The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-07-04
Declaration of independence
In Congress, July 4, ITS

events, it becomes necessary for one
people to dissolve the political bands
which have connected them with an
other, and to assume among the powers
of the earth the separate and equal
station to which the laws of nature
and of natures God entitle them, a
decent respect to the opinions of man
kind requires that they should declare
the causes which impel them to the
separation.
eve hold these truths to be self -evi-
dent-that all men are created equal;
that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalianable rights; that
among these are life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness; that, to secure
these rights, governments are insti-
tuted among men, deriving their just
powers from the consent of the gov
erned; that whenever any form of gov
eminent becomes destructive of these
ends, it is the right of the people to
alter or to abolish them, and to in
stitute new government, laying its
foundation on such principles, and or
ganizing its powers in such form, as
to them shall seem most likely to eff
feet their safety and happiness. Pru-
dence, indeed, will dictate, that gov
ernments long established should not
be changed for light and transient
causes; and accordingly all experience
has shown, that mankind are more dis
posed to suffer, while evils are suffer-
able, than to right themselves by
abolishing the forms to which they are
accustomed. But when long train of
abuses and usurpations, pursuing in
variably the same object evinces a
design to reduce them under absolute
despotisrn, it is their right, it is their
duty, to throw off such government ard
to provide new guards for their future
security. Such has been the patient
sufferance of these colonies; and such
is now the necessity which constrains
them to alter their former systems Of
government The history of the present
king of Great Britain is history of
repeated injuries and usurpations, all
having in direct object the establish
ment of an absolute tyranny over these
states To prove this let facts be sub
mitted to a candid world"
(Then follows long enumeration OF
the various tyrannical acts of the
British king and his government. The
document then CONCLUDES with this
paragraph)
I'VE, therefore, thu representatives
of the United States of America, in gen.
eral congress assembled, appealing to
the Supreme Judge of the world for
the rectitude of our intentions, do, in
the name and by the authority of the
good people of these colonies, solemnly
publish and declare, that these 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
connections between them and the state
of Great Britain is, and ought to be,
totally dissolved; and that as free and
independent states, they have full
power to levy war, conclude peace,
contract alliances, establish commerce,
and to do all other acts and things
which independent states may of right
do. And for the support of this declara-
ton, with firm reliance in the pro-
lection of Divine Providence we mu-
tually pledge to each other our lives,
our fortunes, and our sacred honor
Our lives, our fortunes and our
sacred honorl What more could they
have pledged?