“Posterity, You will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it.” – John Quincy Adams
“What we obtain too cheaply, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a price upon its goods, and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.” – Thomas Payne
“For the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” – Declaration of Independence
“Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of The Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian…This is a religious people. This is historically true. From the discovery of this continent to the present hour, there is a single voice making this affirmation…we find everywhere a clear recognition of the same truth…These, and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation.” – Supreme Court Decision, 1892, Church of the Holy Trinity V. United States
“My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!” – Thomas Jefferson
Ben Franklin via Wikipedia
In the summer 1787, representatives met in Philadelphia to write the Constitution of the United States. After they had struggled for several weeks and had made little or no progress, 81 year old Benjamin Franklin rose and addressed the troubled and disagreeing convention that was about to adjourn in confusion:
“In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for Divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor…Have we now forgotten this powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?”
“I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: that God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice,m is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this…I therefore beg leave to move that, henceforth, prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven and its blessing on our deliberation be held in this assembly every morning.” – Benjamin Franklin
“All the good from the Saviour of the world is communicated through this Book; but for the Book we could not know right from wrong. All the things desirable to man are contained in it.” – Abraham Lincoln
Although hardly a Founder, President Calvin Coolidge could nearly qualify as a prophet with this quote: “The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.”
“Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, and that His justice cannot sleep forever.” – Thomas Jefferson
Excerpted from Harvard University’s “Rules and Precepts” adopted 1646:
“Everyone shall consider the main end of his life and studies to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life. Seeing the lord giveth wisdom, every one shall seriously by prayer in secret seek wisdom of Him. Every one shall so exercise himself in reading the Scriptures twice a day that they be ready to give an account of their proficiency therein, both in theoretical observations of languages and logic, and in practical and spiritual truths…”
“O thus be it ever when free men shall stand, between their loved homes and the war’s desolation; Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the heav’n rescued land praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just; and this be our motto “In God is our trust!” – Francis Scott Key, 2nd Verse of the “Star Spangled Banner”
“The religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and His apostles…to this we owe our free constitutions of government.” – Noah Webster
“Can the liberties of a nation be secure, when we have removed the conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?” – Thomas Jefferson
[All quotes except the “Star Spangled Banner” from “The Rebirth of America”, Arthur S. DeMoss Foundation, 1986]
“… If you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.” –Sun Tzu, The Art of War
A government, nation, or an individual for that matter, who pours their own definition into terms or words is doomed to failure, confusion and isolation in a world where communication is imperative for success on any level. A person cannot say “I have no enemy” and walk peacefully down a path lined with a mob who seeks his death, expecting a leisurely stroll. The Jews learned long ago, when someone says they’re going to kill you, believe them. Likewise, a government cannot long ignore an enemy who has declared war upon that nation, no matter how distant that enemy may seem.
A nation, government, or individual who refuses to recognize an existential threat is either naive, insane, or suicidal. However, this is exactly what the United States Government has been doing for over ten years. Even as far back as 9/11/2001, US government officials and their willing accomplices in the media, have gone out of their way to refuse mention of the enemy that struck us on that fateful day.
Even after 13 years of war operations, in Afghanistan the US has lost 2344 military personnel, and 4486 in Iraq to an undefined enemy. Many of these casualties were the result of “Rules of Engagement” (ROE) which tie the hands of our brave American service members, and resulted in the single largest loss of Special Operations Forces in American military history, the shoot down of Extortion 17, August 6th, 2011, in the Tangi Valley. 30 crew and Spec Ops personnel were on board including 17 Navy SEALS. The father of one of those men, Billy Vaughn wrote “Betrayed”, an expose’ on how faulty ROE’s (which includes all missions approved by Afghan military commanders), among other bad decisions resulted in the tragedy that cost his son Aaron’s team their lives. I highly recommend this book.
We continue to fail to recognize the true enemy; the ideology that not only threatens America, but the rest of Western Civilization. This ideology is diametrically opposed to the values and freedoms that Americans hold dear. It is incompatible with our United States Constitution, nevertheless our government continues to embrace this ideology, yes, even promote it within our own borders.
