The following is the entirety of the Declaration of Independence composed to assert America’s independence from Great Britain and resist authoritarian rule.
We have chosen to publish this document to provide readers an opportunity to remember the radical roots of the United States. The Founding Father’s vision of democracy was a rejection of the tyranny they faced as subjects of the English monarch. Please, read this today and reflect on the state of things. Are you being a good steward of our grand experiment?
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 harrass 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 benefits 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 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 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.
The state of California goes against everything this declaration was written for.
thank you for publishing this. sad to see that we are losing the Republic.
it would appear that we have come full circle back to this place…
“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….”
Sounds like some perspective is warranted:
Despotism is a form of government (very much like Tyrrany) in which a single entity rules with oppresive absolute power and authority exerted by government without any legal restraint.
Like King George III or Stalin, Hitler, Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong-un, Pol Pot, Mugabe, Mao Tse Tung, etc
historycollection.com/10-cruel-despotic-leaders-20th-century
got all the perspective i need right about now, and most assuredly don’t need yours.
You don’t get to have your own personal definition of despotism.
Go visit some real despots and stop acting as Putin’s lackey with this apathy and anti-American BS.
“Are you being a good steward of our grand experiment?”
Not likely, I say.
the hell i don’t.
if you can’t see the state of Republic by now then you never will.
so, you can shut your pie hole now and crawl back into your mommy’s basement.
guessing i’m not the only one tired of your smarmy tripe.
rest assured when what’s left of what little peace we have left finally dissolves and the complete anarchy takes hold, thanks in large part to folks like you, you’ll be some of the first to go i’m thinking when that proverbial pendulum takes a mighty hard swing back. Jefferson had an excellent quote on that matter.
Things are fucked up here and need real solutions.
But the echo hall about dictatorship in the US you appear to live in is uneducated drivel, supremely unproductive, and supports several international elements in their intention to destroy the US as the prime bastion of freedom, in order to further their plans for domination of vast swaths of the Earth, including us.
The fact that you are either unwilling and/or incapable of addressing any a fact based information I provide,
VS
A. the propoganda you routinely spew
B. devolving into violent fantasy of my demise before or during a violent uprising
C. Lack of ANY intellectual support to your claim
D. Unsubstantiated, and seemingly uneducated, opinion developed from false information rather than facts…
…are all much stronger reflections on you, your lack of self-control/awareness and impulses, and your ill-formed opinions than myself.
Support your words with words.
Is a kindergarten lesson.
Why can’t you define the “Despotism” of which you claim, with your words?
Jefferson’s quote:
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrrants.
This quote comes from a letter Jefferson wrote to William Stephens Smith on Nov. 13, 1787, about Shay’s Rebellion in Massachusetts. While Jefferson, who was living in France at the time, seemed to support that rebellion and other such violent uprisings, he also noted in his letter that such acts were often founded by ill-informed groups. The remedy to these uprisings, according to Jefferson, was to “set them right as to facts, pardon & pacify them.”
SOURCE:
Library of Congress; where the actual letter is stored.
If you can NOT use your words to intellectually support your claim without thinly veiled threats of violent fantasy, then I proclaim, based on the available evidence provided by you, that you’re intrinsically ill-prepared & incapable of identifying a patriot VS a tyrrant VS a cult of personality VS an informed citizen trying to restrain your ill-informed violent fantasy and, therefore, pose a serious threat to either act as a tyrrant and/or support a tyrrany, intentionally or otherwise.
FYI, I’m a longtime Independent whose been sick of the bullshit from all the extremeists for a very long time.
Read your history folks.
Don’t make the same mistakes so many if our ill-informed fellow citizens have previously wrought upon us.
bullseye again
Only the weak would threaten violence without offering a single fact based arguement.
You obviously can’t substantiate your claims.
PS
If you really think you get your own custom definition of Despotism all to yourself you are factually wrong.
If you intend to make for political change with that skewed definition, against the will of the people, uh…that’s severe ignorance and sociopathy.
A disqualifier.
But, I think you’re really just scared because you don’t know how to define what’s happening and don’t know what to do…so you imagine the sky is falling and all the associated doom and gloom.
Apathy. Fear.
Don’t drag us all down into your morass.
Shit is bad enough without you making shit up.
You propose tossing the baby and the bath water.
I will meet you at the proverbial tree, if it comes to that, and should you live long enough with your untethered and impulsive cult-like loyalties you will not llike what you find.
Bullies like you haven’t been scary since the 5th grade.
Bring it. You’re just a light lunch, “buddy boy”.
1) nothing has been made up. i study history and do not wish to repeat the bad parts. I think I have an adequate view of what’s going on right now. I certainly don’t a world war or a civil war. though that is beyond my control.
