Declaration of Independence

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Preamble Excerpt 1

“ “When in the Course of human When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them bands which have connected them with another, and to assume with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”them to the separation.”

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We, the colonists of the We, the colonists of the English Colonies, want to English Colonies, want to explain to the world why explain to the world why we do not want to be we do not want to be part of Great Britain.part of Great Britain.

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Excerpt 2Excerpt 2

““We hold these truths to We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all be self-evident, that all men are created equal, men are created equal, that they are endowed by that they are endowed by their Creator with certain their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”Happiness.”Jones/Rutledge

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Everyone knows Everyone knows that all men are that all men are created equal. created equal. God gave us God gave us certain rights, certain rights, among these are among these are Life, Liberty, and Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of the pursuit of Happiness and Happiness and nobody, not even nobody, not even the King of the King of England, can England, can take these rights take these rights away.away.

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““That to secure these That to secure these rights, Governments are rights, Governments are instituted among Men, instituted among Men, deriving their just powers deriving their just powers from the consent of the from the consent of the governed.”governed.”

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People make the People make the government and the government and the purpose of government is purpose of government is to protect the rights of to protect the rights of the people.the people.

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•““That whenever any Form That whenever any Form of Government becomes of Government becomes destructive of these ends, destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the it is the Right of the People to alter or to People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute abolish it, and to institute new Government.”new Government.”

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•When the government When the government does not protect our does not protect our rights, we have the right rights, we have the right to get rid of it and start a to get rid of it and start a new government.new government.

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•““The history of the The history of the present King of Great present King of Great Britain is a history of Britain is a history of repeated injuries and repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in usurpations, all having in direct object the direct object the establishment of an establishment of an absolute Tyranny over absolute Tyranny over these States.”these States.”

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•The King of Great The King of Great Britain, King George III, Britain, King George III, has been very mean to has been very mean to us. He wants to order us. He wants to order us around.us around.

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Excerpt 6Excerpt 6

•““To prove this {that To prove this {that England has interfered England has interfered with colonial rights}, let with colonial rights}, let Facts be submitted to a Facts be submitted to a candid world.”candid world.”

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•We are going to prove to We are going to prove to the world why the King is the world why the King is mean with the following mean with the following facts.facts.

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

• He has refused to pass laws to He has refused to pass laws to protect us.protect us.

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Jones/Rutledge

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

• He has disbanded our He has disbanded our Representative Houses because Representative Houses because they opposed the way he has they opposed the way he has violated the rights of the colonists.violated the rights of the colonists.

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Jones/Rutledge

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

• He picks the Judges, He picks the Judges, which carry out his which carry out his will. If they do not, will. If they do not, they will lose their they will lose their jobsjobs.

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• ““He has erected a multitude of New He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.”out their substance.”

• He has built offices for the tax He has built offices for the tax collectors. These taxes take away collectors. These taxes take away from our families.from our families.Jones/Rutledge

Jones/Rutledge

BulletsBullets• ““He has kept among He has kept among

us, in times of peace, us, in times of peace, Standing Armies Standing Armies without the Consent of without the Consent of our legislature. He our legislature. He has affected to render has affected to render the military the military independent of independent of superior to the Civil superior to the Civil Power.”Power.”

• After the war with After the war with France, the King left France, the King left some of his soldiers some of his soldiers over here without over here without permission of our permission of our legislatures. These legislatures. These soldiers do not obey soldiers do not obey our law.our law.

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Jones/Rutledge

BulletsBullets• ““He has combined with others to He has combined with others to

subject us to a jurisdiction subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their acts of giving his Assent to their acts of pretended legislation.”pretended legislation.”

• He has forced us to do things, He has forced us to do things, which are against our laws and which are against our laws and violates our rights. Here as violates our rights. Here as some examples:some examples:Jones/Rutledge

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““For quartering For quartering large bodies of large bodies of armed troops armed troops among us.”among us.”

