The Declaration of Independence Part 5: Free and Independent

At last, we have reached the final of five parts in this series on The Declaration of Independence.

Before we finish, let's review parts 1-4.
Part 1: "When in the Course of human events..."
Part 2: "We hold these truths to be self-evident"
Part 3: Charges against the King
Part 4: The Government has failed

In part 5, the founders are about to do something that we label them at traitors in England, punishable by death. What they are about to do will spark a great war between unorganized, untrained, and ill-equipped colonists and the greatest fighting force on the face of the planet, the British Army.

What these men are about to do will forever change history in a way they couldn't imagine. They were about to declare themselves free and independent states that would govern themselves without the permission of the British Crown. Make sure to dot all of those "i's" and cross those "t's" because this is where it gets good!

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled,

The men who would sign the document were representing the people of the colonies, not the interest of the British government. The colonies had no representation in the British parliament, and their complaints and ideas have been ignored as outlined in Part 4.

appealing 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, solemnly publish and declare, 

Here they are citing God again as the Supreme Judge of mankind, not the King. They have made the argument that only God can give and take away certain rights and now they are stating that God is even more powerful than the King. (The King didn't like hearing that, I'm sure!)

They again state that they are making this publication and declaration on behalf of, and by the authority of THE PEOPLE. To the King, the idea that THE PEOPLE had any authority was ridiculous, but to the founders, they understood that the government derived its power from the people it governed, and if the government did not do what they people wanted, it should be abolished as outlined in part two. At this point, the phrase, "We The People," has not been used, but it will be, as the first three words in the United States Constitution.

That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; 

There it is. One of the most powerful sentences in American history. Period.

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 dissolved; 

To drive the point home and leave no room for misinterpretation that the colonies were now going to be FREE and INDEPENDENT, the founders added a part that says they no longer have any loyalty or political connection to the King or the British government.

and that as Free and Independent States, 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. 

Not only do the colonies have no loyalty or connection to the British, but they can also do all of the things that free and independent countries can do. They don't need to ask for permission or check with anyone else, they are no longer British colonies, but are now, "The United States of America."

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

The founders believe that this Declaration is protected by "divine Providence" which is the belief that God will preserve his creation, of those outlined at the beginning of the document being Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

The final part of this sentence is so powerful. The men who would pen their names at the bottom knew that what they were doing would most likely cost them their lives, their fortunes, and their honor. If the colonists could not fend off the British, then the history books would label them as traitors and toss them to the side of the margin as rebels who were struck down by the loyal and honorable King of England. They would be hung with great fanfare to show the loyal British subjects what happens to those who wish to denounce the crown.

They were not hung in the public square. Instead, they are memorialized as some of the bravest and most forward-thinking men of their time. What kind of men would take on the might of the British government with little more than some parchment paper and iron gall ink?  These men.  That's who.

Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Massachusetts: John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

Congratulations Men! 

You have created what will become the greatest nation on the face of the planet! A nation that will harness the atom, put a man on the moon, and live out an amazing experiment in self-governance that has lasted over 200 years with no plans of ending. Well done!

Next up: The Constitution of the United States

~~~~~

Here is a link to the Declaration of Independence so you can read it yourself:
Declaration of Independence


Post your comments below. What did you learn about the Declaration of Independence?


Resources:


Hart, D., Bower, B., & Lobdell, J. (2002). History alive. Palo Alto, CA: Teachers Curriculum Institute.

The Declaration of Independence Part 4: The Government has failed

The colonists have just laid out all of their issues with the British government and with the King.
In part two of this series, I mentioned the "Olive Branch Petition," the last attempt at ending these feuds peacefully. There were many other attempts and in part 4 of the Declaration of Independence, the writers laid out what they had tried in the past.

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.

This part states that they have sent repeated petitions to the British government, begging for changes, but instead of problems being fixed, they were made worse. It also says that any leader who does those types of things is a tyrant. Free people can not be ruled by a tyrant. The King did not see the colonists as "free" people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. 

The colonists don't want to be ruled by Brittan (not wanting their attention). The colonists have told
the British that the laws that they make over 3,000 miles away don't make sense and the colonists don't want to follow their laws. They don't understand why the British government thinks they can rule the colonies. One of the reasons they moved away from Britan was so they could be free!

We have appealed 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 connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

The colonists have told them. They have tried to be loyal British subjects, but it just isn't working. The British government is not listening and, because of that, they are no longer needed. The last sentence is leading the reader into the actual declaration. It says that they will be separated and maybe enemies, or friends, depending on the circumstances.

This part of the Declaration of Independence is the transition from what the colonists know to be true, and what they are going to do about it. Visit next week to find out what they do about it.

Part 5: Free and Independent will cover maybe the most pivotal section of writing to ever take place prior to the drafting of the Constitution.