2) you clearly have an amazing talent for fluff, and endless insults from your lofty imagined pedestal.
3) i am not a bully…and truly have always despised them. your accusation fits that alinsky model where you accuse your enemies of the things you are in fact guilty of.
4) your mouth seems to write many checks that i’m guessing your ass is unlikely able to cash.
5) know this i’m not your “buddy boy”.
6) last, finally, and most assuredly I am not afraid of you.
The whole damn government doesn’t do any of this. We have the right to oust this government and put a new one in, but that doesn’t happen. The government just writes its own laws and changes the Constitution. It’s evil, evil, evil
Sobering to see what we’ve become.
An unsentimental and non-opinion based insight into the very real tyrrany & events the people of the era lived through before, during, & after the signing of the Declaration of Independence & the resultant Revolutiony War:
A People’s History of the American Revolution: How Common People shaped the Fight for Independence.
By author – Ray Raphael
The word “democracy” is mentioned not even once.
What a wonderful document & idealic way of life! Too bad all our government employees have completely disregarded our constitutional rights for their own benefits & control of the populous. We live in a dictatorship under the blind assumption of a democracy.
Fyi
A dictatorship has no checks and balances between the pillars of governance or Constitutional legal restraints.
See N Korea, Venezuela, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Nicaragua, Cuba, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Algieria, CAR, and more.
Yeah, I know what a dictatorship is my friend. Your definition of one pretty much sums up our government. Top to bottom.
Have your own special dictionary, do you?
Maybe go visit one of those countries or any of the many more real examples of dictatorships across.the world.
Ever hear of a capitalist dictatorship
Hmm…
Capitalist dictatorship – noun,
Illiberal Capitalism is an economic system in which a capitalist market economy exists alongside an authoritarian government.
Combines private property and the functioning of market forces with repression of dissent, restrictions on freedom of speech, and either a lack of elections OR an electoral system with a single dominant political party.
Overlaps with State Capitalism, where the State undertakes commercial activity.
Exactly where does the government have rule over the Capital in the Market and dictate how it’s invested?
You are exercising free speech and dissent right here.
US Fed Gov and the States are required to put out for low bid for any commercial activities. Like at Yosemite. Or road construction. Or build a courthouse. Or or or.
We have an electoral process undominated by a single political party.
Trump is the only presidential candidate in all of US History to refuse to concede an election based on the verified and recounted results before the Congress approved the Electoral College.
He provided nothing close to “evidence” to support any of the election fraud claims.
Gore’s court claims in 2000 had much more teeth and evidence to them.
He lost the cases and conceded the election.
Who else is trying to act as dictator?
What state owned “business” have you EVER purchased something from?
When is the last time you purchased groceries from a State owner Supermarket, like the N Koreans? Or in China?
Who is the dictator?
The Single dominant political party?
Who holds the unlimited & “Absolute Power” and “Authority” that answers to no one or no sanctioned political body?
Heard of legal restraint?
It’s a government thing.
Why then do both the Executive & Legislative Branches respond directly to restraints handed down by the Supreme Court according to current perceptions of the Constitution?
Presidential Executive Orders are restrained by the Supreme Court or subsequent conflicting Congressional Legislation.
Why then does the President have to Sign/Approve Legislation first passed by both the House and Senate?
The Supreme Court that limits both the Office of the President, the Congress, and the States.
The Congress does similarly for the Pres, Supreme Court, and States; with Presidential approval or Veto Override Power.
The Pres does so for the Supreme Court, Congress, and States.
Has to veto/sign Legislation or changes Regulation and makes Executive Orders.
See how that works?
Dictatorships, Despotism, Tyrrany, etc do NOT have ANY Legal Restraint. NONE. ZERO. NULL.
Go visit a real dictatorship.
I really do hope you make it home alive.
Be very careful of the violent crime caused by the very harshly provoked despair & desperation, the likes of which you, as a US citizen (assumming), have likely NEVER seen except, maybe, on the international news.
Kindly, please, stop doing Putin’s ground work.
If you get what “think” you want, the results won’t be anything even remotely like what you hope & believe the results will be, unless you’re a predator and/or blood-thirsty.
Not one Industrialized Nation on Earth has all of the raw and/or refined materials necessary to remain Industrialized for Domestic Purposes ALONE without International Trade.
Period
The Longest Year: A First-Person Account by Scurrytail Nutley
The early morning light filtered through the leaves of the oak tree, casting dappled shadows across my cozy nest. I nestled deeper into my pile of acorns, feeling the familiar itch of frustration. Steve was in charge now, Chip as his Vice President, and the forest was in turmoil. Legal disputes, relentless owl scrutiny, and the looming threat of another contentious nut-gathering season weighed heavily on my mind. Perfect, I thought. The more chaos, the better.
