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:-For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.— 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. In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been only answered 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. 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, 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 pub lish 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. JOSIAH BARTLETT WM WHIPPLE JOHN HANCOCK GEO. TAYLOR JAMES WILSON SAML ADAMS JOHN ADAMS ROBT TREAT PAINE WM WILLIAMS MATTHEW THORNTON WM FLOYD PHIL. LIVINGSTON FRANS LEWIS LEWIS MORRIS ABRA CLARK GEO. Ross CÆSAR RODNEY GEO READ THO M:KEAN SAMUEL CHASE WM PACA THOS STONE CHARLES CARROLL of Carrollton GEORGE WYTHE RICHARD HENRY LEE. TH JEFFERSON BENJA HARRISON THOS NELSON jr. FRANCIS LIGHTFOOT LEE CARTER BRAXTON WM HOOPER JOSEPH HEWES, GEO WALTON. dect the uniformn or of the entweich have on direct object the FACSIMILE OF PARTS OF JEFFERSON'S ORIGINAL DRAFT OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. allurements of forfiture & confiscation of our property, they To become he has waged iniet war against human nature itself, violating in -ered rights of life & liberty in the persons of a distant people who nee fended him, captivating & carrying them into slavery in ano!! - heraco -sphere, or to incur miserable death in their transportation the pinatical warfare, the opprobricon of infides prowers, is the warfire of themse Christian king of Great Britain, determined to keep open a market where MEN should be bought & sold he has prostituted his negative for suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibit or to restrain this determine to keep opera gradict where she begel execrable commer noves, and that this assemblage of horrors might want no fact of distinguished dia, he is now exciting those very people to rise in arms among was, and to prunchoria that liberty of which he has deprived them, en when he also bhruded them. This joy in If former crimes committed against the liberties of one people, with, which he urges them to commit against the lives of another.] only erimes - every stage of these oppressions "we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms; our repeated peletions have been answered by repeated injuries, a prince whose character is thus marked by every free to be the ruler of a people who act which may define a tyrant, is unfits mean to be free". future ages will scarce believe that the hardiness of one man, ad ventured within the short compass of felve years to a foundation fo Froad Kundis quised, for tyranny only , over a people fostered fixed in principle Las refused his assent to laws the most wh·lesome and necessary for the publie good: be has forbidden his governors to pass laws of ormediate. & pressing importance, unless suspended in in their operation to his assent should be dhaired; and when so suspended, he has neglected those to atterist to them. other laws for the accomodation of large districts of prople in those people would relinquish the right of representation, a right the to Emanty andy: he has refused to 2814 in the legislative. m powers, i capable of annet lotion, he the people at large for their crorese the note remaining in the nur Hout & overilsions withers. cxposed to all the dangers of has endea roves to prevent the quilation of these states, for that purpose son of forgrens refusing to pass others Father, |