The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1861-01-11
SOUTH CAROLINA's DECLARA-
TION OF INDEPENDENCE

The State of South Carolina, having de-
termined to resume a separate aud equal
rank amopg nations. deems it duo to bersolf
and the remaining United States of America
and the nations of tho world. that she should
declare the auses which led to the oct. In
l765, that portion of tho British Empire
embracing Great Britain, undertook TO
make laws for tho government Of the Amor.
can colonies. A struggle for tho right of
self-govornment cnsuod, which resulted on
| The 4th of July, l776. in q declaration by
| the colonies, that they are, and OF right
ought to be, FREQ and Independent States,
and that as free and independent States.
they have full power to levy war, conclude
peace, contract alliances, establish commerce,
anG to do such things as independent States
have the right to do. They further sol.
omnly declared that whenever any form Of
government becomes destructive OF these
enos, it is the established right OF tho people
to alter and abolish it, and institute a new
government. Deeming that the govern
ment of Great Britain had become destruc.
tive of these onds, they declared the colonies
free and nbsolved from allegiance to the
British crown, and the political connection
between thcm and Great Britain, was totally
dissolved.
The right Of State to govern itself, aud
the right of tho people to abolish govern
mont when it becomes destructive of the
ends for which il was instituted, were ex.
pressed when the colonies separated from
the mother country, and became free and
independent States. Tho parties amending
the Constitution on the 18th Of September,
1887, wero the several sovereign States.
On the 23d Of May, 1888, South Carolina,
by a cow ention of her people. assented to
the amended Constitution of tho United
States. Tho failure of one of the contract
ing parties to maintain Constitutional OBJ
legations releases the other. Fifteen of the
Northern States have deliberately refused
for years to fulfill their Constitutional OBJ
legations. We would refer to those States
for proof of this. When tho fourth ar.
ticle of tho Constitution was adopted, tho
greater number of the contracting parties
held slaves. The hostility of tho Northern
States to tho institution of slavery has led
them to disregard their Constitutional obi.
cations. The laws of the general govern.
ment have ceased TO effect the objects oi
the Constitution. Maine, New Hampshire
Vermont. Massachusetts, Connecticut. Rhode
Island, New York. Pennsylvania Illinois
Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and
Iowa, have enacted laws, either nullifying
the Constitution, or rendering useless, all
attempts to execute the acts of Congress.
In many of these States, fugitives "heId to
service and to labor" have been claimed
but in none of them has the State govern
ment complied with the stipulation on this
subject, made in the Constitution.
10 the formation Of tho Federal Govern.
ment, zach State was recognized as an equal
the right of property in slaves was recog.
nizcd BY giving thom the right to represent
and burdening them with direct taxes 70:
three-fifths of their slaves; by authorizing
the importation of slaves for twenty years
and by stipulating for tho rendition of fugi.
tivos from labor. The ends for which this
Government was instituted have been de-
feated, and the Government itself made de
structive by the action of the nou -slav ehold-
ing States. These States assumed the right
of deciding upon tho propriety OF our do.
} mestic institutions. They denied the rights
and recognized by the Constitution. They
have denounced as sinful the institution OF
slavery; havo permitted an open establish
J ment of societies whose avowa and object
arc to disturb the peace and prosperity Of
the citizens of other States they have en-
, couraged and assisted thousands of oul
slaves to leave their homes, and those who
:, remain have been melted by emissaries, by
books and pictures, to servlo insurrection
twenty-five wears this agitation has beer
steadily increasing, until they have secured
s the power of the common government. Oh
serving the forms of the Constitution, c
: sectional party has found within that article
establishing an executive department, meant
of subverting the Constitution itself.
geographical line has been drawn across
the Union, and all States north of that line
have united in tho elevation of man tc
the high Office of President of the U. S
whose opinions and purposes are hostile tC
: slavery. Ho is to bo entrusted with the
administration of the common Government
, because il is declared that q government
cannot endure permanently half slave and
half free, and that the public mind must
! rest in the belief that slavery is in the
course of ultimate extinction. The sec
| tional combination for the subversion OF
the Constitution has been nidcd in the
r States by elayatiDg TO citizenship persons
+ who, by the supreme law of the land, are
incapable of becoming citizens, aud Ibcir
votes have been used to inaugurate tho new
policy hostile to the South, and destructive
10 its peace and safety. On the 4th OF
March next, this party will take possession
of the Government. 1t has been announced
that the South shall bo excluded from the
common territory that the Judicial tribu.
mails will be made sectional; that war must
be waged against slavery until it shall cease
throughout the United States. The guar
antees of the Constitution will then no
longer exist-egual rights of the States will
be lost--the slaveholding States will no
longer have the power of self.government
or self protection, and the Federal Govern
ment have become their enemy. Sectional
interests and animosity will deepen the irri-
taton, and all hope of remedy is rendered
vain by the fact that tho public opinion of
the North has invested the political error
with the sanction of more erroneous re-
| ligious belief.
We, therefore, the people of South Caro-
lima, by our delegates in convention as.
sombled. appealing to the Supreme Judge
of the world, for tho rectitude of our in
tentions, have solomnly declared tho Union
heretofore existing between this and the
other States of North America. dissolved,
aud that the State of South Carolina has
resumed hor position among the nations oi
the world as free, sovereign, independent
State, with full power to levy war, conclude
peace, contract alliances, establish com'
merce, and do all other acts and things
which Independent States havo right to do
and for the support of this declaration. with
| a firm reliance for protection on Divine