He has refused to pass any more laws to house large districts of people unless those people give up the right of representation in the legislature, a right that is invaluable to them and impresses only tyrants. We take these truths for granted, that all human beings are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That governments be established among the people to guarantee these rights, which derive their just power from the consent of the governed, – that whenever any form of government destroys these objectives, it is the right of the people to change or abolish it and to install a new government which founds these principles and organizes its power in a form, which seems most likely to bring their security and happiness. Prudence, in fact, will dictate that long-established governments should not be replaced for slight and temporary reasons; And so, all experience has shown that humanity is more inclined to suffer, when evil is bearable, than to correct itself by abolishing the forms to which it is accustomed. But if a long series of abuses and usurpers, all pursuing the same goal, reveal a plan to reduce them to absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to overthrow such a government and provide new guards for their future security. And it is now necessity that compels them to change their old systems of government. The story of the current King of Britain is one of repeated violations and usurpers, all aimed directly at establishing absolute tyranny over these states. To prove it, let the facts of the open world be presented. He refused to consent to the laws, the most salutary and necessary for the common good. For a long time he refused to let others vote after such a dissolution; where legislative powers, incapable of destruction, have returned to exercise them to the whole people; In the meantime, the state remains exposed to all the dangers of invasion from outside and shocks from within. He joined others in subjecting us to a jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution and not recognized by our laws; He summoned legislative bodies to unusual, inconvenient places and far from depositing their public records, solely for the purpose of tiring them into complying with his measures. We, the representatives of the United States of America, meeting in the General Congress, therefore appeal to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the world for the integrity of our intentions, and solemnly publish and declare in the name and authority of the good people of these colonies that these united colonies are and must be free and independent States; that they are absolved of all allegiance to the British Crown and that all political ties between them and the State of Great Britain are and must be completely severed; and that, as free and independent States, they have full power to make war, to make peace, to make alliances, to trade, and to do all other actions and things that independent States may do by law. And in support of this declaration, trusting firmly in the protection of divine providence, we promise one another our lives, our destiny and our sacred honor.
“. A unanimous statement. Often we know that a document is important, and we may understand why the document is important, but the details of the message are lost as decades (and even centuries) develop between us and the past. How many of you have heard or read the Declaration of Independence and wondered what each complaint (or complaint) relates to? What were Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration Committee referring to when they drafted this document, which was ultimately an incredible act of betrayal of their king and their country? By reading this, you will see the story through their eyes as you discover the meaning behind the words. Complaint 1 “He refused to consent to the most salutary laws and the most necessary for the common good.” This usually refers to whenever colonial legislators passed domestic laws that the British Parliament did not want to ratify. Complaint 2 “It has prohibited its governors from passing laws of immediate and urgent importance unless their application is suspended until its consent is obtained; And when he was suspended, he didn`t take care of her at all. An indication that colonial self-government has been abolished; Royal governors were appointed by England, and Parliament sometimes ordered their governors not to ratify laws with which they disagreed. Complaint 3 “He refused to pass any more laws to house large districts of people unless those people renounced the right of representation in the legislature, a right invaluable to them and impressive only to tyrants.” Another reference to Parliament`s attempt to restrict colonial self-government. The reference to the “renunciation of the right of representation in the legislature” refers to Parliament`s attempt to dictate internal regulations in the colonies, such as the taxation of the colonies. When the settlers submitted to the internal tax by parliament, they submitted to the “tax without representation.” Complaint 4 “He summoned legislative bodies to unusual, inconvenient places and far from depositing their public records, for the sole purpose of tiring them into complying with his actions.” This is a direct reference to the Massachusetts Government Act of 1774 (known in the colonies as “The Intolerable Acts”), which was passed by the legislature after the Boston Tea Party. He revoked the Charter of the colony of 1691, appointed General Thomas Gage as military governor, and allowed him to dissolve the present legislature, appoint a new one, and force it to meet wherever he wished. Complaint 5 “He repeatedly dissolved the House of Representatives because he resisted his interference in people`s rights with male determination.” As tensions between the colonies and England mounted, royal governors had the power to suspend and/or dismiss any colonial legislator who ignored parliamentary laws or refused to respond to parliamentary laws with which they disagreed, or when expressing positions deemed subversive to the British government.
The New York legislature was impeached in 1767 and 1769 for refusing to implement the cantonment of British troops in the colony. It wasn`t until 1771 that a New York legislature finally passed the measure. Complaint 6 “He has long refused to let others vote after such a dissolution; where legislative powers, incapable of destruction, have returned to the whole people to be exercised; the State, which in the meantime remains exposed to all the dangers of invasion from outside and internal convulsions. This is based on the fifth complaint.