~~~~~

Here is a link to the Declaration of Independence so you can read it yourself:
Declaration of Independence

Post your comments below. What do you think about this part of the Declaration of Independence?

Resources:

Hart, D., Bower, B., & Lobdell, J. (2002). History alive. Palo Alto, CA: Teachers Curriculum Institute.

The Declaration of Independence Part 3: Charges against the King

If you have just come across my blog, please check out Part 1: "When in the course of human events..." and Part 2: "We hold these truths to be self-evident" of this five-part series on the Declaration of Independence before continuing. They will help you understand this part better.

Part three of the Declaration of Independence is by far the longest and calls out the British government and specifically King George III for continually violating the rights of the colonists. Before we dive into this list of abuses, let's cover a few things that you have probably heard of that make their way into the list.

britannica.com

The Stamp Act: The British government had a large debt after the French and Indian War and they needed to find a way to pay for it. The British people were already paying taxes on just about everything, but the Colonists were not taxed much at all. With that in mind, the British government decided to make the colonists buy a stamp for every piece of paper they used. Playing cards, wills, and all other paper products are required to have this tax stamp. Even newspapers had to be printed on stamped paper.

The colonists were angry about the tax, but also the fact that they had no say in government. They had no say in what was done to them and they didn't like it. "NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!" was their battle cry. If you want to tax them, give them a say.

The Stamp Act was so unpopular that it was repealed to the colonists' great enjoyment. But that wasn't the only way that the British government was going to try to stick it to the colonists and make and/or save money.

The Quartering Act: One way the British government was going to try and save money was to force colonists to house British soldiers. Although not a direct tax, putting Soldiers in your home costs money. The colonists were told to provide the Soldiers with candles, bedding, cooking utensils, salt, vinegar, and beer!

For a colonial family, this was worse than a tax! Not only did they have to pay for the Soldiers, but they also had to have them in their homes! But from the British point of view, each home should be honored to house his majesties Soldiers! That was not the case.

the-wonderous-universe.com

The Tea Act: The Colonists began smuggling tea in from places other than England, such as the Netherlands, causing massive economic issues for the British East India Trading Company. As a result of this boycott and millions of pounds of tea sitting in London warehouses, Britain created a monopoly in the tea trade, whereas only British tea was allowed to be sold. This tea was taxed by the British, but the overall cost was cheaper than the smuggled tea. If it was cheaper, then why were the colonists so upset? Think about that for a few minutes. We will come back to that.

bitannica.com

When the British ships carrying tea arrived in the colonies, there were many protests and some ships had to return to Britain without being able to unload their tea.  Boston was a different story. The Governor in Boston ordered a Navy blockade of the harbor, preventing the tea ship from leaving. He was not going to let the ships leave until the tea was unloaded and ready for sale. It got unloaded all right.

On December 16, 1773, about 50 men dressed as Mohawk Indians seized the tea ships and threw over 300 chests containing over 90,000 pounds of tea into the Boston Harbor. Talk about a party! No other cargo was harmed in the making of the largest cup of tea in the world. In regards to the Tea Party, John Adams wrote: "This is the most magnificent moment of all. This destruction of the teas is so bold, so daring, so firm...it must have...important consequences."

