Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1861-01-12
Gbe Anti 9Iauerp Bu9Ie.
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE OF
SOUTH CAROLINA, DONE IN CON
VENTION, DEC "a 1860.

The State of South Carolina having determined
TO resume her separate and equal place among ma
tion,, deems it due to herself to the remaining
United States Of North America, aud to the nations
Of the world, that she should declare the causes
which have LED to this act.
In the year 1775 that portion If the British En-
pire embracing Great Britain undertook to make
laws for the government Of that portion composed
Of the thirteen American Colonies. A struggle
for the right of selt-governmcnt ensued, which
resulted on the 4th of July, l776, in Declaration
by the Colonies that they are, and OF right ought
70 b. free and independent States, and that as
free and independent States they have full power
10 lew war conclude peace, contract alliances es-
tsblish commerce, and to do all other acts aud
things which independent States may Of right
d."
They further solemnly declared that Whenever
apy form of government becomes destructive oil
ihe ends for which it was established, 1T Is the
right of tho people to alter or abolish It, and to
institute a ne " government" Deeming the Gov
srnment of Great Britain to have become destruc-
tive Of these ends they declared that the colonies
"Are absolved from all allegiance to the BriuSh
Grown, and that all political connection between
them and the States of Great Britain is, and ought
to be- totally dissolved"
In pursuance Of this Declaration of Indepen-
dence each of the thirteen States proceeded tc ex
erci.e its separate sovereignty; adopted for ltsel
a Constitution and appointed officers for the ad-
tnihistration Of government in all its departments
---letislatiye, executive, and judicial. For pur-
poses of defense, they united their arms and their
oounsels; and, in l77S, they entered into league
known as the Articles of Confederation, whereby
they agreed to entrust the administration Of their
external relations to common agent, known as
the Congress of the United States, expressly de-
claring, in the first article, "thst each State re-
tains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence,
and every power, juriedcton, and right which is
not, by this confederation, expressly delegated to
the United States in Congress assembled"
Under this confederation the war of the Revolu-
tion was carried on, and on the Sd of September,
1888, the contest ended, and definite treaty was
signed by Great Britain, in which she acknowledg-
ed tho independence of the colonies in the follow
Ing terms;
ARTICLE His Britannia Majesty acknOwl-
edges the said United States, viz New IIamp-
SHIRE Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island AID Prov
idence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania. Delaware Maryland, Vr-
Rinis, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Geor-
gia, to be free, sovereign and independent States,
that he treats with them as such; and for himself
his heirs and successors reinqushes all claims to
the government prOpriety, and territorial rights
Of the same and every part thereof"
Thus was established the two great principles
asserted by the Colonies, namely. the right of a
State to govern itself, and the right of PEOPLE to
abolish government when it becomes destructive
of the ends for which II was instituted. And con-
current with the establishment of these principles
was che fac. that each Colony became and was rec
oRnized by the mother country as a free, soyer.
eRD, and independent State.
In 1887, deputies were appointed by the States
TO- revise the Articles Of Confederation, and on
l7th September, 1887, these deputies recommen-
dsd for the adoption of the States the articles ofI
union known as the Constitution of the United
5tates.
The parties to whom this Constitution was sub
mitsed were the several sovereign States. They
we're TO agree or disagree; and when nine of them
agreed, the compact was to take effect among
those concurring, and the General Government, as
the common agent, was then to be invested with
their authority,
If only nine Of the thirteen States had concur
red. the other four would have remained as they
then were-separate, sovereign States, indopen-
dent Of any Of the provisions Of the Constitution
IN fact two Of the States did not aecede to the