For forcing us to For forcing us to have his soldiers have his soldiers living in our living in our homes, eating our homes, eating our food and drinking food and drinking our drink.our drink. Jones/Rutledge

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““For cutting off our Trade with all For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world.”parts of the world.”

For forcing us to trade only with For forcing us to trade only with Great Britain and no one else.Great Britain and no one else.

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Jones/Rutledge

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““For imposing For imposing taxes on us taxes on us without our without our Consent.”Consent.”

For placing For placing taxes on us taxes on us without our without our consent, which consent, which is taxation is taxation without without representationrepresentation..

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Jones/Rutledge

““For depriving For depriving us in many us in many cases, of the cases, of the benefits of Trial benefits of Trial by Jury.”by Jury.”

For not allowing For not allowing us in many us in many cases of Trial by cases of Trial by Jury.Jury.

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• “ “ For taking away For taking away our Charters, our Charters, abolishing our most abolishing our most valuable Laws, and valuable Laws, and altering altering fundamentally, the fundamentally, the Forms of our Forms of our Governments.”Governments.”

• For taking away our For taking away our documents of land documents of land ownership, doing ownership, doing away with our most away with our most valuable laws, and valuable laws, and changing our changing our government.government.

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Jones/Rutledge

Jones/Rutledge

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

• He has given up Government here, He has given up Government here, by proclaiming us out of his by proclaiming us out of his Protection and waging war against Protection and waging war against us.us.

Jones/Rutledge

Jones/Rutledge

BulletsBullets• ““He has plundered He has plundered

our seas, ravaged our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our Coasts, burnt our towns, and our towns, and destroyed the lives destroyed the lives of our people.”of our people.”

• He has robbed our He has robbed our seas, destroyed seas, destroyed our Coasts, burnt our Coasts, burnt our towns, and our towns, and destroyed the lives destroyed the lives of our people.of our people.

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Jones/Rutledge

• ““He is at this time He is at this time transporting large armies of transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, desolation and tyranny, already begun with already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in perfidy scarcely paralleled in most barbarous ages, and most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.”a civilized nation.”

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Jones/Rutledge

Jones/Rutledge

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• He is at this time He is at this time transporting large armies of transporting large armies of foreign soldiers to our land. foreign soldiers to our land. He is paying these foreign He is paying these foreign soldiers to kill us. This soldiers to kill us. This action is totally unworthy of action is totally unworthy of the Head of a civilized the Head of a civilized country.country.

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Jones/Rutledge

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

• He has kidnapped our citizens from our ships He has kidnapped our citizens from our ships and has forced them to fight against their and has forced them to fight against their country. They are to become murderers of country. They are to become murderers of their fellow citizens or to be killed by their their fellow citizens or to be killed by their fellow citizens.fellow citizens.

Jones/Rutledge

Jones/Rutledge

BulletBullet• ““He has excited domestic He has excited domestic

insurrections amongst insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored us, and has endeavored to bring on the to bring on the inhabitants of our inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished.”an undistinguished.”

• He has encourage fights He has encourage fights between the colonists. between the colonists. He has encouraged the He has encouraged the Native Americans to kill Native Americans to kill us in the most horrible us in the most horrible ways and to destroy our ways and to destroy our homes.homes.

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Jones/Rutledge

Excerpt 7Excerpt 7• ““In every stage of In every stage of

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

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Jones/Rutledge

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• We have We have written written letters to the letters to the King asking King asking him to change him to change his mean way, his mean way, but He just but He just becomes becomes meaner. He is meaner. He is unfit to be our unfit to be our KING.KING.

Jones/Rutledge

Jones/Rutledge

Excerpt 8Excerpt 8

• ““We, therefore, the We, therefore, the Representatives of the United Representatives of the United States of America, …solemnly States of America, …solemnly publish and declare, That these publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent ought to be Free and Independent States.”States.”

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Jones/Rutledge

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• We, the United Colonies of the We, the United Colonies of the United States of America, are United States of America, are declaring our independence from declaring our independence from Great Britain.Great Britain.

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