Character analysis
The British Parliament
in The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson
The British Parliament is portrayed in the Declaration of Independence not as an active character but as a named institutional opponent, with its legislative actions contributing significantly to the colonial grievances. Jefferson makes a clear distinction between Parliament and the Crown in several sections, accusing Parliament of complicity in tyranny through specific laws. It is criticized for quartering troops among the colonists without their consent, cutting off trade, imposing taxes without representation, denying trial by jury, and transporting colonists overseas for trials on dubious charges. Importantly, the Declaration states that colonists appealed to Parliament's sense of justice, reminding it of their circumstances during emigration and settlement, only to face repeated injuries and indifference. Parliament is also accused of having "abdicated government here" by enacting laws that put the colonies outside the Crown's protection. As an institution, Parliament highlights the failure of the British constitutional system to restrain executive overreach and safeguard the rights of all British subjects, including those in America. Its trajectory shows a pattern of unresponsiveness: it was petitioned, warned, and ultimately condemned. Parliament illustrates the structural argument that the issue lies not just with one bad king but with a corrupt governing order, giving the Declaration's indictment a broader systemic impact rather than a solely personal one.
Connected characters
- King George III
Parliament and the King together constitute the dual machinery of British tyranny in the Declaration. While King George III is the primary addressee of the grievances, Parliament is named as the legislative instrument through which many of his oppressions are enacted—passing acts for quartering troops, suspending colonial legislatures, and cutting off trade. Jefferson implicates Parliament as an enabler and co-author of royal misconduct.
- Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson is Parliament's chief prosecutor in the Declaration. He carefully catalogs Parliament's specific legislative offenses, distinguishing them from the King's executive abuses, to build a comprehensive case that the entire British governing structure—not just the monarch—has forfeited its legitimacy over the colonies.
- The American People (Colonists)
The American colonists are Parliament's aggrieved subjects and, ultimately, its accusers. The Declaration records that the colonists warned Parliament, appealed to its sense of justice, and invoked shared ties of kinship—all of which Parliament ignored. This unresponsiveness transforms the colonists from petitioners into revolutionaries and justifies their separation.
- John Adams
As a key member of the drafting committee and a forceful advocate for independence, John Adams helped shape the framing of Parliament's culpability. His earlier writings and congressional arguments had long insisted that Parliament held no legitimate authority over the colonies, a position the Declaration ultimately enshrines.
- Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin had spent years in London attempting to negotiate with Parliament on behalf of the colonies. His firsthand experience of Parliament's intransigence and contempt for colonial petitions informed the committee's decision to portray Parliament as an institution beyond reasonable appeal, strengthening the Declaration's rhetorical case for separation.
- Roger Sherman
Roger Sherman, as a committee member, contributed to the consensus that Parliament's legislative overreach must be explicitly enumerated alongside the King's executive abuses, ensuring the Declaration's indictment was constitutionally thorough and not reducible to a personal quarrel with the monarch.
- Robert R. Livingston
Robert R. Livingston, the fifth member of the drafting committee, participated in shaping the document's treatment of Parliament. Though he ultimately did not sign, his involvement in committee deliberations contributed to the careful legal framing of Parliament's statutory offenses against the colonies.