The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-02-26
CITIZENSHIP COLUMN
CHAPTER XVI.
The Declaration Of independence.

4. u. What is the Declaration Of
Independence?
A. 1t is statement agreed to
In Philadelphia on July A, 1776, by del.
egates from the thirteen American
Colonies of Great Britain, which de.
clared that the thirteen United Col.
onies are absolved from the allegiance
to the British Crown and are, and of
right ought to be, free and independ.
ent states.
2. @. What cause led the Colonists
to rebel against England?
A. There are many reasons, all
set forth in the Declaration of Inde-
pendence. The most important were:
That the English King had quar-
tered large bodies of troops upon
them against their will;
That he had p&ptected in mock
trials his soldiers Who had murdered
Colonists without just cause;
That he had imposed taxes with.
out the consent of the Colonies.
| That he had refused representation
to the Colonists in the English parlia.
ment;
That he had taken away the right
of trial by jury and of trial in the
place in which crimes were alleged to
have been committed.
3. @. What actions of the British
| minority forced the Colonists to con.
tinue the struggle after they had re.
belled?
A. These causes were manv in
| number and are recited in detail in
the Declaration. Among them are
these:
The Crown has refused assent to
laws necessary for the public good:
of the King it is said:
He had forbidden his Governors to
pass and enforce laws of pressing
Importance until his consent was OBJ
tanned, and has then neglected to at.
tend to them.
| He has called together legislative
bodies at places unusual and distant
from the depository of records; e.
| He has dissolved Representative
Houses for opposing his will;
He has neglected to cause others
to be elected in the places of those
removed;
He has prevented immigration and
naturalization of foreigners;
He has made judges dependent
for their Office, activities, and salaries
upon himself alone;
| He has created a multitude of I'M.
necessary officers, harassing the peo-
pie and reducing them to poverty;
He has rendered the military power
Independent of and superior to the
civil;
He has taken away charters and al
| tered the forms of government;
He has plundered property and de-
| stroyed the laws of people,;
He has put price on the heads Of
them who resist his expressions;
He has melted against us the In
| dian savages on our borders.7f~ -..-.
4. @. Did the Colonists appeal to
| the Crown to right their wrongs be-.
fore they rebelled?
| A. In the words of the Declara-
ton the Colonists made their appeal
to the world: I'm every stage of these
expressions we have petitioned for re-
dress in the most humble terms: our
repeated petitions have been answer
ed only by repeated injury"
| 5. @. Did the Colonists appeal d.
rectly to the British people through
their Parliament?
| A. The Colonists repeatedly adj
vised the British Parliament of the
wrongs they were enduring, and ap-
pealed to its sense of justice and to
the ties of relationship which bound
them together to disavow the acts of
the Crown, but to no avail.
g. @. Had America no champions
among the British statesmen?
A. Some leading Englishmen
and most of the Irish members of Par
Lament openly justified the action of
the Colonists in rebelling.
z. @. What was the immediate re-
suit of the Declaration of Independ-
ence?
A. BY it the Colonists cut off all
hope of reconciliation with England
and were encouraged to continue the
fight for independence.
s. @. What nation in particular was
quick to recognize the new govern
ment adopted by the Colonies?
A. France speedily recognized
the new federation and sent men and
ships to help their cause. Other ma
tons Of Europe followed the example
of France, and many lovers of liberty
crossed to America to enlist in the
American army.
8. @. What event brought about
English recognition of Americas in
dependence?
A. The surrender of CORVALLIS
at Yorktown, Virginia, forced England
to acknowledge the. freedom of her
American colonies.
10. @. When did the federation OF
the thirteen Colonies become the
United States of America?
A. BY the adoption of the Arti-
cles of Confederation in 1881.