PROCEEDINGS AM. PHILOS. SOC. VOL. XXXIX, No. 161 PLATE v. 
In CONGRESS S, Jury 4 1776. 
A DECLARATIO“N= 
By THE REPRESENTATIVES oF TSE 
UNITED STATES OF AMERGGe 
In GENERAL CONGRESS asseEMBLED. 
HEN in the Courfe of human Events, it becomes neceffary for one Peoplt, to diffolve the Political Bands which-have conneéted them with another, and to affume 
among the Powers of the Earth, the feparate and equal Station to whith:the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle-them, adecent Refpect to the Opinions of Man- 
kind requires that they fhould declare the Caufes which impel them to’ the Separation 
We hold thefe Truths co be felf-evidenc, that ail Men are‘created equal; chat chey are endowed by cheir Creator with certain, undliensble: Rights, thacamong thefe arg 
Life, Libercy, and the Purfuie of Happinefs—That co fecore thefe Rights, Governments are infticuted among Men, deriving their juft Powers from the Confent of the Governed, chat whenever 
any Form of Government becomes deftrudtive of thefe Ends, cis the Right of the People to alceror to abolifh it, and ca iaftitute new Government, laying its Foundation on fuch Principles, and or- 
ganizing its Powers in fuch‘Form, as t them fhall. feem moft likely to effect their Safety and Happinels. Prudence, indeed, will diétate chat Governments long eftabliffied fhould not bechang- 
ed for lightand tranfient Caufes; and accordingly all Experience hath fhewn, chat Mankitid are more difpofed to fuffer, while Evils are fcfferable, than to right themfelves by abolifhing _the 
Forms to which they are accyftomed, Buc when a long Train’of Abufes and Ufurpations, purfuing invariably ‘the fame Objed, evincesa Defign. toreduce them under abfolute. Defpotifm, 
it is cheir Right, it-is their Duty, to throw off fuch Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security. Such has been the patient Sufferance of thefe: Colonies ;..and fuch is 
now the Necefficy which conftrains them to alter their former Syftems of Government. The Hiftory of che prefent King of Great-Britain is a Hiftory of repeated Injuries and. Ufurpations, all 
having in direé&t Object the Eftablithment of an abfolute Tyranny over thefe States. To prove this, lec Faéts be fubmitted to acandid World. 
He has refufed his Affent to Laws, the moft wholefome and neceflary for the public-Good. 
He has forbidden his Governors to’ pafs Laws of- immediate and ptefling Importance, unlefs fufpended in thieit Operation tillshis Affent fhould be obtained’; and when fo fufpended, he 
has utterly neglected to attend co therm: : 
He has refufed to pafs other Laws for the Accommodation of large Diftridts of People, unlefs thofe People would relinquifh the Right of Reprefentation in the Legiflature, 4 Riglit.meftima- 
ble to them, and formidable co Tyrants only. ; 
He has called together Legiflative Bodies at Places unufual, uncomfortable, and diftant from the Depoficory of their public Records; for the fole Purpofe of fatiguing them inta compliance 
with his Meafures, 
He has diffolved Reprefentative Houfes repeatedly, for oppofing with manly Firmnefs his Invafions on the Rights of the People. 
He has. refufed for a long Time, after fuch Diffolutions, 20 caufe others to be eledted ; whereby the Legiflative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People «at large for 
their Exercife ; the State remaining in the mean Time expofed coall the Dangers of Invafion frorh without, and Convulfions. within. jl 
He has endeavoured to prevent the Population of thefe States ; for that Purpofe obftreating the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refufing to pats others co encourage theit Migrati- 
ons hither, and raifing the.Conditions of new Appropriations of Lands. 
He has obftruéted the Adminiftration of Juftice, by refufing his Affent co Laws for eftablifhing 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 ere&ted a Multitude of new Offites, and fent hither Swarms of Officers to harrafs our People, and eat out their Subftance. 
He has kept among us, in Times of Peace, Standing Armies, without the Confent of our Legiflatures, 
He has affected to render the Military independent of and fuperior to the Civil Power, Hae 
Ht has combined with others to fubjeét us to a Jurifdidtion foreign to our Conftitetion, and unacknowledged by our Laws , giving his Affent to theiz Adts of pretended Legiflation. 
