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deavoured to enforce ibis autliority by arms, and tbat 

 tbe States of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode 

 Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsyl- 

 vania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, 

 South Carolina, and Georgia, considering resistance, 

 with all its train of horrors, as a lesser evil than abject 

 submission, closed in the apj)eal to arms. It hath pleased 

 the Sovereign Disposer of all human events to give to 

 this appeal an issue favourable to the rights of the 

 States ; to enable them to reject forever all dependance 

 on a government which had sFiown itself so cajjable of 

 abusing the trusts reposed in it ; and to obtain from that 

 government a solemn and explicit acknowledgment that 

 they are free, sovereign, and independent States. Dur- 

 ing the progress of that war, through which we had to 

 labour for the establishment of our rights, the legisla- 

 ture of the commonwealth of Virginia found it necessa- 

 ry to make a temporary organization of government 

 for preventing anarchy, and i)ointii)g our efforts to the 

 two important objects of w-ar against our invaders, and 

 peace and happiness among ourselves. But this, like 

 all other acts of legislation, being subject to change by 

 subsequent legislatures, possessing equal powers with 

 themselves ; it has been thought expedient, that it 

 should receive those am.endments which time and trial 

 have suggested, and be rendered permanent by a power 

 superior to that of tlie ordinary legislature. The gen- 

 eral assembly therefore of this stale recommend it to 

 the good people thereof, to choose delegates to meet 

 in general convention, with powers to form a constitu- 

 tion of government for them, and to declare those' fun- 

 damentals to which all our laws present and future 

 shall be subordinate : and, in compliance with this re- 

 commendation, they bave thought proper to make 

 choice of us, and to vest us with powers for this pur- 

 pose. 



We, therefore, the delegates, chosen by the said good 

 people of this state for the purpose aforesaid, and now 

 assembled in general convention, do in execution of 

 the authority with which we are invested, establish the 