Other events leading up to the Declaration of Independence included the Proclamation of 1763, the Boston Massacre, the Townshend Acts, the Intolerable Acts, the Sugar Act, as well as others. The colonists had plenty of things to be mad about, and they listed over 20 here in Part 3 of the Declaration of Independence: Charges against the King.

The entire text is below, but I will only comment on a few of them. Notice that most of them start with, "He," which is a direct reference to King George III.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. 

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. 

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. 

Basically, all the laws that the colonists were forced to follow were not in their best interest but in the best interest of the British government, which was 3,000 miles away!

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. 

Think about how you vote today. Your voting location is probably within a few miles of your home, and if you wanted to attend a town hall meeting, it would probably be within a few minute's drives. Now think of having to meet in a place that was "unusual, uncomfortable, and distant." First of all, you may not even go. Second, if you did go, you would be more likely to just "go along" with whatever was being done due to fatigue.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. 

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. 

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands. 

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers. 

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. 

The Judges were not required to compare crime to a law, instead, the Judges would decide guilt and innocence based on what the King wanted. If you had a last name that was loyal to the Crown: Non-Guilty. If you had the last name associated with some troublemakers: GUILTY!

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance. 

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures. 

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power. 

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation: 

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

thehistoryjunkie.com

This is in direct response to the Quartering Act. We will also see a reference to this in the Bill of Rights, Amendment three.

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

When those Soldiers quartered with the colonists committed crimes, they were not punished fairly according to the law, but rather found innocent of all wrongdoing.

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

This is in response to the Tea, Stamp, and Sugar Act. The British government made it illegal to trade with any other country other than Britain.

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

The Tea, Stamp, and Sugar Act (as well as the Quartering Act) were all forms of taxes that were thrust upon the colonists without them having any say in parliament.

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

Exactly opposite of what was happening to the British Soldiers. Talk about NOT FAIR!

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

Colonists were not allowed to be tried by the colonists but had to be brought across the Atlantic to be tried in Britain, often for offenses that they didn't commit or that didn't happen at all.

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing 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, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: 

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

After the Boston Tea Party, the city of Boston wasn't even allowed to hold a town hall meeting!

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 compleat 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 executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

This would not just be pre-revolution, but this act of, "Impressment" would happen when British ships would seize colonial ships and force the Salios aboard to work for the British Navy. Again, from the British point of view, they were being "rescued" and had the "honor" of fighting for his Majesties Navy.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In part 1 of the Declaration of Independence, the preamble explained the reason for writing the Declaration.

In part 2, the founders laid out God-given, human rights that were given to a person upon their birth, and could not be taken away by any government, and if a government tried, it stated that it was the duty of those people to overthrow it.

The third part of the Declaration of Independence laid out a long list of ways that King George III was violating those rights outlined in section two. If you remember from part 2, the colonists believed that the government should receive their power from the people they governed, and also, the government should not be overthrown easily or for frivolous reasons. The reasons they listed were massive and have been going on for a long time.