For quartering large Bodies of Armed ‘Troops among us: 
For protecting chem, by’amock ‘Trial, from Punifhment for any Murders which theyfhould commit cn the Inhabitants of thefe Scates : 
For cutting off our Trade with all Parts of che World: 
For impofing Taxes on us without our Confent : 
For depriving us, in many Cafes, of the Benefits of Trial by Jury : 
For tranfporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended Offences : ; 
For abolifhing the. free Sy{tem of Englifh Laws in aneighbouring Province, eftablifhing therein an athitrary Government, and enlarging ics Boundaries, foas to render it at once an Exam~ 
ple and fic Inftrument for introducing thefame abfolute Rule into thefe Colonies : 
For taking away our Charters, abolifhing our moft valuable Laws, and altering fandamentally the Forms-of our’Governments, 
For fufpending our own Legiflatures, arid-declaring themfelves invefted with Power'to Jegiflace for us m all Cafes whatfoever. 
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War againft us. 
He has plundered our Seas, ravaged our-Coatis, burnt our Towns, and deftroyed the Lives of our- People. 
He is, at rhis Time, cranfporcing large Armies foreign Mercenaries to compleat che Works of Death, Pefolation, and Tyranny, already begun with Circumftances of Cruelry and Per- 
fidy, f{carcely paralleled in the moft barbarous Ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized Nation. 
He has conftrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Artis againft their Country,, fo become the Executioners of their Friends and Brethren, of to. fall: themfelve 
by their Hands. 
We has excited doméftic Infurre€tions amongft us, and has endeavoured to bring om the Inhabitants of our Frontiers. the:mercilefs Indian Savages, whofe known Rule of Warfare, is an 
undiftinguithed Deftruétion of all Ages, Sexes and Conditions. ; 
Th every Srage of thefe Oppreffions we’ have petitioned for Redrefs in the moft humble Terms: Our repeated Petitions have been anfwered only by repeated Injury. 
ratter is thus marked by ‘every Act which may define a Tyrant, is'unfit to be the Ruler of a free People. F 3 ; pee, 
Not have'we been wanting in Attentions to our Britith Brethren, We have warned them from Time to Time of Atcempts by their Legiflature to extend an unwarrantable Joxifdition oyer 
us. We have reminded them of the Circumftances of our Emigration and Setrlemcct here. We have appealed to their native Juftice and Magnanimity, and we have’ conjured them by 
the Ties of. our common Kindred to diffvow thefe Ufurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our Cohnedtions and Correfpondence. They too have been deaf to the. Voice of Juttice 
and of Confanguinity. We muft, therefore, acquiefce in the Neceflity, which denountes our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the reft of Mankind, Enemies in Wer, in Peace, Friends. 
We, therefore, the Repiefentatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in Genenar Concress, Affembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the 
World for the Re@itude of our Inteations, do, in'the Name, and by Authority of the good People of thefe Colonies, folemnly Publith and Dechare: ‘That. thefe United Colonies are, and 
of-Right ought to be, Free ann I'NDEPENDENT STATES; thatthey are abfoléed from all Allegiance to the Britith Crown, and that ‘all political Connedion between them and tthe 
State: of Great-Britain, is and ought to.be totally diffolved:; and that-as FREE AND INDERENDENT States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contratt, Alliances, 
eftablith Commerce, and todo all other A@s and Things which INDEPENDENT STATES may of right do. And for the fupport of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protec- 
tion of divine Providence, we"mutually pledge to each other our Lives.aur Fortunes;-2nd our facred Honor 
A Prince wholéCha- 
Signed by Oxver and in Beware of the ConGcRreEssy 
JOHN HANCOCK, PRESIDENT, 
ATTEST. 
CHARLES THOMSON, Szeceeraey. 
Printeon Bx JOHN DUNLAP. 
—REDUCED ONE-HALF. 
FAC-SIMILE OF BROADSIDE OF DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, IN LIBRARY OF AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. =i 
