taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their
country, to become the executioners of their friends and
brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.
He has excited domestic insurrection among us and has
endeavored to bring the inhabitants of our frontiers under the
merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare is an
undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for
redress in the most humble terms. Our repeated petitions
have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince whose
character is thus marked by every act which may define a
tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have we been wanting in attentions to our British
brethren. We have warned them from time to time of the
attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable
jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circum-
stances of our emigration and settlement here. We have ap-
pealed to their native justice and magnanimity and we have
conjured them by the ties of our common 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 consanguinity. We must, therefore,
acquiesce in the necessity which denounces our separa-
tion; and hold them as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies
in war; in peace, friends. We' therefore, representatives of
the United States of America, in general 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 poltical connection 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