What's next? It's not quite time to tell King George III that we are free, but we are getting close! Check in next week to find out.

~~~~~

Here is a link to the Declaration of Independence so you can read it yourself:
Declaration of Independence


Post your comments below. What do you think about the charges the colonists are bringing against the King of England?



Resources:


Hart, D., Bower, B., & Lobdell, J. (2002). History alive. Palo Alto, CA: Teachers Curriculum Institute.

Gain control of your life while homeschooling: 3 Tips

Most of us had very little time to prepare for our kiddos to be home with us ALL THE TIME!
Not only that but now we need to not only be parents but also teachers. Both of those things are full-time jobs. That's on top of your regular job if you still have one, or if you are working from home. That means that you have not one, but two, possibly three full-time jobs you are trying to do all at once. That's insane. Here are some tips to try and regain some control over your life.

1) Keep a Schedule: This is paramount. Everyone in the house when from being on a tight schedule to make the bus, make it to the office on time, etc. to basically no schedule or a haphazard schedule with about a day's notice. Regain some order by keeping a schedule, although it doesn't have to be as strict as before, it does have to have some rigidity to it.

Here is an example of a schedule I'm using with my nine-year-old son. Because I am me, I put it on a spreadsheet (it looks a lot like a football practice schedule...weird), printed it out, and put it in a document protector:

Before 7:30- Wake-up; Read for 20 min.; screen time
7:30- iPad is put away; Breakfast (TV Okay)
8:00- Morning chores; Some activity that blesses someone else (I want to stress placing other first)
10:00- Screen Free Free Time
12:00- Lunch (TV Okay); Academic Activity
1:30- Screen Free Free Time
3:30- Screen Time (Only if chores, blessing others, and academic activity are all complete)
4:30- Evening chores/Family dinner
6:00- Family time! Movie, Game, Walk, Screen Time
8:00- Bedtime routine; Sandwich (Not a snack, I'll explain later); pray; Mr. Rodgers
9:00- ASLEEP!

Your schedule should have a lot of flexibility built into is, but it should also have the key components of your day. As we move into an eLearning environment, maybe this schedule will change, but the framework will remain in place.

What is "Sandwich?"
We talk briefly about our day and then we each take turns with the following 3 questions that help us frame the day and set us up for prayer.
1) What is something I was grateful for today?
2) What is something I want to ask God to forgive me for today?
3) What is something that I am excited about tomorrow?

2) Read: We have been given a great opportunity to calm ourselves, slow down and read. I have made it a point as part of my schedule to get up at the same time every day
and read. Have your kids so the same thing. Make time to calm yourselves and read. Read by yourself, read with your kids, have your kids read by themselves and with you.

Making a habit of reading will set your children (and you!) up for success later in life. Insist on reading a little bit every day not as a punishment, but as a way of expanding knowledge and learning how to learn. What kind of books you ask? Any kind. You don't have to read books! Magazines and comics make great reading.

3) Write: This is something that I have forces to make a priority. Just like reading, writing can be a valuable, life-long skill. The only better to get better at it is to do it. Writing can take on many forms such as this blog, or a personal journal. It doesn't have to be much but set aside some time for you (and your kids!) to write a little bit every day. If you write for yourself, that's fantastic. If you write for someone else, you can really spread goodness. During this time of quarantine, most people head to the mailbox only to find bills and junk mail. Brighten their day by sending a handwritten letter or aa postcard. Not sure who to write to? Call your local nursing home and ask if there is someone there that you can be pen-pals with, even if it's a one-way relationship. With no visitation hours, I know
that there are some lonely folks who would love to get a letter in the mail!

A very good friend of mine set up a "pen pal project" with a bunch of her parent friends to get the kids writing. She carried into account ages and living arrangements and I am excited to see my son's face light up when he gets his first letter. I'm sure the same will be true on the other end.

This is a tough time for everyone, but we can make the most of it. Start with these simple tips to start to bring order back to your life. No one knows what the next day, week, or month will look like, but we can be certain that keeping a schedule, reading, and writing will never go out of style.

Also: Go take a shower and comb your hair. With all the barbershops and hair salons being closed, we may need to start getting creative!  As for me, I have a nice collection of hats.

The Declaration of Independence Part 2: "We hold these truths to be self-evident"

The Preamble of the Declaration of Independence explains why the Declaration was written. You can read more in Part 1 located here.

The second part of the Declaration lays out human rights that are given to all people by their Creator, and because they are given by God, no government can take them away. You will see a similar argument in the Bill of Rights, which were written to limit governments' ability to infringe upon God-given rights. 

Here is the statement of the human rights portion of the Declaration of Independence broken down into smaller sections.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

history.com

Under the rule of King George, not all men were created equal. The royal hierarchy allowed for absolute tyranny from the top, with no rights, not even simple human rights being available to the normal person. The three basic human rights given to all people are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These rights are given by God, and unable to be detached from a single person. Now, it's important to understand that this extends only to "men" and specifically, only white men. This is simply a product of the times. 

***Fun Fact: The Declaration of Sentiments written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton at the Seneca Falls Convention, held to bring attention to women's rights follows the same format at the Declaration of Independence and states:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created equal..."

Back to the Declaration of Independence-

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. 

This section states that governments are created among men (not God), and therefore their power to govern is given to them by the people they govern, not God. It then says that when a government fails to meet that standard, it is the right of the people to change or get rid of it and form a new government that does. It is important to note two things. First, we start to see the language of, "The People" which we will see are the first three words of the constitution. It is also important to note in he last sentence that the government is there for the safety and the happiness of the people in which it represents. Exactly the OPPOSITE of what King George was doing!

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. 

Governments shouldn't be easy to change, and they shouldn't be changed for short-lived issues. The last part of the sentence makes the point that people can put up with suffering, it is also a person's right to get rid of that suffering.

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--

King Geoge III
biography.com

This is the transition. Before this sentence, the document is set up to hammer the leadership style (Tyrant!) of King George III which will be the next major part of this Declaration. 

The "long train of abuses" will be discussed in Part 3 of this Declaration series, but there is a laundry list of things that King George was imposing on the colonies under absolute despotism or his excess of absolute power. Not just absolute power, but power cruelly and oppressively. 

When this happens, it is not just the right of the people, but they MUST get rid of that government! It is then their job to build a new government that will look out for their future.

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 a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

The Colonies have been patient. They have tried to get along with the King. They have sent several petitions to the king, the last being the Olive Branch Petition, asking, in fact begging the King to stop his oppressive rule over them.

But, he didn't stop. In fact, he labeled those who sent the Olive Branch Petition as traitors. So the "history" of King George III was that of being a tyrant. But the Declaration doesn't just state that fact, it goes on to list that "long train of abuses" and the cruel and absolute power he was practicing over the citizens of the Colonies.

To learn about all the ways that King George III, Check back for "Part 3: Charges Against the King."