“The War on Terror”
-President George W. Bush coined that phrase and was reprimanded by followers of this enemy ideology for referring to our military combat operations going into Afghanistan as “this crusade, this war on terror, is going to take a while.” in an unscripted statement 5 days after 9-11. The Council on American-Islamic Relations did not like that word “crusade”, and Mr. Bush apologized and never used it again. He also became an apologist for Islam, referring to it as “a peaceful religion” the very next day at the Islamic Center of Washington DC, while CAIR co-founder Nihad Awad looked over the left shoulder of the President. Yes, I will say it. Islam is the enemy of America, Israel, and the entire Western Society as well as all the world!
I am sick to death of everyone from the media, to government officials, to pulpits in America avoiding this controversial statement. Islam has declared war upon all nations, tribes, cultures and governments that do not submit to Islamic leadership and government. This war was declared in the 7th Century as the Islamic hoards swept across Northern Africa up into Spain, and conquering Persia, India, and Afghanistan pressing up into Eastern Europe. It has never been ended.
As you can see in my previous post, the video of the History of Jihad, Islam has been on the offensive pretty much non-stop since Muhammad conquered Mecca in 630 AD. In fact, just about every month or two now, we hear of a new jihad group declaring war on Israel and America. Islam is the arch-enemy of Judaism and Christianity. It is the enemy of paganism, atheism, and Zoroastrianism (think Yezidi people trapped on the mountain). It has conquered, murdered, subjugated, and oppressed people of all other cultures and religions for 14 Centuries. It is relentless, it is cunning. Islam is persistent. Islam is unforgiving. Islam is patient…very patient. But listen, Islam is not “Terror”, as in “the war on terror”. To say “War on Terror” is like saying “War on Blitzkrieg”. Blitzkrieg (blitz) was a tactic employed by the Nazi’s as they rolled through Europe, speedily conquering neighboring states. To declare “war on Terror” would be like Eisenhower deciding to fight only those Nazi forces who are using blitzkrieg to gain control of its victims. Or perhaps deciding that the Allies would only kill the SS troopers and avoid fighting the regular Wehrmacht, after all they were mostly draftees, and didn’t really have a choice in their situation. Utter foolishness! Does anyone remember Dresden, Berlin, Hamburg? But wars were simpler then. The enemy was anyone who aided and abetted, or participated in, the war fighting or subversive capabilities of those who engaged in activities with malice towards the United States of America and/or threatened the safety/security of American citizens and/or our allies.
“Terror” is a tactic
It is a tactic used by an enemy to render its opposition “terrified” and confused, disorganized and willing to “submit” (the very definition of “Islam”) to be ruled by Islam. Islam has learned that Western secular government officials and media drones don’t seriously hold any religious values, beliefs or practices. They understand that Europe and America have been “de-educating” their children for about 3 generations now, replacing the Judeo-Christian ethos with “Pluralism” and “Multiculturalism”. (Pluralism= All beliefs, faiths, ideologies are of equal value; Multiculturalism= No culture is superior and diversity is the modern goal for perfect cultural balance) Of course, Islam is correct in its assessment of the state of Western Culture. We have set ourselves up to be conquered. We are so willing to embrace an ideology/religion that is totally foreign to the American ideal, and so quick to refuse the true roots of everything that made America the strongest, most benevolent, peace-loving country in world history, our Judeo/Christian heritage.
Our government has been influenced in the highest offices by Islamic groups such as CAIR (HAMAS’s American PR organization), Muslim American Society, Muslim Public Affairs Council, Islamic Circle of North America, Islamic Society of America, and the list goes on. These groups are all known Muslim Brotherhood affiliates. The Muslim Brotherhood has been classified as a terrorist organization by Egypt, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. If you haven’t read the “Explanatory Memorandum” that outlines how the Brotherhood plans to take the United States from within, please, by all means click here to read it! (The English translation begins halfway through the document) The Muslim Brotherhood also is known for its desire to re-establish the Caliphate, or “Khilafah”, the Islamic State. This is a common objective among Muslim organizations world wide, not just those “jihad” “terrorist” organizations like ISIS, Al Qaeda, Taliban, Boko Haram, Al Shabaab, Haqqani, Al Nusra, Islamic Jihad, Abu Sayyaf, PLO, HAMAS, Hezbollah, etc, etc, ad nauseam.
