Culture

Declaration of Independence Text: Have You Read It?

by Jordan Yerman | July 2, 2009 at 09:08 am

1476 views | 14 Recommendations | 2 comments

The Fourth of July celebrates the the Declaration of Independence- specifically, the date on which the Declaration of Independence text was approved by the Continental Congress of the soon-to-be Untied States of America. Not to be confused with the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence is the document that outlined the American colonies' grievances against the British government, with whom the colonies were already at war over taxes. So, instead of paying for the Seven Years' War between Britain and Prussia, the new taxes triggered a new war.

The Declaration of Independence text (linked below) is worth a look, both for Americans who haven't yet read it, and non-Americans who want to know what the big deal is behind this history-shaping document.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass 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:

For protecting them, by a 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 benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

Also, it's interesting (i.e. embarrassing) to look at how the colonists viewed Native Americans, characterizing the indigenous people of the US as de facto weapons of the British Empire:

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured 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.

The US,
Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa have this common denominator of a very uneasy relationship with their past (and present) treatment of indigenous people during the colonial process.

The document, while approved by Congress on July 4, was not actually signed until August 2. Also, the Declaration of Independence was copied and distributed to the public. The "original" is housed in the Rotunda of the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC, though I wonder if any of the distributed copies still survive, and, if so, how many.

Related content can be found in our Fourth of July feature channel.

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a211423

at 11:51 on July 2nd, 2009

American Colonization

Domination and enslavement did not stop within the contiguous United States of Native Americans and African Americans. The Spanish American War of 1898 set the global stage for American imperialism and colonization to advance to Cuba and then to the Philippines and Guam. A war started because of incorrect intelligence that The Maine was attacked and bombed, which now we know the explosion was actually caused interally and not sabotaged.

While we read the Declaration of Independence, we might also consider not just our independence but global independence in terms of governance, religion, ethnicity, and gender.

A. Tran

at 07:39 on July 3rd, 2009

Yes, I have read and studied the Declaration of Independence in school.

I think the US, Canada, New Zealand, and to some extent, South Africa, continue to have that uncomfortable relationship with their past and present regarding the treatment of indigenous people, and in particular, Native Americans in the US.