~~~~~

Here is a link to the Declaration of Independence so you can read it yourself:
Declaration of Independence



Post your comments below. What do you think about the second part of the Declaration of Independence?


Resources:


Hart, D., Bower, B., & Lobdell, J. (2002). History alive. Palo Alto, CA: Teachers Curriculum Institute.

The Declaration of Independence Part 1: "When in the Course of human events..."

Thomas Jefferson

The Declaration of Independence is not an easy read.
It's not easy because it was written almost 250 years ago!

Despite its difficulty, it is one of the most influential documents ever written, and arguably one of if not the most influential document that formed the United States of America. An argument could be made for the Constitution, but without the declaration of independence, there would be no Constitution. 

Thomas Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, although many others contributed.

I will be publishing the Declaration of Independence in a five-part series with my commentary, in an attempt to help explain one of the greatest documents ever written with some understandable clarity.

Part 1: "When in the Course of Human Events"

The Declaration of Independence is basically a letter to Kings George III stating (declaring) that the colonies are sick and tired of the tyranny and lack of voice in terms of governing and the colonies are going to govern themselves. They are not asking, they have already tried that. They are telling him.  King Geroge III reacted by calling them TRAITORS and sending the most powerful Army in the world after them.

Here's the first part of that letter:

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

The first sentence is 71 words long! Every 9-12 English teacher is face-palming right now, but it's a sentence that sets up the rest of the document quite well.  So what does it say?  I have copied it below and inserted my own "laymen" terms to help us understand.

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, 

When things happen that require one group to leave another group.
In other words, when the American colonists have had enough of the tyranny from King George that they have no other choice but to leave.

and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, 

When a group leaves, they have the power to do things for themselves and they don't need to rely on other people because they have the Law of Nature and the Law of God, who gave everyone certain things.

a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

If a group is going to leave, then it's the respectable thing to do is to tell (or declare) why they are leaving. Learn more in Part 2: "We Hold These Truths to be Self-Evident" which will publish next week.

~~~~~

Here is a link to the Declaration of Independence so you can read it yourself:
Declaration of Independence

Post your comments below. What do you think about the first sentence in the Declaration of Independence?



Resources:


Hart, D., Bower, B., & Lobdell, J. (2002). History alive. Palo Alto, CA: Teachers Curriculum Institute.