Do you get the picture? For every Muslim apologist in the West who says that Islam is a peaceful religion there are many more who either actively engage in jihad, support it financially (this is where a portion of zaqat alms goes), or know that jihad is a legitimate tenet of Islam and to deny it’s purpose of “warring against non-Muslims…to establish the religion”** of Islam, is to deny Islam itself!! (**Umdat al Salik, Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law [Sharia], o9.0, p. 599).
The Caliphate is that “Islamic State” that I wrote about in 2011 under the title “New Khilafah”. You can visit that article to get a bit of history about the Caliphate and why it is important to Muslims. So you see, ISIS, now known as “Islamic State” has simply put feet to the movement to establish the Caliphate, which has been the goal of Islam since the beginning, and was temporarily suspended right after WW1. ISIS is only one of a myriad of groups, here-to-fore listed, which all hold the same ideology: Islam must rule the world. Now where do you suppose all these freak extremist terrorist groups get their ideology? Well, from the same place that those “peaceful” Islamic supremicist and friendly civic/social groups (CAIR, MPAC, MSA, MAS, ICNA, ISNA, etc.) get theirs… Al Quran (Koran)!! Every one of these groups is made in Islam! Check out this Clarion Project article on Mohamed Elibiary, a Muslim Brotherhood supporter who was appointed to the Dept of Homeland Security Advisory Board by the Obama Administration. Elibiary tweeted that “The Caliphate is inevitable” and touted it as an EU version of an Islamic Union of States.
I am going to quote for you the exact Koranic verses as they appear in the section of “The Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law” that are given as justification for jihad to establish the religion of Islam:
(1) “Fighting is prescribed for you” (Koran 2:216) (2) “Slay them wherever you find themn” (Koran 4:89) (3) “Fight the idolators utterly” (Koran 9:36) [Umdat al-Salik, Reliance of the Traveler, p. 599]
Then from the section under the heading “Objectives of Jihad” the same manual goes on to specify what the role of the “Caliph” is:
o.9.8 “The Caliph makes war upon Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians (N: provided he has first invited them to enter Islam in faith and practice, and if they will not, then invited them to enter the social order of Islam by paying the non-Mulim poll tax (jizya…)-which is the significance of their paying it, not the money itself-while remainging in their ancestral religions) and the war continues until they become Muslim or else pay the non-Muslim poll tax. And from o.9.9 “The caliph fights all other peoples until they becom Muslim…”
President Obama and the rest of the stooges may continue to swear that ISIS is an “extremist group” that “does not represent any religion” or speak for any faith, and are not properly following Islamic teachings. Well, both the jihadis and the silent Muslims all around the world disagree with you, sir. These are undeniable doctrines inherent in the Islamic religion/ideology. They are indisputable in their fundamental influence in the entire religion of Islam. Now, I would not say that every Muslim wants ISIS to rule the world, nor would I say that every Muslim is an “Islamist” (one who seeks to propagate the religion by whatever means, peaceful or otherwise. A Muslim who is not an Islamist is in danger of apostacy by the standards of Koran and the Sharia). But every “Islamist” does want Islam to rule the world. And while not every Islamist is a violent Jihadi terrorist, they do share the common objective of Khalifah. And those organizations I listed earlier in this article, both the Jihadi groups and the political/social groups all share that common objective, just as indicated by the Elibiary quote. “The War on Terror” cannot be won. One could just as well declare “war on child abuse” or “war on poverty” (oh, wait, we tried that one-failed), or “war on drugs” (another failed). As long as evil exists in the heart of Man, man will continue to succomb to evil. It is his natural state. Only Jesus Christ can change the heart of man.
“Brother Rachid” is a former Muslim from Morocco who had his heart changed by Christ. He has a message for President Barak Hussein Obama. Please watch.
The United States has, since it’s inception of a common government, hosted political views that weren’t always in unison. The Founders were seldom in agreement about how and what type of government to establish, and the very fact that it took 6 years to ratify a Constitution following the 8 year War of Independence, is testimony to the process and debate between men who were independent thinkers. While the Founders may have been polarized politically at times, they were mostly if not nearly unanimously in agreement that Mankind was beholden, and responsible, to a Creator God for his actions in this life. They also understood the gravity of their moment in the history of Mankind and what it would mean to posterity. They fully comprehended, as John Jay said, “The Americans are the first people whom Heaven has favored with an opportunity of deliberating upon and choosing the forms of government under which they should live.”
