Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1821-07-13

two successiv' appeals 10 the E so,l, >.
tain. as friends, countrymea, and
TO which no responsive voice of sv,' s'ps
tenderness had Lee,. returned '"'pa'As
" Nought but the noie OF drums and
loud, ahs's
" Their children's cries unheardtb,t
"To their glim Idol passed u
Then it was, that the Thrice, y
Colonies Of North America, by thu. olis
gates 10 Congress assembled, exere S'e o.
first act OF sovereignty by right ev"1
rent in the people, but never to b. lob
to, save al the awful crisis when civil iStO''e
ty is solved iulo lis first eIement, dss NC
themselves free and independent s 's.e'ari
two days afterwa ards, in juslifcaton e. a
act, issued this unanimous Decbr,GG
the Thirteen United States of Ame,'s,sO
IHere Mr.. Adams read, from the o,;..,,
before him, the Declaration Of lndependsns.
1t is not, let me repeat, fellow ci,;,.,.
is not he long enumeration of in,olsus
wrongs concentrated in his DecIsvY@sla
is moi the melancholy catalogue Of ,n.m
oppression and entrt atty, of recipns,,.,a,a
dignity and remonslrance, upon wb;,S
the celebration of this ami ssrsarv von
mory delights to dwell. Nor is i ' W.,
the Justice Of your cause was yiudis,,aat
the God OF battles that in a conflict Of y,
wears. the history Of the war b, rb;eh
maintained that Declaration, beeam. \,
history Of the civilized world; That n.
nimous voice Of enlightened Euunss va
the verdict of an after age, have saue,, RI, ~
your assumption Of sovereign power ,'
that the name Of your Washington i, emu
led upon the records Of time, first IN The u"
rious line OF heroic virtue. It is no, ,h,, "
monarch himself, who had been Your Or on,
sor, was compelled to recognize YOU fs ~
sovereign and independent people. and ~
the nation, whose feelings of ira,erDi,v
you had slumbered in the lap of pride =,
awakened in the arms OF humiliation 10 q"
equal and no longer contested risbs
The primary purpose of this DeeI.s
ton, the proclamation to the world Of d
causes of our revolution, is 4" with tue 70,
beyond the food" 1t is Of no more inisn
10 us than the chastity of Lucretia, or nj
apple on the head of the child of Teal
Little less than forty years have reyolsI
since the struggle for independence wa, q,
sed another generation has arisen and.
the assembly Of nations, our republic na|
ready a matron oil mature age. The cavJ
of your independence is no longer uponlnaI
the final sentence upon it has long Ted
passed upon earth and ratified in Heaven.
The interest which in this paper bss sd
vived the occasion upon which il was ISSUE
the interest which is Of every age and t,,d
cline; the interest which quIckens With N
lapse of years, spreads as il grows old, nj
brightens as ii recedes, is in the prineF3
which it proclaims. 1t was the FIRST sosr
declaration by a nation OF the only legil
mate foundation OF civil government ls|
the corner stone OF new fabric, destined
cover the surface of the globe. ltdemOis
ed at stroke the lawlulness of all Cover
,ments founded upon conquest. II sweF4
way all the rubbish OF accumulated cen;
ries OF servi:ude. 1t announced in prasid
form to the world the trancendent truh
the unalienable sovereignty of the peqi|
Ii proved that the social compact was
figment of the Imagination, but real, sII
and sacred bond Of the social union. Ft|
the day of this Declaration the people
North America were no longer the frsgmd
of a distant empire, imploring justice d
mercy from an memorable master IN anoth
hemisphere. :,
They were no longer children appealn
in vain to the sympathies OF heartles
mother; no longer subjects leaning upon ID
shattered columns of royal promises, and ID
voking the faith OF parchment to secure lheI
rights. They were a nation, asserting asS
right, and maintaining by war, its own sl
istenCe. A nation was born in day;
elbow many ages hence
"Shall this, their lofty scene. be acted DER
"ln states unborn, and accents vet unknown
twill be acted DER, fellow citizens, b.
it can never be repeated. II stands, %
must forever stand, alone, beacon 90 . .
summit of the mountain, to which all ID
inhab itants Of the earth may turn their eye
for email and saving light, till time .o'
be lost in eternity, and this globe itself Or
solve, nor leave wreck behind. II ''aha
tor ever, a light Of admonition 10 the rue
of men. light Of salvation and redemPlN
TO the oppressed. ,,,.,
SO long as this planet shall be inhabited Oy
man beings so long as man shall be ofsocn MAJ a y
SO long as government shall be necessary % u
great moral purposes of society: and SO long =
shall be abused to the purposes OF oPpre'''o"
long shall this Declaration hold out TO the SOW
eign and to the subject the extent and the e0uNS
res oftheir respective rights and duties '0np ,:
in the laws of nature and of natures Coo n
and forty years have passed away since tins v
elaration was issued by our fathers; and neIt
we, fellow citizens, assembled in the iun eny
ment Gifts fruits, 10 bless the Author OF our Del
for the bounties of his providence in cascnS
lot in this favored land; to remember, WIN "
sions of gratitude, the sages who Put ioi'n, ), :
the heroes who bled for the establishment o. =
Declaration; and, by the communion Of soai, ~
re-perusal and hearing of this instrument w.
new the genuine Holy Alliance OF It's Prihc'p'
to recognise them as eternal truths, and'e P,'.