For transporting us beyond the seas to be tried for pretended offenses; For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing 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 states; For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments; For transporting us beyond seas, to be tried for pretended offenses; 19 For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring 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; 20 For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering, fundamentally, the forms of our governments; 21 For suspending our own Legislatures, For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases what-power to legislate for us in all cases what soever. He has abdicated government here, withdrawing his governors, and declaring us out of his allegiance and protection, and waging war against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy unworthy the head of a civilized nation. He has endeavored 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 of existence; he has excited treasonable insurrections of our fellowcitizens with the allurements of forfeiture and confiscation of our property. He has constrained others, 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 waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in the person of a distant people, who never offended him, captivating and carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither. This piratical warfare, the opprobrium of infidel powers, is the warfare of the CHRISTIAN King of Great Britain. Determined to keep open a market where MEN should be bought and sold, he has prostituted his negative for suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibit or to restrain this execrable commerce. And that this assemblage of horrors might want no fact of distinguished dye, he is now exciting these very people to rise in arms among us, and to purchase that liberty of which he has deprived them by murdering the people upon whom he obtruded them : thus paying off former crimes committed against the LIBERTIES of one people with crimes which he urges them to commit against the LIVES of another. soever, 22 He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection, and waging war against us.23 He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.24 He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries, to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and pertidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation,25 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,26 He has excited domestic insurrection among us, and has endeavored 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.27 In every stage of these oppressions we In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most hum-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 ble 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 people who mean to be free. Future ages will scarce believe that the hardiness of one man adventured, within the short compass of twelve years only, to build a foundation so broad and undisguised, for tyranny over a people fostered and fixed in principles of freedom. which may define a tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Nor have we been wanting in attentions Nor have we been wanting in our attento our British brethren. We have warned tions to our British brethren. We have them, from time to time, of attempts by warned them, from time to time, of attempts their Legislature to extend a jurisdiction by their Legislature to extend an unwarover these our States. We have reminded rantable jurisdiction over us. We have rethem of the circumstances of our emigra-minded them of the circumstances of our tion and settlement here, no one of which emigration and settlement here. We have could warrant so strange a pretension; that appealed to their native justice and magnathese were effected at the expense of our own nimity and we have conjured them by the blood and treasure, unassisted by the wealth ties of our common kindred, to disavow or the strength of Great Britain; that in these usurpations, which would inevitably constituting, indeed, our several forms of interrupt our connections and correspongovernment, we had adopted one common dence. They, too, have been deaf to the King, thereby laying a foundation for a per- voice of justice and of consanguinity. We petual league and amity with them; but must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity that submission to their Parliament was no which denounces our separation, and hold part of our Constitution, nor ever in idea, if them as we hold the rest of mankind -enehistory may be credited; and we appealed | mies in war in peace, friends. to their native justice and magnanimity, as well as to ties of our common kindred, to disavow these usurpations, which were likely to interrupt our connection and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity; and when occasions have been given them, by the regular course of their laws, of removing from their councils the disturbers of our harmony, they have, by their free election, re-established them in power. At this very time, too, they are permitting their chief magistrate to send over, not only soldiers of our common blood, but [Scotch and] foreign mercenaries to invade and destroy us. These facts have given the last stab to agonizing affection, and manly spirit bids us to renounce forever these unfeeling brethren. We must endeavor to forget our former love for them; 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 might have been a free and great people together; but a communication of grandeur and of freedom, it seems, is below their dignity. Be it so, since they will have it. The road to happiness and to glory is open to us too; we will climb it apart from them, and acquiesce in the necessity which denounces our eternal separation. 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 the authority of the good people of these States, reject and renounce all allegiance and subjection to the Kings of Great Britain, and all others who may hereafter claim by, through, or under them; we utterly dissolve all political connection which may heretofore have subsisted between us and the Parliament or people of Great Britain; and, finally, we do assert the colonies to be free and independent States; and that, as free and indepen 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 the 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, con dent States, they have full power to levy | tract alliances, establish commerce, and to war, conclude peace, contract alliances, es- do all other acts and things which indepentablish commerce, and to do all other acts dent States may of right do. And for the and things which independent States may of support of this Declaration, with a firm reliright do. And for the support of this decla-ance on the protection of Divine Providence, ration, we mutually pledge to each other our we mutually pledge to each other our lives, lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. our fortunes and our sacred honor. น Arthur Middleton Tre Hopkinson AUTOGRAPHS OF "THE SIGNERS" OF THE AUGUST 2D COPY. Explanatory Notes to the Declaration of Independence. 