Noah Webster wrote, “When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers, just men who will rule in the fear of God. The preservation of government depends on the faithful discharge of this duty; if the citizens neglect their duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizens will be violated or disregarded. If a republican government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the divine commands, and elect bad men to make and administer the laws.” [Noah Webster, History of the United States (New Haven: Durrie & Peck, 1832), pp. 336-337, �49.] (http://www.wallbuilders.com/libissuesarticles.asp?id=80)
This was the regulating factor alleviating the political polarization of early America. This concept is readily availed within the opening and closing paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence and in the numerous documents and letters forged by those that we call “The Founders“.
How to kill a Giant…
The United States of America has, without question, been the single most powerful Nation the world has ever seen. No military force ever fielded could have successfully invaded and taken this country by armed conquest. No philosophy or ideology conceived or contrived has been able to break this Union of States or the American Spirit, which has bound her people with one resolve. The ability of her people to assimilate into the great American “melting pot”, each culture of origin of her immigrants brought a flavor of their homeland which served to enhance, but not overpower, the uniqueness of what the entire world has aspired to, and what we have known simply as “America”.
America is not an empire; the concept is not temporal but spiritual; its very essence of greatness has been borne by an idea which has become but a whisper for fear of it vanishing. No nation, kingdom, or empire ever ascended to such heights of glory and power as the United States of America, and yet afforded or preserved her citizens such individual rights and liberties. This is the beauty and singular ideal that has separated America from all other countries and empires and kingdoms of the world; yes even for all of human history!
Until now.
…Divide and Conquer
What has become of America? How have we become such a balkanized, polarized, divided population? We are not even an “American people” any longer. The great melting pot of assimilation has become a TV dinner, cold and segregated lest any segment of our society actually merge with another. The push for “Multi-Culturalism” and “Pluralism” have resulted in the exact opposite of the promised outcome. We are more racially divided, our immigrants do not seek to assimilate into American language or culture and pretty much demand that we allow them to retain a separate community, culture and language, and if we ask them to come join us we are labeled as racist, xenophobic, hateful bigots.
There was a time, in fact up until recently, that immigrants to this country raised their children here to assimilate into American Society, insisting they learn the language and culture, and become American. I personally know one such family who came here from Southeast Asia, narrowly escaping the Communist “cleansing” (genocide), which swept unbridled through the region post US/Vietnamese involvement, with the shirts on their backs and lost many family members on the way out. These friends speak their language of origin in the home and as far as I know stick to a traditional diet in the home. (It is awesome Asian food!) I once asked the father why the elders of the family have Lao names and all the children have American names. His answer was profound. “We were born in Laos. We have Lao names. Our children were born in America; they are Americans. They have American names.” (Not once did he utter “Asian-American”.) The children, all equally bilingual, are productive and vivacious young citizens who are happy to be Americans, cognizant of the American ideal, fully assimilated, yet retain a uniquely Laotian influence, while working hard to provide for themselves. My friends do not demand that they be given special recognition, special rights, or that the rest of America make provision for them.
Modern America is the only nation in the world that acquiesces to, and encourages such nonsense, and our governmental policies ensure that these divisions are kept in place and those lines of separation remain clear. Why?
The answer is very simple: a divided people are much easier to control than a united one. It’s classic Saul Alinskey- Create a state of chaos by overloading the system. Use the politics of personal destruction to embarrass your enemy and exploit their own human faults.
If politicians can keep us labeled as “African-Americans, Native Americans, Mexican-Americans, Asian-American, and now even sexual preference merits the designation “Gay-Americans”. (I remember when just about everyone I knew were “gay” because we were happy about most things in life.) Now I am hearing the term “Muslim-American” so now we can be further divided by our religion. I have noticed, however, that when the media, or politicians, use these pandering terms it is never to integrate any people group with another, but to differentiate between people groups. This type of labeling does nothing to unite or integrate society, but has a divisive connotation and serves to further fracture our society. It is no accident.
