A Message to the Forum:

[Kaine for Senate '18]

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome 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 harass 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 benefit 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 every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose 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 in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

— John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

[Ban my account ffs!]

And in Anglish for those who just can't stand Romance languages:

Saying Forth of the Selfhood of the Banded Folkdoms of Americksland
In the Lawmaking Body 4 haymonth 1776.
The anmood Saying forth of the Selfhood of the thirteen Banded Folkdoms of Americksland,
When in the flow of mannish Happenings, it becomes needful for one Folk to break the Mootish Bands which have linked them with another, and to take among the Strengths of the Earth, the freestanding and like Stead to which the inborn Laws and Laws of God give to them, an upstanding Mindsworth to the Thoughts of Mankind needs that they should make known the Grounds which drive them forth to the Cleaving.
We hold these Truths to be straightforward, that all Men are crafted in like manner, that they are given by their Maker sundry inborn Rights, that among these are Life, Freedom, and the following after of Happiness. That to make these rights sure, Redeships are set up among Men, their just Strengths stemming from the Will of the Folk of the Redeship. That whenever any shape of Redeship becomes harmful to these ends, it is the right of the Folk to shift or get rid of it, and to set up new Redeship, laying its Groundwork on such Deemmeans and building its Mights in such Shape, as to them shall seem most likley to outwork their Shelterhood and Happiness. Forewit, truly, will bid that Redeships well longstaning should not be shifted for light and short lived Grounds; and so all Happenings hath shewn that Mankind are more minded to bear, while Evils are bearsome, than to right themselves by getting rid of the Shpaes to which they are wont. But when a long Tow of Wrongs and Takings, following always the same Goal shows a Draft to lessen them under outright Strongmandom, it is their right, it is their binddeed, to throw off such Redeship, and to give new Watchmen for their upcomming Belayhood. Such has been the forbearing Withstanding of these Rikelings; and such is now the Need which binds them to shift their yester Frameworks of Redeship. The Yore of the nowa King of Great Britain is a Yore of repeated Wounds and Overthrowings, all having in direct Goal the set up of an utter Strongmandom over these Folkdoms. To show this, let Truths be set down to a fair World.
He has asaked his Leave to Laws, the most wholesome and needful for the stately good.
He has forbidden his Leaders to brook Laws of forthwith and thrimping weightiness, unless held back in their work till his leave should be gotten; and when so held back, he has utterly forslacked to heed to them.
He has asaked to leave other Laws for the settlehood of big shires of Folk, unless those Folk would give up the right of Forstanding in the Lawmakerbody, a right unforcastsome to them and stalwart to strongmen only.
He has called together lawmakerish bodies at Steads outlandish, unfrofor, and far from the shelterhouse of their Stately Ledgers, for the only wish of wearying them into settlehood with his benchmarks.
He has brokeup Lawmarkerish Houses witherhaulingly, for gainstanding with manly fastness his overruns on the rights of the Folk.
He has asaked for a long time, after breakups, to make others to be chosen, whereby the Lawmakerish Mights, unoutworksome of Wipeouting, have came back to the Folk at big for their out working; the Redeship biding in the half time bare to all the threats of overrun from without, and handfasts within.
He has undertook to hinder the befolking of these Folkdoms; for that sake hindering the Laws for Folkening of Outlanders; asaking to overtake others to hearten their movings hither, and raising the fettles of new Befittings of Lands.
He has hindered the Handling of Fairness, by asaking his Leave to Laws for building Deemhood mights.
He has made Deemers offhanging on his Will alone, for the hold of their works, and the muchness and fee of their earnings.
He has set up a manifold of New Works, and sent hither swarms of Sheriffs to bother our folk, and eat out their pith.
He has kept among us, in times of frith, Standing Heres without the Leave of our lawmakers.
He has gotten a bead at to make the Landmight standalone of and better than the Rike power.
He has gatherbinded with others to yoke us to a law altheodish to our writlaw, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Leave to their Deeds of would have been Forelaw:
For Housing big bodies of beweaponed heres among us:
For warding them, by a geck Checkout, from scolding for any Murders which they should betake on the dwellers of these Folkdoms:
For cutting off our Trade with all deals of the world:
For saddling Gelds on us without our Leave:
For bedealing us in many bisels, of the behoofs of Checkout by Oathmen:
For ferrying us beyond Seas to be checked out for would have been wrongs:
For fordoing the free Freamwork of English Laws in a neighbouring Great Shire, building therein an Strongmanish redeship, and swelling its Bounds so as to make it at once a bisen and fit tool for making known the same outright oversight into these Rikelings:
For taking away our Bestowing Deeds, fordoing our most worthsome Laws, and shifting underlyingly the Shape of our Redeships:
For hanging our own Lawmakers, and broadcasting themselves wended with might to make law for us in all bisens whatsoever.
He has forswore Redeship here, by broadcasting us out of his Warding and bearing on Unfrith against us.
He has plundered our seas, wrecked our Shores, burnt our towns, and smote the lives of our folk.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Look at all those Charlestonians who signed it!

[Keystone Phil]

God bless Ital...America. 

Happy 4th, guys.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Look at all those Charlestonians Virginians who signed it!

[7,052,770]

Look at all those Charlestonians Virginians Americans who signed it!

[RI]

Look at all those Charlestonians Virginians Americans who signed it!

Win.

[King]

ILLUMINATI.