faid, "that protection and allegiance were reciprocal, and that the fe fusal of the first was a legal ground of juftification for withholding the laft." They confidered themfelves to be thereby difcharged from their allegiance, and that to declare themselves independent was no more, than to announce to the world the real political ftate in which Great Britain had placed them. This act proved that the Colonists might conftitutionally declare themselves independent, but the hiring of foreign troops to make war upon them, demonftrated the neceffity of their doing it immediately. They reafoned that if Great Britain called in the aid of ftrangers to crush them, they muft feek fimilar relief for their own prefervation. But they well knew this could not be expected, while they were in arms against their acknowledged Sovereign. They had therefore only a choice of difficulties, and muft either feek foreign aid as independent ftates, or continue in the aukward and hazardous Situation of fubjects, carrying on war from their own refources, both against the King, and fuch mercenaries as he chofe to employ for their fubjugation. Neceffity, not choice, forced them on the decifion, Submission, without obtaining a redrefs of their grievances, was advocated by none who poffeffed the public confidence. Some of the populat leaders may have fecretly wished for independence from the beginning of the controverfy, but their number was fmall and their fentiments. were not generally known. While the public mind was balancing on this eventful fubject, feveral writers placed the advantages of independence in various points of view. Among thefe Thomas Paine in a pamphlet, under the fignature of 1 Common Senfe, held the moft diftinguished rank. The ftile, manner, and language of this performance was calculated to intereft the paffions, and to roufe all the active powers of human nature. With a view of operating on the fentiments of a religious people, Scripture was preffed into his fervice, and the powers, and even the name of a king was rendered odious in the eyes of the numerous Colonists who had read and studied the hiftory of the Jews, as recorded in the Old Teftament. The folly of that people in revolting from a government, inftituted by Heaven itself, and the oppreffions to which they were subjected in con fequence of their lufting after kings to rule over them, afforded an ex cellent handle for pre-poffeffing the Colonifts in favour of republican institutions, and prejudicing them against kingly government. Here ditary fucceffion was turned into ridicule. The abfurdity of subjecting a great continent to a small island on the other fide of the globe, was reprefented in fuch ftriking language, as to intereft the honour and pride of the Colonists in renouncing the government of Great Britain The The neceffity, the advantage, and pract cability of independence were forcibly demonftrated. Nothing could be better timed than this performance; it was addressed to freemen, who had just received convincing proof, that Great Britain had thrown them out of her protection, had engaged foreign mercenaries to make war upon them, and seriously defigned to compel their unconditional fubmiffion to her unlimited power, I found the Colonifts moft thoroughly alarmed for their liberties, and difpofed to do and fuffer any thing that promifed their eftablishment. In union with the feelings and fentiments of the people, it produced furprifing effects. Many thoufands were convinced, and were led to approve and long for a feparation from the Mother Country. Though that measure, a few months before, was not only foreign from their wishes, but the object of their abhorrence, the current fuddenly became fo ftrong in its favour, that it bore down all oppofition. The multitude was hurried down the ftream, but fome worthy men could not" eafily reconcile them felves to the idea of an eternal feparation from a country to which they had been long bound by the most endearing ties. They faw the fword drawn, but could not tell when it would be heathed; they feared that the difperfed individuals of the feveral Colopies would not be brought to coalefce under an efficient government, and that after much anarchy, fome future Cæfar would grafp their liberties, and confirm himfelf on a throne of defpotifm. They doubted the perfeverance of their countrymen in effecting their independence, and were also apprehenfive that in cafe of fuccefs, their future condition would be lefs happy than their paft. Some refpectable individuals whofe principles were pure, but whofe fouls were not of that firm texture which revolutions require, fhrunk back from the bold measures propofed by their more adventurous countrymen. To fubmit without an appeal to Heaven, though fecretly wished for by fome, was not the avowed fentiment of any; but to perfevere in petitioning and refifting, was the fyftem of fome mifguided honeft men. The favourers of this opinion were generally wanting in that decifion which grafps at great objects, and influenced by that timid policy which does its work by halves. Moft of them dreaded the power of Britain. A few, on the fcore of interest, or an expectancy of favours from royal government, refused to concur with the general voice. Some of the natives of the Parent State, who having lately fettled in the Colonies, had not yet exchanged European for American ideas, together with a few others, confcientiously oppofed the measures of Congrefs: but the great bulk of the people, and efpecially of the fpirited and independent part of the community, community, came with forprifing unanimity into the project of inde pendence. The Americans, thus exafperated to the utmoft by the proceedings of parliament, now formally renounced all connection with Britain, and declared themfelves independent. This celebrated declaration was published on the 4th of July, 1776, and is as follows: "When, in the courfe of human events, it becomes neceffary for one people to diffolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to affume among