1.- Laws passed by the Colonial Assemblies, in relation to commerce, finance, etc. 2. Some of the Provincial governors endeavored to conciliate the Indian tribes by treaties of alliance and other measures; but the King, fearing that the colonists would thus acquire too much strength, and be less dependent upon the British crown, instructed the governors to desist from all such measures till his consent should be given; and failed subsequently to give such consent. 3. In 1774, a bill was passed which took the government of Massachusetts out of the hands of the people, vesting the nomination of judges, etc., in the crown. It also abridged the privilege of proper election. The people then demanded the passage of laws for the "accommodation of large districts of people," but were told that they must first "relinquish the right of representation in the legislature." 4. This refers to the passage of the Boston Port Bill, by which the Custom House, Courts, etc., were removed to Salem; while the public records were kept at Boston. 5. The Colonial Assembly of Massachusetts, in 1768, invited by circular the other Assemblies to join it in opposing the urgent measures of Great Britain, and was dissolved for so doing. Other Assemblies were dissolved for similar reasons, and in the same arbitrary manner. 6. This was the case in regard to the Assemblies of New York and Massachusetts, which were dissolved by royal authority, and not permitted to reassemble for several months, the States in the meantime being in great peril of "invasion from without, and convulsions within." 7. The King dreaded the increasing power of the colonies, as well as the advance of democratic ideas in them. The German immigration was especially checked by obstacles and discouragements. 8. By the act of 1774, Massachusetts was deprived of its own judiciary, the judges being appointed by the King. 9. 10. The salaries of the judges were paid under the royal authority, from moneys obtained from the people. The passage of the Stamp Act, and the other similar acts, gave rise to the appointment of swarms of tax collectors, etc. 11. The armies employed in the French and Indian War were continued in the colonies after the treaty of 1763. 12. Thus General Gage, a military commander, was made Governor of Massachusetts; and the military were employed to enforce the Boston Port Bill. 13. The Board of Trade was created to act independently of colonial legislation, and almost absolute power was conferred on the King. 14. Large forces were levied and sent over by vote of the English Parliament, to control the inhabitants. 15. In 1768, some mariners were tried in Annapolis, Maryland, for the murder of two citizens, and in the face of clear proof of their guilt were acquitted. Similar instances occurred in other places. 16. Such had been the result of the Navigation Acts. The British Navy was also employed to break up the colonial trade with the French and Spanish West Indies. Such as the Stamp duties, the tax on paper, painter's colors, tea, etc. 17. 18. In trials for violation of the revenue laws, under the Commissioners of Customs, the accused were not allowed the benefit of a jury. 19. Persons charged with riot, resistance to the magistrates, might, by a law passed in 1774, be transported to Great Britain or other places for trial. 20. The law of 1774 abolished the popular legislature in Canada, and appointed royal officers to make laws for the province, except to raise taxes. This gave the British a firm hold of Canada, and enabled them to use it to advantage against the colonies during the Revolution; hence the efforts of Congress to gain possession of that province in 1775. 21. This was done in the case of the judiciary of Massachusetts. Other officers besides judges were made dependent on the crown, in opposition to the chartered rights of the people. 22. After the dissolution of the colonial legislatures, before mentioned, several of the governors presumed to legislate arbitrarily for the colonies, giving to their proclamations the force of laws. 23. The King, in 1775, declared the colonies in open rebellion; and he sanctioned the acts of the governors in employing Indian warfare against them. He also employed German mercenaries to war against them. In these acts he abdicated the proper functions of government, and placed the colonies beyond the pale of his protection. 24. These acts were performed by the naval commanders. Charlestown was burned by the British fleet. 25. This is covered, in a general way in the article referred to. 26. The crews of American ships captured by the British were, by Act of Parliament, treated not as prisoners of war, but as slaves, and were impressed into the King's service. 27. Dunmore, in Virginia, endeavored to excite the slaves to rise against their masters. The Indians were, under instructions from the British ministry, instigated by several of the colonial governors to attack the colonists. Dreadful massacres were the conse quence. The JOURNAL OF CONGRESS, as printed, contains the following entry :— Thursday, July 4, 1776. Agreeable to the order of the day, the Congress resolved itself into a committee of the whole, to take into further consideration the declaration; and after some time the president resumed the chair, and Mr. Harrison reported, that the committee had agreed to a declaration which they desired him to report. The declaration being read was agreed to as follows: Here is inserted the full printing of the “Declaration of Independence." The record closes with what purport to be the printed names of the subscribers on the day it was passed-July 4, 1776. The names of McKean and Wisner, who voted in its favor, do not appear. The names, as printed, are the subscribers to the engrossed copy as signed by the members of Congress on August 2, 1776. These published minutes, or "Journal," being authorized by Congress, is the legal record of the United States - an unfortunate error in recorded history. July 5, 1776. The Declaration, signed Attest: CHARLES THOMSON, Secretary. JOHN HANCOCK, President. It was printed as a "broadside" during the night of July 4 and the day of July 5, by John Dunlap of Philadelphia, also by Mary Catherine Goddard of Baltimore. It went out to the world this day, with the two signatures above given, being signed as customary with preceding proclamations and public documents, unless otherwise ordered, "Signed by the President and attested by the Secretary of Congress, in behalf and by order of Congress." The Philadelphia papers published on July 5 were silent upon the subject, its passage not being known until July 6. July 8, 1776. The Declaration had its first public reading. It was read in the State House yard, Philadelphia, from an observatory erected by the American Philosophical Society in 1769, for the purpose of |