On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence drafted by Thomas Jefferson in Philadelphia. The following is the full text of the United States Declaration of Independence:
The Declaration of Independence
IN CONGRESS, JULY 4,
1776 THE UNANIMOUS
DECLARATION OF THE
THIRTEEN UNITED
STATES OF AMERAICA
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people todissolve 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 Nature and Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impelthem to the separation.
In the course of the development of human affairs, when one nation must break off its connection with another nation, and stand among the nations of the world as independent and equal in accordance with the laws of nature and the will of God, out of respect for human opinion, The reasons for their independence must be declared.
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 they are among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among them, deriving their just power 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 shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than t right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same objectevinces 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 usurpations, all having in direct object tyranny over these States. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. To secure these rights governments are instituted among men, deriving their just rights from the consent of the governed. When any form of government interferes with the attainment of these ends, the people have the right to replace or abolish it in order to establish a new one. The principles on which the new government should be founded, and the manner in which its powers should be organized, should be such that the people would think that these were the best chances of their security and happiness. If it is really prudent, governments that have been established for many years should not be replaced for insignificant and temporary reasons. and that all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to avenge them by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. When, however, a series of abuses and usurpations, always pursuing the same object, manifest an attempt to bring the people under despotism, the people have the right and the duty to overthrow such a government, and to provide for their future security. New safeguards. This is how the colonies suffered in the past, and which is why they are now obliged to change their system of government. The history of the present kingdom 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. In order to prove the truth of the above-mentioned sentences, the facts are now made public, and let the impartial world judge.
He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He refuses to pass the laws that are most beneficial and necessary to the public interest.
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 them.
He forbade his governors to pass laws of immediate and vital importance, or suspend them till his assent should be obtained, and when so suspended, he utterly disregarded 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 refuses to pass other laws for the convenience of the peoples of great districts, unless they will give up their representation in their own legislatures; and representation is so dear to the people that only tyrants fear it.
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 summoned the legislators of the various states to an unusual and uncomfortable place far removed from their archives, with no other purpose than to tire them out and bring them into conformity.
He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasion on the rights of the people.
He repeatedly dissolved the state Houses of Representatives because the latter firmly opposed his violation of the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolution, 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 meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without andconvulsion within.
After he had dissolved the House of Representatives, he had long refused to elect another, and the exercise of this inalienable legislative power had been committed to the common people, while all the while the States had been exposed to every danger of invasion and internal disorder.
He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws of naturalizing of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the condition of new appropriations of lands.
He sought to prevent the states from increasing their populations, and to this end he blocked the passage of laws on the naturalization of aliens, refused to pass other laws encouraging immigration, and made the allotment of new lands more conditional.
He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent of laws for establishing judiciary powers.
He obstructed the administration of justice by refusing to ratify laws establishing judicial power.
He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their office, and the amount and payment of their salary.
He compels judges to submit to his personal will in order to preserve their tenure, the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of new officers, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out our substances.
He has set up new bureaucracies indiscriminately, and sent a large number of officials here to harass our people and devour their property.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislatures.
In time of peace he maintains his standing army among us without the consent of our legislature.
He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to the civil power.
He exerted influence to make the military independent of and superior to civilian 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;
He has conspired with others to place us under a jurisdiction neither according to our statutes nor sanctioned by our laws, and has sanctioned every kind of pseudo-statutes they have concocted, in order to keep large numbers of armed forces among us;
For protecting them, by a mock trial, from punishment for any murder which they should commit on the inhabitants of these States.
No matter how grievous the murders these men may have committed against the inhabitants of our states, he may shield them with additional trial, and let them go with impunity;
For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world;
He can cut off our trade with all parts of the world;
For imposing taxes on us without our consent;
impose taxes on us without our consent;
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury;
deprive us of our right to jury service in many cases;
For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses;
Send us overseas for trial on trumped-up charges;
For abolishing the free systems of English laws in a neighboring 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 these Colonies;
He abolished the free system of English law in a neighboring province, established there an absolutist government, and extended its dominions, making it at once a model and a suitable instrument for imposing the same absolutism upon the colonies here;
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and alteringfundamentally the forms of our governments;
He canceled many of our charters, repealed our most precious laws, and fundamentally changed the form of our state governments;
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He terminated the powers of our legislatures, asserting their own power to make laws for us in every case.
He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.
They have abandoned the government here, declared us out of their protection, and waged war on us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and killed our people.
He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely parallel in the most barbarousages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.
He is at this time transporting a large number of foreign mercenaries to do his work of death, desolation and tyranny, whose cruelty and baseness cannot be compared with even the most barbaric ages from the beginning, and he is completely unworthy to be the head of a civilized country .
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 compelled our countrymen whom they had taken captive on the high seas to take up arms against their own country, and made them executioners of their own kindred and friends, or caused them to die by the hands of their own kindred and friends.
He has excited domestic insurrection amongst us, and has endeavored 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.
He has fomented civil strife among us, and endeavored to incite against the inhabitants of our frontiers the ruthless Indian savages, who, as we all know, fight by shooting to kill men, women, children, children, right and wrong.
In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petition 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.
At every stage of these oppressions, we have appealed in the most humble terms for their correction. And our willingness again and again is only rewarded with injuries again and again. A prince whose character is exposed by every act that only a tyrant can do is not worthy to reign over a free people.
Nor have we been wanting in attention 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 usurpation, 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 are not unaware of our English brethren. Their legislatures wish to extend unwarranted jurisdiction over us, and we have frequently notified them of this attempt. We also told them about our immigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their natural sense of justice and magnanimity, on the grounds of our kindred blood, to renounce these predatory acts, which would inevitably interrupt our relations and intercourse. But they were equally deaf to this cry of justice and kinship. Therefore, we have to declare separation from them, and treat them the same way we treat other nations in the world: those who fight with me are enemies; those who make peace with me are 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 States Colonies and Independent States; that they are absolved by from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State, 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.
We, therefore, representatives of the United States of America assembled in the Continental Congress, in the name of, and with the authority of, the good people of the colonies, appeal to the highest judge of the world, state our serious intentions, and solemnly declare: We, the United The colonies are, and axiomatically ought to be, independent and free states; all our duty of allegiance to the Crown, and all British political ties between us and the Kingdom of Great Britain are severed, and must be severed. As an independent and free nation, we have the full right to declare war, make peace, form alliances, engage in commerce, and do all that an independent nation has the right to do. With steadfast trust in the providence of God Almighty, we pledge our lives, our property, and our sacred honor to one another in support of this declaration.
【illustrate】
Jefferson drafted the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, and Franklin and others polished it up. The Continental Congress conducted a long and heated debate on this draft, and finally made major revisions. In particular, at the insistence of the Georgia and Carolina delegates, Jefferson's forceful condemnation of King George III for allowing slavery and the slave trade to remain in the colonies was expunged. The original text of this part is as follows:
His very humanity waged cruel wars, violating the most sacred rights to life and liberty of a distant people who had never offended him; In transit.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), was born in a wealthy family in Virginia. Studied at the College of William and Mary. Admitted to the bar in 1767, elected to the Virginia House of Commons in 1769. He was active in the independence movement and represented Virginia in the Continental Congress. He was twice elected governor of Virginia. Elected President of the United States in 1800.
Jefferson wrote in the epitaph for his own tombstone: Here is buried Thomas Jefferson, the author of the American Declaration of Independence, the framer of Virginia's religious freedom laws and the father of the University of Virginia.