Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 44 Part 1.djvu/1859

 1845  THE BECLARATIO.N’ OF ` Ia Cezmmss, JULY 4,.1776 " ?°?zs~ emeeimeua Bec:Ie:·efi~$n.'0f the thirteen tmitcd States of · America · " · Xueezze ie the Course of human events, it becomes necessary {ee me peeple tu disszelve the puliti-<;·a1‘bem1s which heve con-· eeeeiml iiwm with enethezy, and tc assume amging the powers my me earth, the seperate and equal station! tdwhich the Laws mf 5:111;*2 and of Ne.tm·e`s Gcd entitle them, a decent respect; gis the egziniens of mankind reqeires that they should declare me vemses whim impel them to the separation. · _- we Lwid these truths to be se}f·evide¤t, that all emen are meeieii equal, that they are endcweéi by their Creator with eer- 2:;%: maeijenabie Rights, that among these' are Life; Liberty. eee? the pmzrsuit of Happiiness, That te secure these rights,_ §(ex·ermz:eme are instituted among Men, gleriving the§1·__-jpst gmverez from the consent at the goves·¤ed,—Thaté_ whenever amy Fe;-m caf Gcverzimeat beeemes desixuetivew of these entis, lit is me Right of the Ikzcple te alter or to- abolish it, and to instimze new Gcvemmem, laying its feuudati<m,<m such principles em! ergenizing its powers in such form, as t0_t.hem shall/seem must likeiy te effect their Sfffety and Happiness, Prudence, imieed, will di<·tete that Gevemmeixts long established should my he changed for light and transient causes; and accoxjdingly ei! experience hath shewu, that menkind m·e’ix1ex·e’disposed tg eefiw. while evils {are su§emble, than tc tight themseltesl by amelislaing the terms to which they are accustomed. But wher;
 * 1 mag train-e£_eb:1ses"and xzsurpetiuns, pugsuipg invariably

the semeQ0bjec thevincesiawdesign to reduce thereunder absolute Iwsgaetisxn, it is their right, it is their duty; to throw off stick Glove;-umeut, It and to provide new Guards jot their future se¤·;1:*it§’.-Such has 7 been the patient szderaucg ct these Colo-· nies : and-such is uevit the necessity which constrains them to exeter their former Systems of Geverhmeuté The histoyywcf the Y Vfpe deieytes et the"t}¤ited“C01e¤ies at New Heuipshire; Messe; qimeette Be; ; Shed; Island md Previeence Pleetntiens; Connecticut; New Yerk; New Jersey; Pe¤¤$y1va¤ia;*`('New Cas-tie, Kent, and Sussex, ie Deiewere ; "Marymed; Yirgiaia; Nerth Carpiim, and _S0uth C_ei·c»l_i¤a, is1.Ceag:·ess smembled at Phi1gde1phia,.Re¢0?t~ed¤0¤ the 10th et Meg, 1773; te.recemmem1 to the pespective assemblies and eenvemziens et the ieised Eelmaies; ~whm·e no ges·emmeet_ eumciem: to the exigeneiw et their seams; had been established, fc adept such ,9, gqvernment es should. ig; the epieien et the ·:·epreeeetnti=v& et the people, mt; ccmduce to the impgieeee and eaiety et, mei; constituents in pegtieular, endo! Amerim ie genera!. A preembie te thie rweluticn,  te ee they 15th. 0; ·_ May, stated the inteetien te beteuily to suppress the exercise of every kind of eetheqity under the Britinh erewnf On the__7th_ etilpne, certain yeseiutieues 1=e@ting inwpeadency wwe moveé ahd Betwndcd. On the wm ei J1s5ze_ it W3S’1‘Q§0].Y€‘d, that n committee hhmild be npgioieted te pg·epm·e e 'declamtien to the following meet: “That the United · Ce1· anim ere, and at right ought te he, free and mdep—ees1ent‘ States; that they erewalmlved item all allegiance; to the British crown; and that
 * 111/;p·1;>1itica3.¤9a¤ecti9¤ hetween them and the State at Great Britem

is, and eegirt te be, xetaliy dissolved? 011 me Apreeeding day It was . determined · that me `cgemmittee ter pxepering the ‘de.g_é1n:§atie¤ sheulg · eeensiest et `five, and they were ctwyee s¢ccrdi¤8'U. in the fclleiviug evder: hir. Ieiereen, Mr. I. A w e ‘_M1·. Fmenkiin, Mr. Sherman, Mr. - It. R. Liviaptécm. Gai the 1rth et June A xesemtipe wav passed to eppeiut eeemmittee te pgepme and digut the {erm et an ecntmemtien te be entered inte hetweee the mimies; and meme: eemxmttee to preps re e piss ee! fvwtim ite be pmpesed tetereiga paweu; On the 12t_h ef lame, Hit was :*ese1ved,‘tb.e.t an eemmittee er Cenlgress. should be appeinted by the eame"e!_.n bww et sur tend erdeaeee, te meets: et efive gmembezgne On the 252:1; ei Jam. te deciergtien et the deputtm et Pcunsylzanga., met in- previncial e-enierempe, eipressng their willing- ‘ ness te eeaeur in a évete declaring me United Colonies tree em! Inde- _ Péedeet States, was Lam before Cengrm aid rgd. e Ou the 28m el June, the eesemittee appeieted to prepare g d¥1emt1e¤. etgiadepezndeaee . ’ \` Q ¢’

