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- #241
This is long. I hope you find it of value.
I think I have given passing mention to the fact that my granddaughter and I are having a continuing conversation this summer on American history. Yesterday, we prepared a little presentation for our family gathering about the Declaration of Independence, and what led up to it. Here is what we presented:
God has created us as equals and has given us rights which cannot be taken away. These include our lives, our freedom, and our right to try and make a better life for ourselves. We came here to do just that, and King George is intent on stopping us.
He refuses to allow us to make laws of self-governance.
We ask HIM for laws, which he refuses to give unless we surrender our right to reprentation. He seems to desire anarchy so that he can crush us with tyranny.
We have repeatedly asked to meet with him, and he has generally refused, but when he does agree, he schedules the meetings at times and places which make it impossible to attend.
When we make every effort to attend, and succeed, he refuses to meet with us and disassembles the meeting.
We set up self-representation, and he demolishes it.
He has cast aside our basic rights as humans and has invaded even our homes.
He sends a governor, and then fires him. We establish governors, he has them removed.
He forces us to ask permission for travel or to move our living place, and then denies it. If we attempt to move about, we are squashed.
He does not allow us a judicial system, but rather sends us his judges, whom he pays to adjudicate as he pleases. Absent this, he judges us himself, and without fail adjudicates against us. Trial by jury is not allowed.
He has assigned administrators to oversee, disrupt and destroy our businesses so that we cannot provide for our families. We are harrassed daily in our shops.
He has placed his military in control of our villages, giving them the right to murder our citizens, then setting up mock courts to try the soldiers, who are never convicted.
He has quartered large numbers of troops in our very homes, and they report to him of our activities.
He has cut us off from merchant trade with the rest of the world. He has taxed every purchase and every behavior multiple times.
He has taken our citizens from this land and has kidnapped them at sea, taking them to trial and prison in far off lands, or forcing them to take up arms against their own colony.
He has purchased or taken over areas surrounding the colonies and then denied us permission to pass through those areas. We are cut off, we are an island.
He has waged war against us in our own streets.
At this very moment, he is sending large numbers of soldiers, who will arrive any day. They have orders to kill us all if we do not bend to his will, and he has ordered them to be particularly cruel and barbaric.
At every step, we have petitioned him to reconsider his actions, and we have been ignored. We have sent representatives to his court and they have been rebuked and ignored. We have fallen on our knees, begging to be heard, and have been cast out.
Quoting now:
"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.
I think I have given passing mention to the fact that my granddaughter and I are having a continuing conversation this summer on American history. Yesterday, we prepared a little presentation for our family gathering about the Declaration of Independence, and what led up to it. Here is what we presented:
God has created us as equals and has given us rights which cannot be taken away. These include our lives, our freedom, and our right to try and make a better life for ourselves. We came here to do just that, and King George is intent on stopping us.
He refuses to allow us to make laws of self-governance.
We ask HIM for laws, which he refuses to give unless we surrender our right to reprentation. He seems to desire anarchy so that he can crush us with tyranny.
We have repeatedly asked to meet with him, and he has generally refused, but when he does agree, he schedules the meetings at times and places which make it impossible to attend.
When we make every effort to attend, and succeed, he refuses to meet with us and disassembles the meeting.
We set up self-representation, and he demolishes it.
He has cast aside our basic rights as humans and has invaded even our homes.
He sends a governor, and then fires him. We establish governors, he has them removed.
He forces us to ask permission for travel or to move our living place, and then denies it. If we attempt to move about, we are squashed.
He does not allow us a judicial system, but rather sends us his judges, whom he pays to adjudicate as he pleases. Absent this, he judges us himself, and without fail adjudicates against us. Trial by jury is not allowed.
He has assigned administrators to oversee, disrupt and destroy our businesses so that we cannot provide for our families. We are harrassed daily in our shops.
He has placed his military in control of our villages, giving them the right to murder our citizens, then setting up mock courts to try the soldiers, who are never convicted.
He has quartered large numbers of troops in our very homes, and they report to him of our activities.
He has cut us off from merchant trade with the rest of the world. He has taxed every purchase and every behavior multiple times.
He has taken our citizens from this land and has kidnapped them at sea, taking them to trial and prison in far off lands, or forcing them to take up arms against their own colony.
He has purchased or taken over areas surrounding the colonies and then denied us permission to pass through those areas. We are cut off, we are an island.
He has waged war against us in our own streets.
At this very moment, he is sending large numbers of soldiers, who will arrive any day. They have orders to kill us all if we do not bend to his will, and he has ordered them to be particularly cruel and barbaric.
At every step, we have petitioned him to reconsider his actions, and we have been ignored. We have sent representatives to his court and they have been rebuked and ignored. We have fallen on our knees, begging to be heard, and have been cast out.
Quoting now:
"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.
