Describe the similarities and differences in the treatment indentured servants, enslaved peoples, and free laborers endured and the ways they challenged and/or resisted their masters' authority. The ideology of America becoming a country devoted to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” was developed by white, wealthy men who believed that self-government belonged to people like them. Yet it was the "common" people whose spirit to fight for independence was needed in order to win the war against Britain. 1. Why do you believe the "common" people embraced the ideas of the Declaration of Independence with passion and reverence? 2. Do you believe the "common" people were a necessary component to the United States victory over Great Britain? Why or why not?