Declaration of Independence

[Adopted in Congress 4 July 1776]

The Original Version of this Text was Rendered into HTML by Jon Roland of the Constitution Society Converted to !" by !anny Stone as a Co##unity Service to the Constitution Society

Declaration of Independence

The $nani#ous !eclaration of the Thirteen $nited States of %#erica

hen, in the course of human e ents, it !ecomes necessary for one people to dissol e the political !onds "hich ha e connected them "ith another, and to assume among the po"ers of the earth, the separate and e#ual station to "hich the la"s of nature and of nature$s %od entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of man&ind re#uires that they should declare the causes "hich impel them to the separation' (e hold these truths to !e self)e ident, that all men are created e#ual, that they are endo"ed !y their Creator "ith certain unaliena!le rights, that among these are life, li!erty and the pursuit of happiness' *hat to secure these rights, go ernments are instituted among men, deri ing their +ust po"ers from the consent of the go erned' *hat "hene er any form of go ernment !ecomes destructi e to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to a!olish it, and to institute ne" go ernment, laying its foundation on such principles and organi,ing its po"ers in such form, as to them shall seem most li&ely to effect their safety and happiness' -rudence, indeed, "ill dictate that go ernments long esta!lished should not !e changed for light and transient causes. and accordingly all e/perience hath sho"n that man&ind are more disposed to suffer, "hile e ils are suffera!le, than to right themsel es !y a!olishing the forms to "hich they are accustomed' 0ut "hen a long train of a!uses and usurpations, pursuing in aria!ly the same o!+ect e inces a design to reduce them under a!solute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to thro" off such go ernment, and to pro ide ne" guards for their future security' 1 2uch has !een the patient sufferance of these colonies. and such is no" the necessity "hich constrains them to alter their former systems of go ernment' *he history of the present 3ing of %reat 0ritain is a history of repeated in+uries and usurpations, all ha ing in direct

Declaration of Independence

o!+ect the esta!lishment of an a!solute tyranny o er these states' *o pro e this, let facts !e su!mitted to a candid "orld' 5e has refused his assent to la"s, the most "holesome and necessary for the pu!lic good' 5e has for!idden his go ernors to pass la"s of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should !e o!tained. and "hen so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them' 5e has refused to pass other la"s for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people "ould relin#uish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestima!le to them and formida!le to tyrants only' 5e has called together legislati e !odies at places unusual, uncomforta!le, and distant from the depository of their pu!lic records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance "ith his measures' 5e has dissol ed representati e houses repeatedly, for opposing "ith manly firmness his in asions on the rights of the people' 5e has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to !e elected. "here!y the legislati e po"ers, incapa!le of annihilation, ha e returned to the people at large for their e/ercise. the state remaining in the meantime e/posed to all the dangers of in asion from "ithout, and con ulsions "ithin' 5e has endea ored to pre ent the population of these states. for that purpose o!structing the la"s for naturali,ation of foreigners. refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of ne" appropriations of lands' 5e has o!structed the administration of +ustice, !y refusing his assent to la"s for esta!lishing +udiciary po"ers' 5e has made +udges dependent on his "ill alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries' 5e has erected a multitude of ne" offices, and sent hither s"arms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their su!stance'

Declaration of Independence

5e has &ept among us, in times of peace, standing armies "ithout the consent of our legislature' 5e has affected to render the military independent of and superior to ci il po"er' 5e has com!ined "ith others to su!+ect us to a +urisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unac&no"ledged !y our la"s. gi ing his assent to their acts of pretended legislation7 8or #uartering large !odies of armed troops among us7 8or protecting them, !y moc& trial, from punishment for any murders "hich they should commit on the inha!itants of these states7 8or cutting off our trade "ith all parts of the "orld7 8or imposing ta/es on us "ithout our consent7 8or depri ing us in many cases, of the !enefits of trial !y +ury7 8or transporting us !eyond seas to !e tried for pretended offenses7 8or a!olishing the free system of 9nglish la"s in a neigh!oring pro ince, esta!lishing therein an ar!itrary go ernment, and enlarging its !oundaries so as to render it at once an e/ample and fit instrument for introducing the same a!solute rule in these colonies7 8or ta&ing a"ay our charters, a!olishing our most alua!le la"s, and altering fundamentally the forms of our go ernments7 8or suspending our o"n legislatures, and declaring themsel es in ested "ith po"er to legislate for us in all cases "hatsoe er' 5e has a!dicated go ernment here, !y declaring us out of his protection and "aging "ar against us' 5e has plundered our seas, ra aged our coasts, !urned our to"ns, and destroyed the li es of our people' 5e is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the "or&s of death, desolation and tyranny, already !egun "ith circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most !ar!arous ages, and totaly un"orth the head of a ci ili,ed nation' 5e has constrained our fello" citi,ens ta&en capti e on the

Declaration of Independence

high seas to !ear arms against their country, to !ecome the e/ecutioners of their friends and !rethren, or to fall themsel es !y their hands' 5e has e/cited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endea ored to !ring on the inha!itants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian sa ages, "hose &no"n rule of "arfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, se/es and conditions' In e ery stage of these oppressions "e ha e petitioned for redress in the most hum!le terms7 our repeated petitions ha e !een ans"ered only !y repeated in+ury' A prince, "hose character is thus mar&ed !y e ery act "hich may define a tyrant, is unfit to !e the ruler of a free people' :or ha e "e !een "anting in attention to our 0ritish !rethren' (e ha e "arned them from time to time of attempts !y their legislature to e/tend an un"arranta!le +urisdiction o er us' (e ha e reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here' (e ha e appealed to their nati e +ustice and magnanimity, and "e ha e con+ured them !y the ties of our common &indred to disa o" these usurpations, "hich, "ould ine ita!ly interrupt our connections and correspondence' (e must, therefore, ac#uiesce in the necessity, "hich denounces our separation, and hold them, as "e hold the rest of man&ind, enemies in "ar, in peace friends' (e, therefore, the representati es of the ;nited 2tates of America, in %eneral Congress, assem!led, appealing to the 2upreme Judge of the "orld for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and !y the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly pu!lish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to !e free and independent states. that they are a!sol ed from all allegiance to the 0ritish Cro"n, and that all political connection !et"een them and the state of %reat 0ritain, is and ought to !e totally dissol ed. and that as free and independent states, they ha e full po"er to le ey "ar, conclude peace, contract alliances, esta!lish commerce, and to do all other acts and things "hich independent states may of right do' And for the support of this declaration, "ith a firm reliance on the

Declaration of Independence

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protection of Di ine -ro idence, "e mutually pledge to each other our li es, our fortunes and our sacred honor'