Declaration of Independence

July 1776 the Continental Congress of the thirteen Colonies of America signed the Declaration of Independence. They were trying to form a Government that would be free from the abuses the Colonies had suffered under the rule of England. We are now suffering many of those same injustices and abuses only now they are in a modern way, a political way. The abuses are to our freedom, our rights and our bank accounts. The politicians of today are trying to change our form of Government into something we will not recognize as being America. They are trying to form a Government that resembles Governments we have fought against throughout history, Governments that we as a nation condemned for performing abuses to their people. Now we are sitting back like a lamb at slaughter meekly allowing our own country to perform the same abuses. Only the people of the land can stop this.

NOTE: The non-bold italics are a transcript of the Declaration of Independence. The bold is the opinions and interpretations of the author only.

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.

Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence to formally state the reasons why the Colonies were separating from Britain. The leaders of the Colonies, the Continental Congress, determined that it was in the best interest of the people of the Colonies to break with Britain. The Continental Congress first attempted diplomacy by sending emissaries to England requesting the King to intervene with the Parliament on behalf of the Colonies. In the Declaration he puts forth the basis for what the new Government would be formed on. He also stated the injustices the Colonies had suffered at the hand of the King of England.

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.

Thomas Jefferson plainly stated that he believed all men were created equally. There was no separation between classes when it comes to rights, the right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. These rights were given to man by their creator, not by a King and they certainly could not be taken from man by King. He goes on to say that Governments are needed to ensure these rights but the Governments are formed with just powers granted by the governed, by the people of the land. He also states that when the Government losses sight of the rights of men and becomes destructive to the rights of men, the people of the land have the right to change that Government and to institute a new one. It does not say that the Government has the right to alter or abolish the rights of men. Our current Government is doing that and has been working in that direction for decades. Just as the Colonies in the 1700’s put up with many abuses before they took the final step of the American Revolution. Forming a new country is not an undertaking that should be taken lightly. Many injustices can be overlooked when they are minor and do not affect the rights of man. When the injustices come in the form of tyranny, absolutism or dictatorship over the people they can no longer be overlooked and ignored. The following facts were put forth against the King of England; many of these are being subtly repeated today.

· He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

The King refused to pass laws for the good of the Colonies. Instead he passed laws that were for the good of England at what ever price to Colonies. Our current Government is passing laws that are good for the Government and those in power; they are not necessarily good for the people.

· He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

This is an example of Dictatorship, he had ultimate control, and no law could be passed, regardless of the importance and urgency without his assent. Our current Government is working towards a form of Dictatorship, towards a Tyrannical Government.

· He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

Refusing to pass laws for the accommodations of large distracts can be likened to passing laws mandating what States will do, taking away the sovereignty of the States.

· He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

· He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

· He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

· He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

The current Government has not prevented population of these States, instead for many administrations they have turned a blind eye to illegal immigration.

· He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

· He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

Past and present administrations have selected Judges for the Supreme Court based on the administrations beliefs, not on whether or not the Judges will interpret the law in a fair and unbiased manner.

· He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

Currently we have 30+ Czars that have been appointed by The President. These Czars are not confirmed by anyone. They may not have any official powers but they have the confidence of the President. The administration is placing power in the hands of organizations (ACORN) that have interests that go against the form of Government that the Founding Fathers put into place. These special interest groups are granted powers of the people that infringe on our basic rights.

· He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

There is not currently a standing army operating within the borders of the United States, but… President Obama has stated that he wants to have a civilian security forced as well funded and armed as the Military. This is a standing army that can be used against the people of the United States. We already have security forces; every law enforcement agency in the USA is a security force, including Border Guards, Customs Agents, the FBI and Federal Marshals. Why do we need another? He has stated the every man and woman between the age of 18 to 25 would be required to serve the community, is this a method of manning the civilian security force? Is this a step to becoming a citizen? Does this sound like a Communist type plan?

· He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

In this case the balance of power keeps going back and forth, the Republicans keep trying to enlarge the Military while the Democrats try to make it smaller.

· He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

Once again look at ACORN and other “Community Organizers”.

· For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

· For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

· For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

Our trade with other parts of the world is not being cut off, but for decades our manufacturing is being driven out by the Government to other parts of the world.

· For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

Every earmark and pork barrel project that gets injected into proposed bills is taxation without our consent. Continuing Government funded projects that are failing is taxation without our consent. The current Universal Health Care and the Cap and Trade bills are taxation without our consent. Any way you look at it the current bills in Congress are going to raise taxes that will eventually trickle down to all classes. Once they are passed Congress has an open door to levy taxes on everyone.

· For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

· For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

· For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

· For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

The Constitution, which is the USA’s Charter, is slowly being taken away. Our laws are being altered from a Republic form of Government to a Socialist form of Government. Every thing the USA has stood up against for more then 200 years is being slowly force fed to us while being sugar coated so the American people don’t realize they are losing their rights.

· For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

The administration is trying to bring the Inspector Generals Office under the power of the White House. The Inspector Generals are an independent office put into place to ensure they are not influenced in the performance of their duties. They are a check and balance against wrongs performed by the Government. If they are under the power of the White House there will not be that independence, that check and balance.

· He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

· He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

· He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

· He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

· He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

Instead of using savages to create insurrections our own President has subtly keep race and religion, and immigration issues alive to create insurrections.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

The repeated injury in the current Government is that our Representatives in Congress, who are elected by the people to represent us do not answer letters or calls or when they do they vote against what the people have requested. To compound this many of the Representatives will not even read the bills they are signing, as long as they are getting the pork barrel projects they want in them. This is not in the best interest of the people, this is a power play.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We too have warned them from time to time, we have voted new parties into office, we have written letters, made phone calls, all to no avail. We have had our tea parties to demonstrate the modern wrongs of the current Government. The Government has ignored these signs and warnings. Regardless of which party is in power the Government has continued on its march to a new form of Government, a form in which the people no longer have a say. A form in which the people are little more then slaves to do the bidding of the Government. We will no longer be able to follow our dreams, the American Dream; we will be required to walk the path the Government has chosen for us. Good or bad with our Republic we have the right to live our lives and pursue whatever level of success is within our own capabilities.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. 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.

Is it time again to declare our Independence? We are fighting a different type of war this time; it’s a war of information. This war is being fought daily by those in the media; unfortunately the people of America are split. Those who want to be comforted by the Government will not accept or believe any argument that goes against the Government. They will have to learn by experience alone, they want to forget their worries and let the Government take care of them, put everyone on the same level. They believe that no matter what class you are we should spread the wealth around. They will continue to believe this until they are lowered from the level they are at now to a lower class. They will continue to believe that the rich and powerful will share their wealth with everyone else until they are living in Government subsidized housing and the rich and powerful are still living in their multi-million dollar homes getting richer off the rest, the servants of the new States of America. We need a new American Revolution, only this time we need to use our votes and our voices, not to declare independence from America but to maintain the America we know now.

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The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:

Column 1
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton

Column 2
North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton

Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton

Column 4
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean

Column 5
New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark

Column 6
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton

Are you ready to add your signature to a new Declaration of Independence, rather a Declaration to save our Independence? I am!

Steve

NC

29 July 2009

Transcription of Declaration of Independence source: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html