the powers of the earth the feparate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent refpect to the opinions of mankind requires that they fhould declare the caufes which impel them to the feparation. "We hold thefe truths to be felf-evident; That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among thefe are life, liberty, and the purfuit of happiness; that to fecure thefe rights governments are inftituted among men, de riving their juft powers from the confent of the governed; that when ever any form of government becomes deftructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to inflitute a new government, laying its foundation on fuch principles, and organizing its powers in fuch form, as to them fhall feem moft likely to effect their fafety and happinefs. Prudence, indeed, will dictate, that governments long established fhould not be changed for light and tranfient causes; and accordingly all experience hath fhewn, that mankind are more dif pofed to fuffer while evils are fufferable, than to right themfelves by abolishing the forms to which they are accuftomed. But when a long train of abufes and ufurpations, purfuing invariably the fame objeći, evinces a defign to reduce them under abfolute defpotifm, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off fuch government, and to provide new guards for their future fecurity. Such has been the patient fufferance of thefe Colonies; and fuch is now the neceffity which constrains them to alter their former fyftems of government. The hiftory of the prefent king of Great-Britain is a hiftory of repeated injuries and ufur pations, all having in direct object the eftablishment of an abfolute ty ranny over thefe States. To prove this, let facts be fubmitted to a candid world. “He has refufed his affent to laws the moft whole fome and neceffary fot the public good. "He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and prefing importance, unlefs fufpended in their operation till his affent fhould hould be obtained; and when so fufpended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. "He has refused to pafs other laws for the accommodation of large diftricts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of reprefentation in the legislature; a right ineftimable to them, and formidable to tyrants only. "He has called together legislative bodies at places unufual, uncomfortable, and diftant from the depofitory of their public records, for the fole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. "He has diffolved representative houfes repeatedly, for oppofing with manly firmness his invafions on the rights of the people. "He has refufed, for a long time after fuch diffolutions, to caufe others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercife; the State remaining in the mean time expofed to all the danger of invafion from without, and convulfions within. "He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obftructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refufing to pafs others to encourage their migrations hither; and raifing the conditions of new appropriations of lands. "He has obftructed the administration of justice, by refufing his affent 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 falaries. "He has erected a multitude of new offices, and fent hither fwarms of officers to harrafs our people and eat out their substance. "He has kept among us, in times of peace, ftanding armies, without the confent of our legislatures. "He has affected to render the military independent of, and fuperior to, the civil power, "He has combined with others to fubject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our conftitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his affent 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 impofing taxes on us without our confent: "For depriving us, in many cafes, of the benefits of trial by jury: "For transporting us beyond feas to be tried for pretended offences : VOL. I. 3 T "For "For abolishing the free fyftem of English laws in a neighbouring pro vince, eftablishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries, fo as to render it at once an example and fit inftrument for introducing the fame abfolute rule into these colonies: "For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments: For fufpending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legiflate for us in all cafes whatsoever. "He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his pro tection, and waging war against us. "He has plundered our feas, ravaged our coafts, burnt our towns, and defroyed the lives of our people. "He is, at this time, tranfporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, defolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy fcarcely paralleled in the mot barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation. "He has conftrained our fellow-citizens, taken captive on the high feas, 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 domeftic infurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the mercilefs Indian favages, whofe known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, fexes, and conditions. "In every stage of thefe oppreffions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been anfwered only by repeated injury. A prince whofe 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 to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts made by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and fettlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them, by the ties of our common kindred, to disavow thefe ufurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correfpondence. They, too, have been deaf to the voice of juftice and confanguinity. We muft, therefore, acquiefce in the neceffity which denounces our feparation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends. "We, therefore, the Reprefentatives of the United States of America, in General Congrefs affembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world |