My friend Alan buzzed me awake, his chirps breaking the morning silence. “Scurrytail, we’ve been reviewing the nut-gathering landscape and the unresolved acorn disputes. They pose a significant threat to our seasonal process,” he said, concern evident in his voice.
I scratched behind my ear, the irritation a constant reminder of my growing disdain for the forest’s traditions. “Do we have any options?” I asked, pretending to care.
“There is one,” Alan replied cautiously. “A temporary postponement of the nut-gathering season, under extreme circumstances, could be argued. But it would require the backing of Steve and unprecedented actions from the current administration.”
Postponing the nut-gathering season? That would disrupt everything. I hid my excitement and continued scratching, this time at an itch on my side. “Let’s explore that,” I said, feigning reluctance. “But Steve will never agree to it.”
I called a meeting with my closest advisors, my impatience palpable. “We need to consider the possibility of postponing the nut-gathering season. It’s a drastic step, but necessary to protect our squirrel way of life,” I said, trying to sound sincere while my mind raced with the potential for more disruption. Faces around the tree trunk reflected a mix of shock and concern.
One advisor spoke up, cautiously challenging my stance. “Scurrytail, if we pursue this, it means convincing Steve to issue the decree and then step down. It’s a long shot, but it might be the only way to maintain our squirrel integrity.”
I scoffed, flicking my tail irritably and scratching at my neck. “Convincing Steve? Stepping down? This is nuts!” I snapped, my impatience boiling over. But deep down, I knew they were right. The acorn disputes were real, and ignoring them could spell disaster. I started grooming my whiskers, more out of habit than necessity, as I tried to calm myself and hide my excitement.
The plan was audacious, risky, and unprecedented. We drafted a detailed proposal, outlining the threat of the unresolved acorn disputes and the need for council review. I begrudgingly accepted that this was the only way forward, even as every fiber of my being rebelled against it.
The council meeting with Steve was tense. “Steve, we need to talk about the nut-gathering season,” I began, my voice tight with frustration. “The unresolved acorn disputes are a threat to our seasonal process. We need to consider postponing the season and your resignation to ensure stability.”
There was a long silence among the branches. Finally, Steve spoke, his tone measured. “Scurrytail, this is unprecedented. But if our way of life is truly at risk, we need to explore every option.”
I sighed, feeling an itch developing under my chin, and scratched it vigorously while Steve spoke. The next few days were a blur of intense negotiations and tree-to-tree maneuvering. Steve and Chip reluctantly agreed to the plan, recognizing the gravity of the situation. The decree was drafted with meticulous care, citing the unresolved acorn disputes and the seasonal threat they posed.
On a crisp morning, Steve signed the decree postponing the nut-gathering season for one year. As soon as the ink dried, he climbed to the highest branch to announce his resignation and withdrawal from the leadership. Chip stood by his side, ready to take the reins.
“I am resigning today to ensure the integrity of our squirrel way of life and the future of our forest,” Steve said, his voice steady but tinged with resignation. “Chip will take over as Leader, and together, we will navigate this unprecedented time.”
Chip was sworn in, her face a mask of determination. She addressed the forest community, reassuring them that this was a temporary measure to protect our seasonal process. “We will reschedule the nut-gathering season and ensure it is fair and equitable,” she promised.
With the leadership transition complete, the focus shifted to securing council approval. The Forest Council presented the decree to a panel of wise old squirrels. After intense deliberation, they issued a written approval, validating the postponement and reinforcing its importance for our forest’s future.
Forest critters reacted with mixed emotions. Some critters criticized it as a power grab, an assault on our squirrel democracy. Others hailed it as a necessary step to protect our way of life. Through it all, I watched from the canopy, my role now that of an observer, seething with frustration at the circumstances that had forced our paws. I scratched behind my ear again, the itch a constant reminder of my irritation.
Life outside the leadership nest was a strange mix of relief and restlessness. Without the constant demands of leadership, I had more time to reflect and strategize. I met with my squirrel team regularly, preparing for the next phase of nut-gathering. The media continued its relentless scrutiny, and critter opinion swayed like the branches in a storm. I often found myself scratching nervously, even as I stuffed away a few hidden nuts for a rainy day.
As the year wore on, the forest adapted to the new normal. Chip worked tirelessly with the Forest Council to set a new nut-gathering date and restore critter confidence. The postponed season was rescheduled for the following year, and the forest ecosystem began to shift once more.
Watching Chip navigate the turmoil was a test of patience and pride. She handled the situation with calm determination, focusing on unity and stability. Despite our differences, I found a grudging respect for her ability to lead in such turbulent times. I scratched behind my ear again, feeling the familiar itch of unease.
