Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1861-01-18
Declaration of independence Of South
Carolina, dOne in Convention, Dec.
"a, 1860,

GdrOI1na, dOne III COnTentlOn, Uecs
"a, 1860.
The State of South Carolins having deter
mined to resume her seperate and equal place
among nations, deems il due to herself, to the
remaining United States of North America,
and to the nations OF the world that sue should
declare the causes which have led to this act.
In the year 1865, that portion of the Brit
ish Empire embracing Great Britain undertook
to make laws for tie government of that
portion composed Of the thirteen Anerlean
Colonies. A struggle for the right Of self
government ensued, which resulted on the 4th
Of July, 1776, in Declaration by the Colo
Dics 'that they are aud of right ought 10 be,
free and independent States, and that All free
aud Independents Statss they have fuH power
to levy war, conclude peace, eontracs alliances,
establish commerce, aud to do all other acts
and things which independent States may of
right do"
They further soleninly declared that when
ever any 'sfoFm Of government becomes de-
structiye of the ends for which it was estab-
lished, it is the right of the people 10 alter or
abolish il, and to institute new government"
Deeming the Government of Great Britain t.
have become destructive of these ends. they
declared that the colonies ssare absoved from
all allegiance to the British Grown, and that
all political connection between them aud the
States of Great Britain is, and ought to be,
totally dissolved"
In pursuance of this Declaration of lade4
pendence, each of the thirteen States proceeded
to exercise its separate sovereignty adopted
Tor itself Constitution and appointed officers
for the administra tion of government in all
It's departmental Legislative, executive, and
Judicial. For purposes of defense, they united
their arms and their counsels aud, in 177S,
they eutered into league known as the Ar
tcles OF Conteration, whereby they agreed to
entrust the administration ct their external
relations TO common agent, knoEn as the
Congress OF the United States, expressly de-
claring, IN the first article, s'that each State
retains It's sovereignty, freedom, and iudepen-
dence, aud every power, jurisdiction, and right
which is not, by this confederation, expressly
delegated to the UEiled States in Congress as
sembled.
Under this confederation the war of the
Revolution was carried on, and on the 81 of
September, 1888, tho contest euded, and
definite t.eaty was sigued by Great Britain, in
which she acknowledged the independence Of
the colonies in the following terms
ARTICLE His Britannia Majesty ac-
knowledges the said United States, viz New
Hampshire, Massachusetts, Bay, Rhode Island
and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware,
Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South
Carolina, and Georgia, to be free sovereign,
and independent States ; that he treats with
them as such and for himself, his heirs and
successors, reliuquishe6 all claims to the gov
ernment, property, and territorial rights of the
same and every part thereof"
Thus was established the two great princi-
ples asserted BY the Colonies, namely, the
right of State to govern itself, and the right
OF people to abolish government when it
becomes destructive of the ends for which il
was instituted. And concurrent with tho
establishment of these principles was the fact
that each Colony became and was recognized
by the mother country as free, sovereign,
and independent State.
In 1io1, deputies were appointed by the
States to revise the Articles of confederation.
and on tho l7th September, 1887, these depu-
ties recommended for the adoption OF the States
the articles OF union known as the Constitution
of the United States
The parties to whom this Constitaiion was
submitted were the several sovereign States
They were to agree or disagree and when
nine of them agreed, the compact was to take
effect among those ccncurring, and the General
Government, as the common agent, was then
to be invested with their authority.
If only nine Of the thirteen States had con-
CURED, the other four would have remained as
they then Wero--separate, sovereign States,