Declaration of Independence

"In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world."

This is a transcript of the introduction to the "Declaration of Independence." The great experiment that this document started is known as "The United States of America." I will use my next few posts to explore this document in greater detail. It is a list of grievances that the founders believed to be so intolerable that they must declare their independence from England and start a new Country.

Although it was not included in the final draft approved by Congress. Thomas Jefferson, who did not believe in slavery, he believed it to be an abomination to mankind, included in the original draft a grievance about the King introducing slavery into the Colonies. It was rejected by those delegates who also owned slaves. It took 87 years and a "Civil War," but slavery was eventually ended in this country.

The founders did not take this Declaration lightly, they fully understood the consequences of their actions should they lose this war for Independence. this is apparent in the last line of the document.

" And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

After the signing of this Declaration, Benjamin Franklin remarked that if they did not hang together in this war, they would surely be hung separately.

I will use later publications on this topic to discuss the various grievances outlined in the Declaration and show how the current government is violating them.