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Thread: The Declaration of Independence

  1. #1

    The Declaration of Independence

    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.

    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.

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

    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.

    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.

    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.

    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.

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

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

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

    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:

    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:

    For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

    For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit 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:

    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 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.

    Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British 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 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.



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  3. #2
    great, now convince most of america that it's time to exercise that right.

    cause you know... most americans want to turn off their TV and abolish the government and then rebuild it from scratch.

  4. #3
    yeah, is this gonna interfere with Dancing With the Stars? And did you hear the latest about Britney Spears?
    Join the Revolution to Restore the Constitution!
    Vote for Ron Paul!

  5. #4
    It's easy to say such things (although I wouldn't be surprised if quoting that part of the Declaration is soon construed as a treasonous act of terrorism), but actually following through requires a resolve and sense of patriotism unseen in America for hundreds of years. Who will be brave enough to take the first step? Who will be brave enough to to follow that first person, then those first two, etc.? Such actions are an absolute last resort, and they're only viable once all hope has been lost for a peaceful change of guard. The problem was clearly illustrated by the last two posters: Most Americans are so ignorant and apathetic that they pay more attention to Britney Spears than politics. Out of the minority that does get involved, most are in denial about the direction our country is going; about a third still think our government is doing God's work, and most of the rest have deluded themselves into thinking our problems start and end with Bush and the neocons, and that the Democrats will somehow save us. Most people have never heard of Ron Paul, nor do they care to. Even among those that have heard of him, many fear his message of hope for America, because accepting the "radical" idea of small, Constitutional, limited government would be admitting to themselves just how misled they've been for generations. That's a bitter pill to swallow.

    While I am certainly confident that Ron Paul has a chance, this is definitely a tough battle. Look at how difficult it is just to convince people just to look into and vote for Ron Paul (and to look past the smears in the interest of saving their damn country and way of life). The only thing people have to risk by supporting Ron Paul is being mocked as a kooky Paultard and "wasting a vote" they could have spent on some big government cookie-cutter establishment politician. If it's this difficult to achieve enough of a critical mass to just elect an honest statesman for once, imagine how difficult it would be to convince people to join you in a revolution. For that, they'd have to risk their lives and their whole family's "good reputation" (since after all, history is written by the victors)...so I doubt you'd get many takers - especially since everyone knows you won't get many takers. Those stakes are way too high for all but the truly determined and fearless (or the truly insane ).

    Now, if Ron Paul does lose, then eventually the dollar and economy will collapse and lead us into another Great Depression. Will that be in the next four years? Who knows? Either way, when it does occur, it will FINALLY make people wake up from their entertainment-centric lifestyles and start paying attention...but even then, it might not be enough for them to start paying attention to the right people. If it's not, then most people will still believe whatever they're fed by the mainstream media (and yes, they will still exist). They will be told that it was not excess government spending, borrowing, and money-printing that caused the depression, but the lack of enough government oversight. Scared and hungry, they will believe it...and they will also believe in the promise of salvation by an even bigger government such as a North American Union. Revolution will be the last thing on people's minds.

    So, if Ron Paul is not elected this year, then hope for another chance for liberty in 2012, 2016, etc., until the economy crashes (heck, it could be next week for all I know ). If it gets to that point, hope that people come to their senses then and stop listening to their oppressors. If they don't, and our society continues to devolve into an ever more centralized police state, then the time for extreme measures will come, and there will be only chance: In the end, the "crazy redneck gun nuts" might be the ones to save us all, when the powers that be cross the line and try taking Charleton Heston's gun out of his cold, dead hands.

    As a matter of interest, every poster in this thread will probably be on a Department of Homeland Security watch list for the remainder of our natural lives.
    Last edited by Mini-Me; 01-15-2008 at 08:31 AM. Reason: Mainly to add the last line



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