lNDEPENDE3»`L'E~—1776 4 -INDEPENDENCE-—1776 " prcccnt King of Great Britain icja lnizsmry of repcctctl icjuricc and, usurpaticns, all harvingm dircct object the cstcblislxmcct of an absqlutc Tyranny ovcr there States. To prove this, let Facts be cubmittccl to a can_did$w0rld. ‘ Hc has rcfuced his Agscnt; to Laws, the mcst wlxémrscmc and necessary for the public, good., " r Hc has forbidden his Gbvcmors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance. unless strspcxxdctl in their opcratimt till his Asccnt shpuld nbc obmincd; and when sc, smpcudxcd, hc ·has· utterly neglected to attend to them;, J 2 __Hc has refused to pass other Laws {cr the zxcccmmcdatitxzx cf large districts of pcgxplc, unless these pccplc would rcliuqtsish the right of ‘Represcnmticm in the Legislature, a right ixzcstimablc to them and formidablcs tc tyrants only. — He has jccllcd together, legislative bodies at places urmsxzcl. ‘ uncomfortable, and distant from the depcsitcry of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them imc ccmplicucc with his measures. — —_ _ “ ‘ r He has dissolved, Representative Houses repeatedly, for cp. posing with manly Hrmncss his iuvasitms tm the rights of the , people. _- ,», ~ Hc has refused for a long time, after such disscluticus, tc r cause others- to be ,clcctcd;` whereby the Legislative powers. iincapablc of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for tll€.il‘ exercise; the. State rcngaining in, the! rzncmt time exposed to all the dangers cfiuvasicm from without, and rcmgh ' vulsions within.:  " “A ,. l   _ ) » ( _Hc has cndcaylmrcd to prevent the populaticé of thesc _ Stctcsiz for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturaliza- ·· tion of Isforcigncrsg refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising `tfeccmditiexts of new Appropria- ` tionsof Lands, __`” l   5   · ` He héisqbstrticted the Administmticzrot Justice, by rcfusiing `° his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary porters, · l ‘ Ulrxiought in a drctzgbt, which was read, and mctrtc to lic cn the table. 0n`the Ist of July, a resolution of the ctmrcnticn of Maryland, passed the 28th of `Jtmé, aufhcrisirxg- the deputicé of tliat colony tc concur » in declaring. the. United Cclouics   and independent States, was laid bcfcrc Congress cud rccd. On the scme‘·<icy'Ccngress rescivcdp itcclt info a committee of thewlxolc; to take into. consideration tlwrccclutiem respecting indepcndency. Un the 2Q of July, a resclqticn declaring the colonies frac and » independent Stctcr, was adepted. A declaration tc A that cmzct was, on the same-and the fcllowicg days, taken intc further _cc¤sldcrcti0¤,~ Finally, cn the 4th ct July, the Dcclaraticcct Imc gcndencckcs agreed tc, cngressicd cn, paper, ° signed by John Hccccck as prccldent, aah dlrcct& tc~b% scat to the several csscmbllcc, conventions, and ccmmlttccc, cr councils at safety, mild tc the scvcrcl mmmkuding cwccrshi the continental trccps,. nucl tc bc pmclaimcti, in l cachyot the United Stain, and at the lhcacl of the Army. ·It‘ wcs also, crécrcd to be cctcrcd gupca the .`F<mi·¤s.ln` of Congress, and cn the 2d of August, a copy engl-ccccc cu pcrchmcct was signed pg all but ccc ct the Bity-six signers whcsc names crc cppcccca to it. Tlxat one was · Matthew Thcrmcu, oi New Hampshire, `vrhc on. tcklcgeéhla Qscrt in, November cckcé and obtained the prtvilcze of siguing it. Several wvhc. `slgncd it on the *26 of August were cbscct when it was adopted cn , the cth ct July, but, approving at it, they ttm: clgnléeclthelr cppm- " bation. t · ·,    — ‘ ` ` N0·1*r.!—¤—Tbc prcct of this dsxcument, as publishcd above, was rccgl by Mr. Ecrdincud Jcmcrccn, `tlxc Kccpcr ct tlgc {Rafts at tlgc Ucpcrtment ct State, ct Washington, who ccmpcrcd it with the ·fac=cimllc o£‘ the crlginhl in his custody. Hc rays: "'I¤ the facrslmilc, ca in the original. téhclwhclg `inlstrument runsjcn witheut c break, but dashcs are mcstty- inserted. I. have, in this copy, tcllcwcd the crrangcmwt ci prragrephs_ adopted in the publicaticc of the Dcclcmti¤cn` in the newspaper ct {clan ’I}¤¤1cp, and as printed by him for the Congress, which printed copy tn i¤scrtcd‘··i¤,.,.the qri§tml Jcumal of the old Congress. The same para-! graphs are slcc `madc hy the author, in the qrigixml draught prcccrvctl . in the Department. of ,Stctc." ‘ ° `