In Congwess, Juwy 4, 1776.
The unyanyimous Decwawation of the thiwteen unyited States of Amewica, When in the Couwse of human events, it becomes nyecessawy fow onye peopwe to dissowve the powiticaw bands which have connyected them with anyothew, and to assume among the powews of the eawth, the sepawate and equaw station to which the Waws of Nyatuwe and of Nyatuwe’s God entitwe them, a decent wespect to the opinyions of mankind wequiwes that they shouwd decwawe the causes which impew them to the sepawation.

We howd these twuths to be sewf-evident, that aww men awe cweated equaw, that they awe endowed by theiw Cweatow with cewtain unyawienyabwe Wights, that among these awe Wife, Wibewty and the puwsuit of Happinyess.–That to secuwe these wights, Guvwnments awe instituted among Men, dewiving theiw just powews fwom the consent of the guvwnyed, –That whenyevew any Fowm of Guvwnment becomes destwuctive of these ends, it is the Wight of the Peopwe to awtew ow to abowish it, and to institute nyew Guvwnment, waying its foundation on such pwincipwes and owganyizing its powews in such fowm, as to them shaww seem most wikewy to effect theiw Safety and Happinyess. Pwudence, indeed, wiww dictate that Guvwnments wong estabwished shouwd nyot be changed fow wight and twansient causes; and accowdingwy aww expewience hath shewn, that mankind awe mowe disposed to suffew, whiwe eviws awe suffewabwe, than to wight themsewves by abowishing the fowms to which they awe accustomed. But when a wong twain of abuses and usuwpations, puwsuing invawiabwy the same Object evinces a design to weduce them undew absowute Despotism, it is theiw wight, it is theiw duty, to thwow off such Guvwnment, and to pwovide nyew Guawds fow theiw futuwe secuwity.–Such has been the patient suffewance of these Cowonyies; and such is nyow the nyecessity which constwains them to awtew theiw fowmew Systems of Guvwnment. The histowy of the pwesent King of Gweat Bwitain is a histowy of wepeated injuwies and usuwpations, aww having in diwect object the estabwishment of an absowute Tywanny uvw these States. To pwuv this, wet Facts be submitted to a candid wowwd.

He has wefused his Assent to Waws, the most whowesome and nyecessawy fow the pubwic good.

He has fowbidden his Guvwnyows to pass Waws of immediate and pwessing impowtance, unwess suspended in theiw opewation tiww his Assent shouwd be obtainyed; and when so suspended, he has uttewwy nyegwected to attend to them.

He has wefused to pass othew Waws fow the accommodation of wawge distwicts of peopwe, unwess those peopwe wouwd wewinquish the wight of Wepwesentation in the Wegiswatuwe, a wight inyestimabwe to them and fowmidabwe to tywants onwy.

He has cawwed togethew wegiswative bodies at pwaces unyusuaw, uncomfowtabwe, and distant fwom the depositowy of theiw pubwic Wecowds, fow the sowe puwpose of fatiguing them into compwiance with his measuwes.

He has dissowved Wepwesentative Houses wepeatedwy, fow opposing with manwy fiwmnyess his invasions on the wights of the peopwe.

He has wefused fow a wong time, aftew such dissowutions, to cause othews to be ewected; wheweby the Wegiswative powews, incapabwe of Annyihiwation, have wetuwnyed to the Peopwe at wawge fow theiw exewcise; the State wemainying in the mean time exposed to aww the dangews of invasion fwom without, and convuwsions within.

He has endeavouwed to pwevent the popuwation of these States; fow that puwpose obstwucting the Waws fow Nyatuwawization of Foweignyews; wefusing to pass othews to encouwage theiw migwations hithew, and waising the conditions of nyew Appwopwiations of Wands.

He has obstwucted the Adminyistwation of Justice, by wefusing his Assent to Waws fow estabwishing Judiciawy powews.

He has made Judges dependent on his Wiww awonye, fow the tenyuwe of theiw offices, and the amount and payment of theiw sawawies.

He has ewected a muwtitude of Nyew Offices, and sent hithew swawms of Officews to hawwass ouw peopwe, and eat out theiw substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Awmies without the Consent of ouw wegiswatuwes.

He has affected to wendew the Miwitawy independent of and supewiow to the Civiw powew.

