Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1975. július-december (29. évfolyam, 27-49. szám)
1975-07-03 / 27. szám
AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZÓ Thursday, July 3. 1975. In CON GR E SS, July4, i77ó. A DECLARATION By the REPRESENTATIVES of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in general congress assembled. W H E N in <he Coutfc of human Erniu. il tecoma nocollirv for ono Pooplo to dilTolvt tht Polliid B.nd, „Inch hive connected them with another, and to a (Tunic 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 Refped to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they ihould declare the caufes which imDel them to ti e Separation. “ cra Wf. hold theft 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 Ilappinefs- -That to fecurc thclfe Rights Governments are inftituted among Men, deriving their juft Powers from the Confent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becornes deftrudive of thefe Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolidi it, and to inftitute new Government, laying its Foundation on fucli Principles and orsranizin" its Powers in Inch Form, as lo them (hall feem mod likely to effed their Safety and Happinefs. Prudence, indeed, will didate that Governments Ion? uWiihcd ihould not be changed for light and tranfient Caufes; and accordingly all Experience hath ilicwn, that Mankind are more difpofed to fuifer while Evils are filterable, than to right thcmfelves by aboliftiing the Forms to which they are acciirtomcd: But when a long Train of Abufes and Ufurpations’ Durfuing invariably the fame Objcd, evinces a Defign to reduce them under abfolutc Defpotifm, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off fuch Government" Mid to provide new Guards for their future Security. Such has been the patient Sufferance of thefe Colonies; and fuch is now the Neceflity which conftrains them to alter their former Syftems of Government. The Hiftory of the prefent King of Crcat-Britain is a Hiftory of repeated Injuries and Ufurpations all having in dired Ob|eft the Eftablifliment of an abfolute Tyranny over thefe States. To prove this, let Fads be fubmitted to a candid World. * ' JIi; has refufed his Affent to Laws, the moft wholefome and neceffary for the public Good. 1 If. has forbidden his Governors to pafs Laws of immediate and preffing Importance, unlefs fufpended in their Operation till his Affent Ihould be obtained ■ and when (o fufpended, he has utterly ncglcded to attend to them. ^ * Hr. has refufed to pafs Other Law's for the Accommodation of large Diftrids of People, Unlefs thofe People would relinquiih the Right of Reprefen tation in the Legiflature, a Right incftimable to them, and formidable toTyrants only. 6 J Hf. has called together Legiflative Bodies at Places unufual, uncomfortable, and diftant from, the Dcpofitory of their public Records, for the foie Purpofe of fatiguing them into Compliance with his Meafures. * J Ik has diffolvcd Rcprefentative Houfes repeatedly, for oppofing with manly Firmnds his Invafions on the Rights of the People. He has refufed for a long Time, after fuch Diffolutions, to caufe others to be eleded ; whereby the Legiflative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have re. turned to the People at large for their exercife; the State remaining in the tnean time expofed to all the Dangers of Invafion from without, and Coavulfions within. He has endeavoured to prevent the Population of thefe States; for that Purpofe obrtruding the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; reHMing to pafs other* to encourage the'r Migrations hither, and raifing the Conditions of new Appropriations of Lands. “ “ He has obftr'ded the Adminiftration of Juftice, by refufing his Aflent to Laws for cftablilhing Judiciary Powers. He has nude judges dependent on his Will alone, for the Tenure of their Offices, and the Amount and Payment of their Salaries. He has ereded a Multitude of new Offices, and lent hither Swarms of Officers to harrafs our People, and eat out their Subftance. He has kept among us, in Times of Peace, Standing Armies, without the confent of our Lcgiflaturcs. He has affeded to render the Military independent of and fuperior to the Civil Power. . \‘. He has combined with others to fubjed us to a Jurifdidion foreign to our Conftitution, and unacknowledged by our Laws; giving his Affent to their Ads of pretended Lcgiflation: For quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us : w For proteding them, by a mock Trial, from Punilhment for any Murders which they ihould commit on the Inhabitants of thefe States : Fór cutting off our Tiade with all Parts of the World: For impofing Taxes on us without our Confent: For depriving us, in many Cales, of the Benefits of Trial by Jury ! For tranfporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended Offences: For abolilhing the free Syftcm of Englilli Laws in a neighbouring Province, eflabliffiing 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 thefe Colonies : For taking away our Charters, abolilhing our moft valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: For fufpeiiding’our own Lcgiflaturcs, and declaring themftlves invefted with Power to legiflate for us in all Cafes whatfoever. He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protcdion and waging War againft us. j|k has plundered our Seas, ravaged our Coafts, burnt our Towns, and deftroyed the Lives of our People. He is, at this Time, tranfporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the Works of Death, Deflation, and Tyranny-, already begun with cir- 'Cűmft.mccs of Cruelty and Perfidy, fiercely paralleled in the moft barbarous Ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized Nation. H e has conftrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms againft their Country, to become the Executioners of their Friends and Brethren, or to fall thcmfelves by their Hands. He has excited domeftic Infurredions amongft us, and has endeavoured to bring on the Inhabitants of our Frontiers, the mercilefs Indian Savages, whofe known Rule of Warfare, is an undiftinguiflied Deftrudion, of all Ages, Sexes and Conditions. In every ft:."c of thefe Oppreffions we have Petitioned for Redrefs in the moft humble Terms : Our repeated Petitions have been anfwcrcd only by repeated Injury. A'"Wince, whofe Charader is thus marked by every ad which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the Ruler of a free People. No r have wc been wanting in Attentions to our Britifh Brethren. We have warned them from Time to Time of Attempts by their Legiflature to extend an unwarrantable Jurifdidion over us. We have reminded them of the Circumrtances of our Emigration and Settlement here. Wc have appealed to their native luftice and Magnanimity, and it'e have conjured them by the Ties of our common Kindred to difavow thefe Ufurpatioris, which, Mould inevitably interrupt our Connedions and Correfpondence. They too have been deaf to the Voice of Juftice and of Confanguinity. We muft, therefore, acquiefce in the Neceflity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the reft of Mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace, Friends. We, therefore, the Reprcfentatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in General Congress, Affembled, appealin'* to the Supreme Judge of the World for the Rcditiideof our Intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of thefe Colonics, fo- lemnly Publifli and Declare, That thefe United Colonies arc, and of Right ought to be, Free and Independent States; that they ars nbfolvcd from all Allegiance to the Britifh Crown, and that all political Conncdion between them and the State of Great-Britain, is and ought to be totally diffolvcd ; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contrad Alliances, eftahlifh Commerce, and to do all other Ads and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the fupport of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protcdion of divine Providence, we mutually pledge toeach other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our facrcd Honor. Signed by Order and in Behalf of the Congress, Attest. JOHN HANCOCK* PRESIDENT. CHARLES THOMSON, Secretary. _______ Philadelphias Printed by John Dunlap. 4__