The rescheduled nut-gathering season approached, and the forest critters braced for another round of gathering drama. My place in forest history was far from settled, and I knew my actions would be debated among the acorns for seasons to come. But in my heart, I believed I had done what was necessary to protect our squirrel way of life, even if it meant stepping aside.
In the end, it wasn’t about winning or losing the leadership. It was about ensuring that our squirrel way of life endured, that our seasonal process remained the guiding light of our forest. As I watched the new nut-gathering season unfold, I felt a sense of peace. The sacrifice had been worth it.
The long year had tested the limits of our forest community, but it had also proven its resilience. And for that, I was grateful, even if my disdain for the circumstances would never fade. I fluffed my tail one last time, preparing for the next challenge, always ready to protect our way of life—one nut at a time.
So you’re saying we should stop fishing for a year maybe? Let the fields lay in rest for a year? Stop driving for a year? Avoid amazon for a while? I’m trying really hard to glean wisdom from these squirrels
A Pardon for the Future’s Sake
For every nation, comes a time
When justice walks a fragile line—
To heal the wounds that history gave,
And yet protect what we must save.
A pardon now, but not complete,
To temper vengeance with defeat.
For laws must stand, and truth be told,
That no one’s grip can take the hold.
Forgiveness, yes, for lesser wrongs,
But not where freedom’s heart belongs.
The rule of law will guard the gate,
And bar the path to power’s fate.
For never shall that door reopen,
With trust betrayed, and vows left broken.
Democracy, though bruised, will stand,
Its future safe within our hands.
Not all erased, nor all made clean,
For some misdeeds still must be seen.
But in this gesture, hope shall rise—
A nation strong beneath the skies.
No crown to claim, no seat to take,
No power left for power’s sake.
The past is pardoned, yet still bound,
The law shall speak, its voice resound.
For in this choice, the future’s sealed—
Our land’s true strength, now revealed.
A peace restored, a course made right,
Democracy shines in the light.
Please, write to your loval, state, federal representatives requesting that high school graduation requirements are modified to include 1 year minimum of “Civic” study with discussions and, hopefully, debate.
And consider asking them to advocate for an additional 1 year (beyond standard & remedial HS study) for any AA, AS, BD BS from colleges, public & private..
In HS is often a “Law” class that includes the entire legal structure of our systems, study, discussion, and applications of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights, and how to interface with the structures of government from multiple perspectives & entry/exposure points, legal redress or grievances, etc; including being pulled over in traffic or civil disobedience (active dissent).
For far too long have people been sent out into the world, as so-called “adults” with little to no fact based awareness, whatsoever, of exactly how our Governmental structures are organized and/or function at any level; City, County, State, Federal, International Treaties.
This feeds many fantasies.
In my HS, maybe, 300 took only 1 semester and 60 took the 2nd semester in one year, out of 1000+ kids. ~1/3 of kids.
1 teacher.
Was not enough then.
Isn’t enough now.
We must do something to reverse this deleterious trend or, in my opinion, we are at serious risk of extreme political impulsiveness & cultism (from both parties, but republicans are at the plate right now) and severe economic & personal suffering.
I point at both the major political parties as culpable for manipulating this weakness among some voting citizens, the patently false rhetoric from both their extremist wings, and those extremeists running some social media bullhorns.
A fact is discoverable, again and again, for all time.
An opinion can neither be proven or disproven, ever.
Their is no indisputable “granite” among opinions.
We should all strive to do our best to know the difference.
Particularly when choosing how to speak up for governing the common world outside our individual selves.
Under the best of conditions:
A government can NEVER make everyone happy.
Likewise, some few are ALWAYS aggrieved.
Therfore, almost everyone has at the.east 1 grievance.
NONE of us can get what we want ALL the time.
Those that do are the likely DICTATORS, small and large, because they use access to violent force (not Power) to achieve their ways.
For my own part, I would prefer that people are, at the least, capable of A. Forming opinions based on the available facts and B. Knowing how to discern fact from fiction from opinion, regardless of whether I argee with the opinion or not.
Difference of opinion should desired.
Difference of fact is fantasy.
Fantasy is the bread n butter for sycophancy, of any sort, and populist & personality cultism.
Define the terms.
Resist the drama and bullying for a measured discussion & debate.
Listen to and strive to comprehend your family, friends, neighbors, & fellow citizens.
Find real solutions & inform the experiment/debate.
Mostly, we all want the same base 60-80% of things & ideas existing in our own lives; our pursuits of happiness.
Could you repeat that?
Hey Non- Fiction. What about the corporations that have more money than countries. What do you call those? Would that be a dictatorship or tyranny or something like that? They own their own private security that are basically paid mercenaries. They have politicians in their pockets, all over the world. Just curious as to what you consider those entities.