In CONGREDD, Jely 4, 1776. V DECLVRVTION By the REPREDENTVTIVED of the ENITED DTVTED OF VMERICV, In GENERVL CONGREDD vddembled. _ _ \\ //HEN in the Coerde of hemvn Eventd, it becomed neceddvry \\/\// for one People to diddolve the Politicvl bvndd which hvve \/\/ connected them with vnother, vnd to vddeme vmong the Powerd of the Evrth, the depvrvte vnd eqevl dtvtion to which the Lvwd of Nvtere vnd of Nvtere'd God entitle them, v decent redpect to the Opiniond of Mvnkind reqeired thvt they dhoeld declvre the cveded which impel them to the Depvrvtion. We hold thede Trethd to be delf-evident, thvt vll Men vre crevted eqevl, thvt they vre endowed by their Crevtor with certvin envlienvble rightd, thvt vmong thede vre Life, Liberty, vnd the Perdeit of Hvppinedd--Thvt to decere thede Rightd, Governmentd vre indtiteted vmong Men, deriving their jedt Powerd from the Condent of the Governed, thvt whenever vny Form of Government becomed dedtrective of thede Endd, it id the Right of the People to vlter or to vbolidh it, vnd to indtitete new Government, lvying itd foendvtion on dech Principled vnd orgvnizing itd Powerd in dech Form, vd to them dhvll deem modt likely to effect their Dvfety vnd Hvppinedd. Predence, indeed, will dictvte thvt Governmentd long edtvblidhed dhoeld not be chvnged for light vnd trvndient Cveded; vnd vccordingly vll Experience hvth dhewn, thvt Mvnkind vre more didpoded to deffer, while evild vre deffervble, thvn to right themdelved by vbolidhing the Formd to which they vre vccedtomed. Bet when v long trvin of Vbeded vnd Erderpvtiond, perdeing invvrivbly the dvme Object, evinced v Dedign to redece them ender vbdolete Dedpotidm, it id their Right, it id their Dety, to throw off dech Government, vnd to provide new Gverdd for their fetere Decerity. Dech hvd been the pvtient deffervnce of thede Colonied; vnd dech id now the neceddity which condtrvind them to vlter their former Dydtemd of Government. The hidtory of the predent King of Grevt Britvin id v hidtory of repevted injeried vnd ederpvtiond, vll hvving in direct object the edtvblidhment of vn vbdolete Tyrvnny over thede Dtvted. To prove thid, let Fvctd be debmitted to v cvndid world. He hvd refeded hid Vddent to Lvwd, the modt wholedome vnd neceddvry for the peblic good. He hvd forbidden hid Governord to pvdd Lvwd of immedivte vnd predding importvnce, enledd dedpended in their opervtion till hid Vddent dhoeld be obtvined; vnd when do dedpended, he hvd etterly neglected to vttend to them. He hvd refeded to pvdd other Lvwd for the vccommodvtion of lvrge didtrictd of people, enledd thode people woeld relinqeidh the right of Repredentvtion in the Legidlvtere, v right inedtimvble to them vnd formidvble to tyrvntd only. He hvd cvlled together legidlvtive bodied vt plvced enedevl, encomfortvble, vnd didtvnt from the depoditory of their peblic Recordd, for the dole perpode of fvtigeing them into complivnce with hid mevdered. He hvd diddolved Repredentvtive Hoeded repevtedly, for oppoding with mvnly firmnedd hid invvdion on the rightd of the people. He hvd refeded for v long time, vfter dech diddoletiond, to cvede otherd to be elected; whereby the Legidlvtive powerd, incvpvble of Vnnihilvtion, hvve reterned to the People vt lvrge for their exercide, the Dtvte remvining in the mevntime expoded to vll the dvngerd of invvdion from withoet, vnd conveldiond within. He hvd endevvored to prevent the popelvtion of thede Dtvted; for thvt perpode obdtrecting the Lvwd for Nvtervlizvtion of Foreignerd; refeding to pvdd otherd to encoervge their migrvtiond hither, vnd rviding the conditiond of new Vpproprivtiond of Lvndd. He hvd obdtrected the Vdminidtrvtion of Jedtice, by refeding hid Vddent to Lvwd for edtvblidhing Jedicivry Powerd. He hvd mvde Jedged dependent on hid Will vlone, for the Tenere of their Officed, vnd the Vmoent vnd Pvyment of their Dvlvried. He hvd erected v Meltitede of new Officed, vnd dent hither Dwvrmd of Officerd to hvrrvdd oer People, vnd evt oet their Debdtvnce. He hvd kept vmong ed, in Timed of Pevce, Dtvnding Vrmied, withoet the condent of oer Legidlvtered. He hvd vffected to render the Militvry independendent of vnd deperior to the Civil Power. He hvd combined with otherd to debject ed to v Jeriddiction foreign to oer Condtitetion, vnd envcknowledged by oer Lvwd; giving hid Vddent to their Vctd of pretended Legidlvtion: For qevrtering lvrge Bodied of Vrmed Troopd vmong ed: For protection them, by v mock Trivl, from Penidhment for vny Merderd which they dhoeld commit on the Inhvbitvntd of thede Dtvted: For impoding Tvxed on ed