IN CONGRESS. JULY 4, 1776.

turmanale il bime necessary for on people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to
wn on the faces of the earth in jeparate and equus joten to union the Laure of datur, and of reture's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they
We noid these truths tobe self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by the Creator
juemad decore the canyes which impa in lotus jeparation
with action anatumain Rights, that among inier un Life. Liverty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to fecure these rights. Governments au instituted among Men, deiving their just
floures from the consent of the gerand hd ww neve any From of yoreinmal eccome districtive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to atter es to abolish it, and to institute new
Government tag to prantation such pancipier and es
organizing its fleur is in such form as to them shall sem mest likely to effect these safety and Happiness. Prudenice, indeed
stavusted oid not is changed for tight and manwand causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disponed to suffer, whil
tmy an accustomed. But when along train of abuses and ufurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object
cons un peradle, than the right themselves by atruning
The forms le which
wincaa damp to aduce them conder atsetate copotions, it is turn right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide nue Guards for
for their future fecurity
which a notains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great
ines tenis, and
The patient figerne of
juch w now line necesity.
Bakin is a testnego uprated injures and u ucfuctions, ad uoving in direct expect in jhulishment of an absolute
over these Statis To prove this, Id Facts be fuomitted to a conte
Tyranny
world
refused his if pent to daws, the most wholesome and necessary for the puroue yood. He has forbidden his Governors to pass Lous of immediate
and preping importana, unijo Juspended in their operation till his itpent should be obtained; and when se suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them-
pas other Laws for the accommodation of unge distreds of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to thim
to tyrants only. He has called togetur legislative bodus al piaces unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of thur Public Records, for the sole purpose of faliquing them into
The has disoived Reprotitative Fionses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
along time after such depolations, to cause others to be elected; whereby in Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to
to the People at large for their excrcise, the Stats
mean time exposed to all the dangus & invasion from without, and convulsions within He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose véstine
ling the Laws for Naturalization of Frugnus rejusing to pass others to encourage then migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands. He has bohudteil be
Administration of justix, by refusing his it sent to Laur for establishing Judiciary powers. has made Judges dependent on his Wite alom, for the tenure of their offers, and the amount
Sie nas creded a
and payment of their salarus.
a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither fearms of Officers to hang's our people, and cut out thur fubstance He has kept among
He
He has affected to wonder the Mildary independent of and superior to the livic power
times of peace, standing thrmus without the Consent of our legislatures .
with others to subject us to a jurisdiction perign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his sent to their Acts of pretended Legislation For quarkring large bodies of
For pretiding them, by a mock Triad from punishment for any Murders which they should commet on the Inhabitants of these States : —
Trude with all parts of the woul For imposing Taxis on us with out our Consent For depriving is in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jurg For transporting us toys
1 for pretended offences, For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a
dibitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries
Province, establishing therein an
nughbouring
and pet inftrument for introducing the same résolute rute into these Colonies For taking sway ourl harters, abolishing our most valuable laws and
atkring fundamentally the Farms.
Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever
hardy the end of thesaring me out of his Policion and waging
He has plundered our shas,
our Costs burnt our towns, and deskoyed the Lews
ravaged
four people. He is at this time hansporting targ. Uimes of foreign Mercenaries to complect the works of death, desolation and tyranny already begun with circumstances of Cruetly perfidy
fcarcely paradicted in the most carburous ages, and totally uneverting the Head of a civized nation Hea has constrained ou
our fellow Citizens lakon Captive on the high seas to bear arms against
ther County to become the accudiomes of their prends and Buiten, lefall themselves by thur Hands. He has cuted domestic injurediens amongst and has endeavoured to bring on the
alants of our frontiers, the merate's Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, & undistinguished destruction of all ages, fees and conditions. In every stage of those Oppressions the
Petitioned for Redues in the most humble terms. Our repeated Pilations have been answered by repeated injury. Al Rince, whose character is this marked by every act w
which may define a Tyrant,

4

On a slip of paper pasted on the inside of the first cover, in the handwriting of Paul Leicester Ford, is the following: "Charles Thomson's own copy of the Journal of Congress, with autographic notes on fly leaves in his handwriting and two very important marginal notes, relating to the Declaration of Independence, at p. 245 P. L. F." An examination of these "notes on fly leaves" indicates that some, and perhaps all, are in the handwriting of Thomson, as stated; but the "two very important marginal notes," if in Thomson's handwriting, were evidently written by him when advanced in years: and we know that he lived until August 16, 1824.

The question whether M:Kean or Jefferson is right does not affect, however, the signing 76 of the Declaration on parchment"—now in the Department of State.

The Journal tells us that Congress, on July 19th,

passed on the 4th

Λ

Resolved 78 That the Declaration be fairly engrossed on parchment with the title and stile of "The unanimous declaration of the thirteen united states of America" & that the same when engrossed be signed by every member of Congress.

and that, on August 2d 79,

80 The declaration of independance being enerossed & compared 81 at the table was signed

Jared Sparks relates 82 the following anecdote "respecting an incident which took place when the members were about to sign the Declaration. 'We must be unanimous,' said Hancock; 'there must be no pulling different ways; we must all hang together.' 'Yes,'

replied Franklin, 'we must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately."

84

Hancock doubtless 83 was the first to sign. "He wrote his name where all nations should behold it, and all time should not efface it." Watson says: "[V] When John Hancock signed his name, he did it in a large strong hand, and rising from his seat, said, 'There! John Bull can read my name without spectacles, and may now double his reward of £500 for my head. That is my defiance.'" 85

Hopkins' signature, on the contrary, is very infirm — a fact which has given rise to the belief that he trembled with fear. Sanderson says, however, that he was afflicted with the shaking palsy and that he scarcely ever wrote at all.86

Charles Carroll of Carrollton, says John Adams in his letter of February 18, 1776, "is . . . a gentleman of independent fortune, perhaps the largest in Americaa hundred and fifty or two hundred thousand pounds sterling; educated in some university in France, though a native of America, of great abilities and learning, complete master of the French language, and a professor of the Roman Catholick religion, yet a warm, a firm, a zealous supporter of the rights of America, in whose cause he has hazarded his all." It does not seem strange, therefore, that Sanderson writes: "[B] Mr. Hancock . . . during a conversation with Mr. Carroll, asked him if he would sign it [the Declaration]. willingly,' was the reply, and taking a pen, he at once put his name to the instrument. There goes a few millions,' said one of those who stood by ; and all present

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