Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1962-07-05

He has kept among us, in times of
peace, Standing Armies without the Consent
of our legislature
He has affected to render the Military
independent of and superior to the Civil
Power.
He has combined with others to subject
us to jurisdiction foreign to our constitu-
ton, and unacknowledged by our laws Civ.
ing the Assent to their acts of pretended
legislation:
For quartering large bodies OF armed
troops among u.s.
For protecting them, by mock Trial,
from Punishment for any Murders which
they should commit on the Inhabitants of
these States;
For cutting off our Trade with all parts
of the world:
For imposing taxes on us without our
Consent;
For depriving us in many cases, of the
benefits of Trial by jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be
tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of Eng
lish Laws in neighboring Province, estab-
fishing therein an Arbitrary government, and
enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at
once an example and fit instrument for
introducing the same absolute rule into
these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters abolish
ing our most valuable Laws, and altering
fundamentally the Forms of our Govern
ments
For suspending our own Legislature,
and declaring themselves invested with
Power to legislate for us in all cases what
soever.
He has abdicated Government here, by
declaring us out of his Protection and
waging War against US
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our
Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the
lives of our people.
He is at this time Transporting large
armies of foreign mercenaries to compIeat
the works of death, desolation and tyranny,
already begun with circumstances of Cruelty
& perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most
barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the
Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens
taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms
against their Country, to become the execu-
TONERS of their friends and Brethren, or to
fall themselves nv their Hands
He has excited domestic instruction
amongst u.s. and has endeavored to bring on
the inhabitants of our frontiers the merci-
less Indian Savages, 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 the most
humble terms: Our repeated Petitioners
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 attention
to our British brethren. We have warned
them from time to time Of attempts by their
legislature to extend an understandable juris-
the circumstances of our emigration and
settlement here. We have appealed to their
native justice and magnanimity, and we
have conjured them by the ties Of our COM
mon kindred to disavow these usurpations,
which, would inevitably interrupt our con-
nections and correspondence. They too have
been deaf to the voice of justice and Of con-
sanguinity. We must therefore, acquiesce
in the necessity which denounces our Sep
aration, and hold them, as we hold the rest
of mankind, Eenemies in War, in Peace,
Friends
We, therefore, the Representatives Of
the united States of America, in General
Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Su-
preme Judge of the world for the rectitude
of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by
Authority of the good People of these Colo
MES, 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
connection between them and the State of
Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dis
solved; 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
Declaration, with firm reliance on the Pro
lection of Divine Providence, we mutually
pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes
and our sacred Honor.