Today is the day we break up from The British Empire and declare ourselves as independent states. There comes a time in the history of human beings that equality must reign supreme; that people must become free and break from the yoke of the chains of colonizers. The laws of God and the laws of nature entitle mankind to certain equal inherent rights that cannot be taken away by any individual or by a colonial power. The laws of God and the laws of nature justify our separation from The Great Britain Empire for we are a free people.
There are certain truths that are self-evident; that all men are born and created equal; that the creator endows all men with certain rights that are inalienable; that among these rights are the right to life, the right to liberty, and the right to the pursuit of happiness. The rights are secured through establishment of a government. However, for a government to be legitimate, it must derive its authority from the consent of the people. The people must have the right to remove such a government if it fails to secure those rights. The British colonialists do not have the consent to govern us; they have imposed their authority upon us infringing on our inherent right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They have put us in the position of a caged bird that cannot fly but time has come for us to break out of the cage of imperialism and fly to the freedom of self-government.
The people have the right to control their government. When the government acts contrary to the will and expectations of the people, the people have the right to overthrow such a government. The King of Britain has presided over an era of gross abuse of the rights of the people. He has stepped on these rights leaving the people bleeding with wounds and scars. He has established absolute tyranny over the nation through repeated usurpation of power and injuries to the people. Such acts include refusal to assent to laws that are necessary for the welfare of the people, he has withdrawn the right of some people to be represented in the legislature, he has left the state exposed to invasion, and he has appropriated land and made judges his toys. He has imposed taxes and put in place arbitrary rules amongst other horrendous acts.
The states have been very patient with the king and have taken several measures to avoid separation. They have petitioned the King for redress only for him to use tyrannical methods to suppress free will. The states have warned the British legislature against exercising jurisdiction that is unwarranted only for the warnings to fall on deaf ears. The states have constantly reminded the British of reasons for emigration to the United States in vain. The arrogant conduct of The British and their king, their conceit, their unwillingness to negotiate has left the states with no option but to announce separation.
We have assembled here as the representatives of the people of the United States in Congress, and in their name, and by the authority that they have bestowed upon us, we do declare that the colonies ought to be free and they have the right to be independent. The colonies no longer owe any allegiance to the Crown of the British Empire and any connections between the colonies and The British Empire are dissolved from now henceforth. We have declared the colonies to be free and independent states and such they have the right to wage war, call for peace, enter into contracts, form alliances; and indeed engage in all acts that independent states have the right to do. Relying on divine providence, the states pledge mutually to each other their fortunes, their lives, and their sacred honor.