Deism and the Declaration

As was discussed in the intro to the Neoclassicism unit, much of the writing of the day was propagandistic in nature. The writing could be generally characterized as being addressed to a nationalistic, allied, neutral, or hostile audience (not including the unintended audience). This topic has been discussed already at length: I think the general consensus was that it was catered towards a nationalistic audience. However, the propagandistic leanings aren't the only unique characteristics of this piece. The biography included in this section described that Jefferson was a deist, and he strived to "...advocate a demystified religion that preached from a positivist perspective. He railed against the gloomy assessments of human nature he believed were characteristic of Calvanism." Knowing this, then, it is not surprising that the tenets of Deism included the beliefs that rationalism and reason could help clarify the inscrutable universe, that divinity was understandable, that man was not perfect but perfectible, and that nature ruled over all. Above all, it was not a religion so much as a philosophy. It was a conglomeration of ideas that helped people to understand the world around them. The fact that the universe existed indicated that God ("Creator") existed, but had, as Dr. B. says, "left the building."

Rationalism and reason seem to best characterize the propagandistic goals of the document. As seen in the middle section of the D.O.I. (the list of grievances), the listing of the reasons for which America had the right to rebel was very rational. Instead of simply stating "We...reject and renounce all allegiance and subjection to the kings of Great Britain...," he adds backing to his argument. This idea also ties in with the Unitarian belief that man was not perfect but perfectible. In a parallel sense, surely the colonies as the were were not perfect. Though Jefferson much loved his home state of Virginia, it was necessary to break free from Britain in order to "form a more perfect union." (Constitution!). Jefferson makes many references to God, often as the "Creator." I am quite confused as to why he does this; though I am sure he was conscious of the Deist belief of a duty to God, I don't think he added it for that reason. Additionally, it does not seem to stick out as moral support for the document, as was seen in Henry's "Give me liberty..." speech. What do you think? What other Deist tenets are represented here? What may be an unintended audience? Is there a second motive to the document?