Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1908-07-03
THE DECLARATION
OF INDEPENDENCE


the benefits of Trial by jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas
to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of
English Laws in a nelghboring Prov
ince, establishing therein an Arbi-
trary government, and enlarging its
Boundaries so as to render 1t at once
an example and fit instrument for in
PRODUCING the same absolute rule i'll
to these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters,
abolishing our most valuable Laws,
and altering fundamentally the
Forms of our Governments;
For suspending our own Legisla-
lures. and declaring themselves in
vested with power to legislate for us
in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here
by declaring us out of his Protection
and waging War against us.
lie has plundered our seas, ravag-
ed our Coasts, burnt our towns, and
destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting
large Armies of foreign Mercenaries
/ to complete the works Of death, des-
olation and tyranny, already begun
with circumstances of Cruelty and
( perfldy scarcely parallcled in the
most barbarous ages, and totally un-
worthy the Head of a civilized ma
! ton.
/ He has constrained our fellow-Cit-
liens taken captive on the high Seas
to bear Arms against their Country,
to become the executioners Of their
I friends and Brethren, or to fall them
I selves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrec-
! lions amongst us, and has endeavored
to bring on the inhabitants of our
. frontiers, the merciless Indian Saw
ages, whose known rule of warfare is
an undistinguished destruction of all
ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Expressions.
We have Petitioned for Redress in
I the most humble terms: Our Repeat
| ed Petitions have been answered only
by repeated injury. A Prince, whose
character Is thus marked by every
act which may define Tyrant, is
unfit to be the ruler of free people.
Nor have We been wanting in at
tentions to our British brethren. We
have warned them from time to time
of attempts by their legislature to ex-
tend an unwarrantable jurisdiction
over us. We have reminded them of
the circumstances of our emigration
and settlement here. We have APP
pealed to their native justice and
magnanimity, and We have conjured
them by the ties of our common kin
dred to disavow these usurpations,
which would inevitably interrupt our
connections and correspondence.
They too have been deaf to the voice
of justice and of consanguinity. We
must, therefore, acquiesce in the ne
cessity, which denounces our Separa-
ton, and hold them, as we hold the
rest Of mankind, Enemies IN War, In
Peace Friends.
We, Therefore. the Representatives
lof the United States Of America, In
General Congress, Assembled, appeal.
ing 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, solemn
ly publish and declare, That those
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 be.
tween them and the State of Great
Britain, is and ought to be totally dis.
solved; and that as free and lndepend.
ent States, they have full Power to
levy War, conclude Peace, contract Al
liances, establish Commerce and to
do all other Acts and Things which
independent States may OF right do.
And for the support Of this Deciara-
: ton, with firm reliance on the pro.
lection of Divine Providence. We mu.
tually pledge to each other our Lives,
our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.
, (The foregoing declaration was, by
order Of Congress, engrossed, and
signed by the following members:)
JOHN HANCOCK.
New Hampshire-Josiah Bartlett
VIM. Whipple, Matthew Thornton.
; Massachusetts, Bay-Saml. Adams
John Adams, Robt. Treat Paine, Ell.
bridge Gerry.
Rhode Island, etc.--Step. Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut Roger Sherman
Sam.el Huntington, VIM. Williams
Oliver Wolcott.
New York-Wm. Floyd, Phil. Liv
| lngston. Frans. Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey-Richd. Stockton, Jno
: Witherspoon, Fras. Hopkinson, Johr
Hart, Abra. Clark.
Pennsylvania--Robt Morris, Benja
min Rush, Benja. Franklin, John Nor
ton, Geo. Clymer. Jas. Smith. Geo
, Taylor, James Wilson, Geo. Ross.
Delaware - Caesar Rodney, Geo
, Read, Theo. MKean.
Maryland-Samuel Chase, VIM. Pa
lea ThOS Stone Charles Carroll m