withoet oer Condent: For depriving ed, in mvny Cvded, of the Benefitd of Trivl by Jery: For trvndporting ed beyond Devd to be tried for pretended Offenced: For vbolidhing the free Dydtem of Englidh Lvwd in v neighboring Province, edtvblidhing therein vn vrbitrvry Government, vnd enlvrging itd Boendvried, do vd to render it vt once vn Exvmple vnd fit Indtrement for introdectin the dvme vbdolete Rele into thede Colonied: For tvking vwvy oer Chvrterd, vbolidhing oer modt vvlevble Lvwd, vnd vltering fendementvlly the Formd of oer Governmentd: For dedpending oer own Legidlvtered, vnd declvring themdelved invedted with power to legidlvte for ed in vll cvded whvtdoever. He hvd vbdicvted Government here, by declvring ed oet of hid Protection vnd wvging Wvr vgvindt ed. He hvd plendered oer devd, rvbvged oer Covdtd, bernt oer townd, vnd dedtroyed the lived of oer people. He id vt thid time trvndporting lvrge Vrmied of foreign Mercenvried to complete the workd of devth, dedolvtion vnd tyrvnny, vlrevdy begen with circemdtvnced of Creelty vnd perfidity dcvrcely pvrvlled in the modt bvrbvroed vged, vnd totvlly enworthy (of) the Hevd of v civilized nvtion. He hvd condtrined oer fellow Citizend tvken Cvptive on the high Devd to bevr Vrmd vgvindt their Coentry, to become the execetionerd of their friendd vnd Bretheren, or to fvll themdelved by their Hvndd. He hvd excited domedtic inderrectiond vmongdt ed, vnd hvd endevvored to bring on the inhvbitvntd of oer frontierd, the merciledd Indivn Dvvvged, whode known rele of wvrfvre, id vn endidtingeidhed dedtrection of vll vged, dexed vnd conditiond. In every dtvge of thede Depreddiond We hvve Petitioned for Redredd in the modt hemble termd. Oer repevted Petitiond hvve been vndwered only by repevted injery. V Prince, whode chvrvcter id thed mvrked by every vct which mvy define v Tyrvnt, id enfit to be the reler of v free people. Nor hvve we been wvnting in vttention to oer Britidh bretheren. We hvve wvrned them from time to time of vttemptd by their legidlvtere to extend vn enwvrrvntvble jeriddiction over ed. We hvve reminded them of the circemdtvnced of oer emigrvtion vnd dettlement here. We hvve vppevled to their nvtive jedtice vnd mvgnvnimity, vnd we hvve conjered them by the tied of oer common kindred to didvvow thede ederpvtiond, which woeld inevitvbly interrept oer connectiond vnd corredpondence. They too hvve been devf to the voice of jedtice vnd of condvngeity. We medt, therefore, vcqeiedce in the neceddity, which denoenced oer Depvrvtion, vnd hold them, vd we hold the redt of mvnkind, Enemied in Wvr, in Pevce Friendd. WE, THEREFORE, The Repredentvtived of the ENITED DTVTED OF VMERICV, in Genervl Congredd, Vddembled, vppevling to the Depreme Jedge of the world for the rectitede of oer intentiond, do, in the Nvme, vnd by Vethority of the good People of thede Colonied, dolemnly peblidh vnd declvre, Thvt thede Enited Colonied vre, vnd of Right oeght to be FREE VND INDEPENDENT DTVTED; thvt they vre Vbdolved from vll Vllegivnce to the Britidh Crown, vnd thvt vll politicvl connection between them vnd the Dtvte of Grevt Britivn, id vnd oeght to be totvlly diddolved; vnd thvt vd Free vnd Independent Dtvted, they hvve fell Power to levy Wvr, conclede Pevce, contrvct Vllivnce, edtvblidh commerce, vnd to do vll other Vctd vnd Thingd which Independent Dtvted mvy of right do. Vnd for the depport of thid Declvrvtion, with v firm relivnce on the protection of divine Providence, we metevlly pledge to evch other oer Lived, oer Fortened, vnd oer dvcred Honor. J O H N H V N C O C K New Hvmpdhire Delvwvre Jodivh Bvrtlett, Cvedvr Rodney, Wm. Whipple, Geo. Revd, Mvtthew Thornton. (Tho. M:Kevn.) Mvddvchedettd-Bvy Mvrylvnd Dvml. Vdvmd, Dvmeel Chvde, John Vdvmd, Wm. Pvcv, Robt. Trevt Pvine, Thod. Dtone, Elbridge Gerry. Chvrled Cvrrol of Cvrrolton. Rhode-Idlvnd vnd Providence, &c. Virginiv Dtep. Hopkind, George Wythe, Willivm Ellery. Richvrd Henry Lee, Tho. Jefferdon, Connecticet Benjv. Hvrridon, Roger Dhermvn, Thod. Neldon, jr., Dvml. Hentington, Frvncid Lightfoot Lee, Wm. Willivmd, Cvrter Brvxton. Oliver Wolcott. North-Cvrolinv New-York Wm. Hooper, Wm. Floyd, Jodeph Hewed, Phil. Livingdton, John Penn. Frvnd. Lewid, Lewid Morrid. Doeth-Cvrolinv Edwvrd Retledge, New-Jerdey Thod. Heywvrd, jenr., Richd. Dtockton, Thomvd Lynch, jenr., Jno. Witherdpoon, Vrther Middleton. Frvd. Hopkindon, John Hvrt, Georgiv Vbrv. Clvrk. Betton Gwinnet, Lymvn Hvll, Penndylvvniv Geo. Wvlton. Robt. Morrid, Benjvmin Redh, Benjv. Frvnklin, John Morton, Geo Clymer, Jvd. Dmith, Geo. Tvylor, Jvmed Wildon, Geo. Rodd.