You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the struggle for independence.
Charles A. Beard
Presentation of the Declaration by John Trumbull
The Declaration of Independence lists the “repeated injuries and usurpations,” the “causes for the separation” of the American colonies from the British motherland:
Note: “He” refers to King George III
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most whole-
some 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 summary, an out-of-touch government abused its power and passed laws detrimental to its citizens.
For that, we waged a revolution.
What is it we’re celebrating again?
Oh, right. Freedom.
Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?
Drop a note in the prompt box!
Don’t forget to follow me on:
Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.
Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?
Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.