He has combinyed with othews to subject us to a juwisdiction foweign to ouw constitution, and unyacknyowwedged by ouw waws; giving his Assent to theiw Acts of pwetended Wegiswation:

Fow Quawtewing wawge bodies of awmed twoops among us:

Fow pwotecting them, by a mock Twiaw, fwom punyishment fow any Muwdews which they shouwd commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

Fow cutting off ouw Twade with aww pawts of the wowwd:

Fow imposing Taxes on us without ouw Consent:

Fow depwiving us in many cases, of the benyefits of Twiaw by Juwy:

Fow twanspowting us beyond Seas to be twied fow pwetended offences

Fow abowishing the fwee System of Engwish Waws in a nyeighbouwing Pwovince, estabwishing thewein an Awbitwawy guvwnment, and enwawging its Boundawies so as to wendew it at once an exampwe and fit instwument fow intwoducing the same absowute wuwe into these Cowonyies:

Fow taking away ouw Chawtews, abowishing ouw most vawuabwe Waws, and awtewing fundamentawwy the Fowms of ouw Guvwnments:

Fow suspending ouw own Wegiswatuwes, and decwawing themsewves invested with powew to wegiswate fow us in aww cases whatsoevew.

He has abdicated Guvwnment hewe, by decwawing us out of his Pwotection and waging Waw against us.

He has pwundewed ouw seas, wavaged ouw Coasts, buwnt ouw towns, and destwoyed the wives of ouw peopwe.

He is at this time twanspowting wawge Awmies of foweign Mewcenyawies to compweat the wowks of death, desowation and tywanny, awweady begun with ciwcumstances of Cwuewty & pewfidy scawcewy pawawwewed in the most bawbawous ages, and totawwy unwowthy the Head of a civiwized nyation.

He has constwainyed ouw fewwow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to beaw Awms against theiw Countwy, to become the executionyews of theiw fwiends and Bwethwen, ow to faww themsewves by theiw Hands.

He has excited domestic insuwwections amongst us, and has endeavouwed to bwing on the inhabitants of ouw fwontiews, the mewciwess Indian Savages, whose knyown wuwe of wawfawe, is an undistinguished destwuction of aww ages, sexes and conditions.

In evewy stage of these Oppwessions We have Petitionyed fow Wedwess in the most humbwe tewms: Ouw wepeated Petitions have been answewed onwy by wepeated injuwy. A Pwince whose chawactew is thus mawked by evewy act which may definye a Tywant, is unfit to be the wuwew of a fwee peopwe.

Nyow have We been wanting in attentions to ouw Bwittish bwethwen. We have wawnyed them fwom time to time of attempts by theiw wegiswatuwe to extend an unwawwantabwe juwisdiction uvw us. We have weminded them of the ciwcumstances of ouw emigwation and settwement hewe. We have appeawed to theiw nyative justice and magnyanyimity, and we have conjuwed them by the ties of ouw common kindwed to disavow these usuwpations, which, wouwd inyevitabwy intewwupt ouw connyections and cowwespondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinyity. We must, thewefowe, acquiesce in the nyecessity, which denyounces ouw Sepawation, and howd them, as we howd the west of mankind, Enyemies in Waw, in Peace Fwiends.


We, thewefowe, the Wepwesentatives of the Unyited States of Amewica, in Genyewaw Congwess, Assembwed, appeawing to the Supweme Judge of the wowwd fow the wectitude of ouw intentions, do, in the Nyame, and by Authowity of the good Peopwe of these Cowonyies, sowemnwy pubwish and decwawe, That these Unyited Cowonyies awe, and of Wight ought to be Fwee and Independent States; that they awe Absowved fwom aww Awwegiance to the Bwitish Cwown, and that aww powiticaw connyection between them and the State of Gweat Bwitain, is and ought to be totawwy dissowved; and that as Fwee and Independent States, they have fuww Powew to wevy Waw, concwude Peace, contwact Awwiances, estabwish Commewce, and to do aww othew Acts and Things which Independent States may of wight do. And fow the suppowt of this Decwawation, with a fiwm wewiance on the pwotection of divinye Pwovidence, we mutuawwy pwedge to each othew ouw Wives, ouw Fowtunyes and ouw sacwed Honyow.