I have no problem with people celebrating their heritage; I like to experience “cultural diversity” as well as the next person. But while all people are created equal, and should be treated as equal, not all ideas are. This is why “Pluralism” is a failure.
Pluralism assumes that all religions are equal and that each is as valuable as the next. The fact is, all religions, ideologies, cultures, and political systems are not equal. Such equity would naturally require “Moral Relativism”. Moral Relativism which does not contrast by judgement of good and evil, also doesn’t differentiate between Adolph Hitler and Mother Theresa. Definitively, (if that is “morally relatively” possible!) there is no absolute truth, no right or wrong, and we should all tolerate, if not embrace, any behavior of others no matter how destructive, even when we find it objectionable or wrong. Oh, wait…hmm…sounds familiar doesn’t it?
The Last Great Virtue
“Tolerance” and apathy have been called “the last great virtues of a dying society”(Aristotle). By tolerating evil whether it be in the form of “religion”, ideology, or culture, America has allowed it’s greatest legitimate virtue of a free and open society, to become the very avenue by which the enemy has gained access. The cancers of tolerance and apathy have metastasized.
The very laws of nature demand and demonstrate truth. An acorn always becomes an oak tree; it can’t decide it is going to be different than all the other acorns, and grow into a maple tree. A stalk of wheat cannot bear a head of rice. A kangaroo cannot eat a dingo, and a dingo cannot nest in a tree. A bird cannot breathe water, and water always seeks its own level. Failure of a wildebeest to exercise caution at the watering hole can result in being eaten by crocodile or lion. Such are the laws of nature, set in place by nature’s God.
The Laws of Nature and Nature’s God have been a template for mankind since the beginning. Unyielding and absolute truth tempered by the merciful character of God as set forth in the Bible, set the parameters for a civil and just human government, and when these boundaries are breached, chaos follows. Thomas Jefferson referred to this template in The Declaration of Independence, and men like John Locke and William Blackstone, both scholars in law and Scripture, influenced the thinking of America’s founders, so much so, that the type of government created was so unique that it has been referred to as “The American Experiment” for nigh onto 250 years now.
This experiment commands the vigilance of an attentive people, so that “government of the People, by the People, and for the People, shall not perish from the Earth”. That was the nature of the experiment, and a failure by the People to attend to those requirements has resulted in what seems to be impending doom. When Benjamin Franklin was asked by a citizen just after the Constitution was ratified, “Well Doctor, what have we got; a Republic or a Monarchy?” “A Republic,” answered Franklin, “If you can keep it.”
George Washington said, “Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness.” He also warned against government expansion, “Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” Or in more contemporary language, “government big enough to give you everything you want is also big enough to take everything you have.”
It seems that we, today, are becoming increasingly familiar with the sentiments and struggles of our Forefathers. The tip of the spear of tyranny has penetrated the shield of self government that our Founders established; not from an oppressive or cunning enemy of foreign origins, but the sole result of an apathetic and ignorant citizenry. John Adams said, “The Constitution was made for a Moral and Religious People; It is wholly inadequate for any other.” For those who attended modern public schools, his meaning was this: In order for a People to govern themselves they must understand they are responsible to their Creator for their own self discipline.
I believe this one thing to be the entirety of our woes in this modern society of confusion and license in which we find ourselves entangled. A people who cannot govern themselves will be governed by someone. Robert Winthrop, former Speaker of the House said in 1849,
“All societies of men must be governed in some way or other. The less they may have of stringent State Government, the more they must have of individual self-government. The less they rely on public law or physical force, the more they must rely on private moral restraint. Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled, either by a power within them, or by a power without them; either by the Word of God, or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible, or by the bayonet.”
I have published below the entirety of the Declaration of Independence. I believe that more and more Americans are realizing the stark reality that we are about to lose that most precious inheritance left to us by our Forefathers. Let it be known to posterity there were those among us who understood the signs of the times and looked to those great men of our ancestry for direction in this late date. America, you are too young to Die!
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 harrass 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 benefits 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 Brittish 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.
The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:
Column 1 Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton
Column 2 North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton
Column 3 Massachusetts:
John Hancock 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
Column 4 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
Column 5 New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark
Column 6 New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple Massachusetts:
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 Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton