. However, when he discovers
that she is still a virgin, rather than jumping at the opportunity, he
shifts his affection for her to those of a father figure, a protector
rather than an exploiter of her youth and innocence. The change
has been a positive one. In the final moments of the film, Lester
sits at the dining room table looking at a photograph of his family, happy, satisfied, content with himself and the choices he has
made, unaware that Frank is about to murder him. This seems
like a rather drastic ending; however, in his final narration from the
grave, Lester Burnham expresses no anger, and no regret. He left
life totally fulfilled, at the top of his game.
Among the three films mentioned,
American Beauty is the most poetic. In 2000, American Beauty
won five Academy Awards (Best
Actor- Kevin Spacey, Best Director – Sam Mendes, Best Cinematography -Conrad Hall, Best
writing and Screenplay -Alan Ball,
and Best Picture. Each award
was well-deserved. It is a stunning film and one that addresses
every issue, demonstrates every
behavior, and describes every
choice that a male experiencing
mid-life crisis encounters with
dark humor, masterful writing,
and dazzling visuals. It is remarkable experience. It is a film that
I wish had been made ten years
earlier.
There will be those who disagree with my choices. I remind the
reader that these are personal choices based on my own personal
experience although there are many other good films these three
seem to contain the most medicinal value for me. When I sailed for
Troy I was Menelaus. . The ten years I spent after my landing were
extremely costly. Now, I discover that I am more like Odysseus
trying to find his way back to Ithaca. It took him ten more years to
return home. When he finally made it back, he was not the same
man who left. Will I ever make it back successfully? Well, the jury
is still out deliberating that question. The final verdict will probably
not be submitted until after my fragile body has surrendered the
helm. It will be made in the memory of my friends and what they
have to say about me.
I have neither the eloquence nor musical language of poets. So,
to those of my brethren who have gone through male mid-life crisis and survived it, I can only offer my heartiest congratulations.
To those embarking on the journey, I can only wish them a benevolent wind for their sails. Instead of feigning wisdom, I’ll Lester
Burnham say it all for me:
“I guess I could be really pissed off about what happened to me...
but it’s hard to stay mad, when there’s so much beauty in the
world. Sometimes I feel like I’m seeing it all at once, and it’s too
much, my heart fills up like a balloon that’s about to burst...and
then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then
it flows through me like rain. And I can’t feel anything but gratitude
for every single moment of my stupid little life. You have no idea
what I’m talking about, I’m sure. But don’t worry... you will someday.”
Of course, as always, this is only my opinion. See the films and
judge for yourself.
.
GAZETKA | LIPIEC & SIERPIEŃ | JULY & AUGUST 2011
NAJSERDECZNIEJSZE ŻYCZENIA
URODZINOWE
DLA NASZYCH CZŁONKÓW
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR
MEMBERS
7/1 *Mr Hal Heffron
7/2 Mr John Wiankowski
7/3 Mr Eric Burg
7/4 Mr Andy Burchard
7/5 Mrs Barbara Kabala
7/5 *Mr Teodor Padalinski
7/6 Mrs Regina Pilarski
7/7 Mr Zdzislaw Dobis
7/8 Mr Greg Skaskiewicz
7/10 Mrs Elizabeth Golebiewski
7/14 Mr Piotr Gzowski
7/15 Mr Mike Chilimoniuk
7/18 Mr Pawel Kaliszan
7/19 Mrs Maria Kokot
7/20 *Mrs Waleria Issandri
7/21 Mrs Jadwiga Oleksiak
7/22 Mrs Zenona Ptasznik
7/24 Mrs Kinga Grosfeld
7/25 *Mrs Anna Chwiedor
7/27 Mrs Eve Tylicki
7/30 Mrs Hannah Altman
8/1 *Mrs Jane Novicki
8/1 *Mr Mervin Ruebush
8/1 *Mrs Ella Senour
8/2 Mrs Krystyna Ross
8/3 Mrs Czeslawa Muniz
8/3 Mrs Barbara Ruffing
8/5 *Mr Joseph Wojcik
8/7 Mr Greg Skaskiewicz
8/7 Mr Czeslaw Czechowicz
8/9 *Mr Raymond Gwozdz
8/11 Mrs Bronislawa Pena
8/11 *Mrs Zofia Pytel
8/12 Mr Marian Panczyszyn
8/17 Mr Jakub Retecki
8/17 Mrs Katarzyna Tegowski
8/19 Mr Neil Fleischauger
8/19 *Mr Alan Puszman
8/21 *Mr Chester Grubin
8/22 Mrs Barbara Popielak
8/23 Mr Gerard Prus
8/23 Mr Mateusz Retecki
8/23 Mrs Wieslawa Czechowicz
8/25 *Mr Edward Laskowski
8/26 *Mrs Loretta Cybulski
8/27 * Mr John Bonaparte
8/27 *Mrs Phyllis Gruda
8/28 *Mrs Rose Olejniczak
8/31 Mrs Maria Grzebieniarz
8/31 *Mrs Ethel Skripko
ANNIVERSARIES
ROCZNICE CZŁONKOSTWA
Lipiec/July
38 years *Mr&Mrs Alan, Mira Puszman
29 years Mr&Mrs Kazimierz, Halina Pyziak
11 years Rev. Grzegorz Cioch
6 years Mrs Zuzanna Felczynska
2 years Fr. Piotr Mozdyniewicz
Sierpień/August
11 years Mrs Hannah Sperber
12 years *Mrs Doris Worysz
2 years Mrs Iwona Mazurek
2 years Mrs Zenona Ptasznik
Wszystko, co tylko miłe na świecie,
Wszystko, co tylko pomyślność wróży,
Niech się wam w jedno ogniwo splecie
I będzie szczęściem w życia podróży!
z okazji Ślubu
Sylvii Gadziny & Michała Płatka
- życzy Zarząd i Członkowie Klubu
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GAZETKA | LIPIEC & SIERPIEŃ | JULY & AUGUST 2011
Piknik w Arvadzie - więcej zdjęć na www.polishclubof denver.com
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Dzień Niepodległości Stanów
Zjednoczonych
Dzień Niepodległości Stanów Zjednoczonych (ang. Independence Day lub Fourth of July) to święto państwowe w Stanach Zjednoczonych obchodzone corocznie 4 lipca w rocznicę
ogłoszenia Deklaracji niepodległości Stanów Zjednoczonych od
Wielkiej Brytanii, co miało miejsce w 1776 roku.
W Dzień Niepodległości w Stanach Zjednoczonych odbywają się
liczne koncerty, parady i festyny. Tradycją są również przemówienia o tematyce patriotycznej wygłaszane przez polityków i
urzędników państwowych. Natomiast po zmierzchu mają miejsce
pokazy sztucznych ogni.
Chociaż święto nieoficjalnie obchodzono już od 1777 r., dopiero
w 1870 r. Kongres Stanów Zjednoczonych oficjalnie ustanowił
czwarty lipca dniem wolnym od pracy bez wynagrodzenia dla
urzędników federalnych. W 1931 r. zmieniono prawo, przyznając
im wynagrodzenia za dzień wolny od pracy.
Deklaracja niepodległości Stanów Zjednoczonych była aktem
prawnym autorstwa m.in. Thomasa Jeffersona, uzasadniający
prawo Trzynastu Kolonii brytyjskich w Ameryce Północnej do
wolności i niezależności od króla Wielkiej Brytanii, Jerzego III.
Ogłoszona 4 lipca 1776 w Filadelfii podczas II Kongresu Kontynentalnego.
Deklaracja głosiła prawo do ustanawiania wszelkich aktów
państwowych, wypowiadania wojny i zawierania pokoju przez
dawne kolonie angielskie w Ameryce Północnej.
Jej autorami, oprócz Jeffersona, byli John Adams i Benjamin
Franklin. Sygnatariusze Deklaracji niepodległości zostali nazwani
przez kolonistów ojcami-założycielami.
Deklaracja niepodległości była pierwszym oficjalnym
oświadczeniem na temat tego, czym powinien być rząd. Ponadto,
miała ona charakter uniwersalny, była czymś więcej aniżeli prywatnym przesłaniem skierowanym do Wielkiej Brytanii, był to apel
do całej ludzkości.
John Trumbull 1756-1843. “Deklaracja Niepodległości”
Idee zawarte w Deklaracji to synteza poglądów ówczesnych
myślicieli oświeceniowych. Największy wpływ na treść tego
dokumentu miała osoba Johna Locke’a, który swoją twórczością
filozoficzno-literacką ustanowił kanon myśli oświeceniowej w
odniesieniu do rządu i jego obowiązków względem obywateli.
Thomas Jefferson wiedział, iż poglądy głoszone przez Locke’a
pasowały do sytuacji, w jakiej znalazły się kolonie w dobie
rewolucji, a także odzwierciedlały nastroje społeczne prowincji
amerykańskich.