(This is Professor Julian Boyd's reconstruction of Thomas Jefferson's =
"original Rough draught" of the Declaration of Independence before it =
was revised by the other members of the Committee of Five and by =
Congress. From: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson. Vol. 1, 1760-1776. Ed. =
Julian P. Boyd. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1950, pp 243-247) =
(Italics ours.)
Jefferson's "original Rough draught" of the Declaration of Independence
A Declaration of the Representatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in =
General Congress assembled.
When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for a people to =
advance from that subordination in which they have hitherto remained, & =
to assume among the powers of the earth the equal & independant station =
to which the laws of nature & 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 change.
We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are created =
equal & independant, that from that equal creation they derive rights =
inherent & inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & =
liberty, & the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these ends, =
governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from =
the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government shall =
become destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter =
or to abolish it, & to institute new government, laying it's foundation =
on such principles & organising it's powers in such form, as to them =
shall seem most likely to effect their safety & happiness. prudence =
indeed will dictate that governments long established should not be =
changed for light & 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. but when a long train of abuses & usurpations, =
begun at a distinguished period, & pursuing invariably the same object, =
evinces a design to subject them to arbitrary power, it is their right, =
it is their duty, to throw off such government & to provide new guards =
for their future security. such has been the patient sufferance of these =
colonies; & such is now the necessity which constrains them to expunge =
their former systems of government. the history of his present majesty, =
is a history of unremitting injuries and usurpations, among which no one =
fact stands single or solitary to contradict the uniform tenor of the =
rest, all of which have in direct object the establishment of an =
absolute tyranny over these states. to prove this, let facts be =
submitted to a candid world, for the truth of which we pledge a faith =
yet unsullied by falsehood.=20
he has refused his assent to laws the most wholesome and necessary for =
the public good:=20
he has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate & pressing =
importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should =
be obtained; and when so suspended, he has neglected utterly to attend =
to them.=20
he has refused to pass other laws for the accomodation of large =
districts of people unless those people would relinquish the right of =
representation, a right inestimable to them, formidable to tyrants =
alone:=20
he has dissolved Representative houses repeatedly & continually, for =
opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people:=20
he has refused for a long space of time 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, & =
convulsions within:=20
he has endeavored 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; & raising the =
conditions of new appropriations of lands:=20
he has suffered the administration of justice totally to cease in some =
of these colonies, refusing his assent to laws for establishing =
judiciary powers:=20
he has made our judges dependant on his will alone, for the tenure of =
their offices, and amount of their salaries:=20
he has erected a multitude of new offices by a self-assumed power, & =
sent hither swarms of officers to harrass our people & eat out their =
substance:=20
he has kept among us in times of peace standing armies & ships of war:=20
he has affected to render the military, independant of & superior to the =
civil power:=20
he has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to =
our constitutions and unacknoleged by our laws; giving his assent to =
their pretended acts of legislation, for quartering large bodies of =
armed troops among us;=20
for protecting them by a mock-trial from punishment for any murders they =
should commit on the inhabitants of these states;=20
for cutting off our trade with all parts of the world;=20
for imposing taxes on us without our consent;=20
for depriving us of the benefits of trial by jury;=20
for transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offences: for =
taking away our charters, & altering fundamentally the forms of our =
governments;=20
for suspending our own legislatures & declaring themselves invested with =
power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever:=20
he has abdicated government here, withdrawing his governors, & declaring =
us out of his allegiance & protection:=20
he has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns & =
destroyed the lives of our people:=20
he is at this time transporting large armies of foreign merce naries to =
compleat the works of death, desolation & tyranny, already begun with =
circumstances of cruelty & perfidy unworthy the head of a civilized =
nation:=20
he 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, & conditions of =
existence:=20
he has incited treasonable insurrections in our fellow-subjects, with =
the allurements of forfeiture & confiscation of our property:=20
he has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating it's most =
sacred rights of life & liberty in the persons of a distant people who =
never offended him, captivating & carrying them into slavery in another =
hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither. =
this piratical warfare, the opprobrium of infidel powers, is the warfare =
of the CHRISTIAN king of Great Britain. determined to keep open a market =
where MEN should be bought & sold, he has prostituted his negative for =
suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibit or to restrain this =
execrable commerce: and that this assemblage of horrors might want no =
fact of distinguished die, he is now exciting those very people to rise =
in arms among us, and to purchase that liberty of which he has deprived =
them, & murdering the people upon whom he also obtruded them; thus =
paying off former crimes committed against the liberties of one people, =
with crimes which he urges them to commit against the lives of another.=20
in every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in =
the most humble terms; our repeated petitions have been answered 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 people who mean =
to be free. future ages will scarce believe that the hardiness of one =
man, adventured within the short compass of 12 years only, on so many =
acts of tyranny without a mask, over a people fostered & fixed in =
principles of liberty.=20
Nor have we been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. we have =
warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend =
a jurisdiction over these our states. we have reminded them of the =
circumstances of our emigration & settlement here, no one of which could =
warrant so strange a pretension: that these were effected at the expence =
of our own blood & treasure, unassisted by the wealth or the strength of =
Great Britain: that in constituting indeed our several forms of =
government, we had adopted one common king, thereby laying a foundation =
for perpetual league & amity with them: but that submission to their =
parliament was no part of our constitution, nor ever in idea, if history =
may be credited: and we appealed to their native justice & magnanimity, =
as well as to the ties of our common kindred to disavow these =
usurpations which were likely to interrupt our correspondence & =
connection. they too have been deaf to the voice of justice & of =
consanguinity, & when occasions have been given them, by the regular =
course of their laws, of removing from their councils the disturbers of =
our harmony, they have by their free election re-established them in =
power. at this very time too they are permitting their chief magistrate =
to send over not only soldiers of our common blood, but Scotch & foreign =
mercenaries to invade & deluge us in blood. these facts have given the =
last stab to agonizing affection, and manly spirit bids us to renounce =
for ever these unfeeling brethren. we must endeavor to forget our former =
love for them, and to hold them as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies =
in war, in peace friends. we might have been a free & great people =
together; but a communication of grandeur & of freedom it seems is below =
their dignity. be it so, since they will have it: the road to glory & =
happiness is open to us too; we will climb it in a separate state, and =
acquiesce in the necessity which pronounces our everlasting Adieu!=20
We therefore the representatives of the United States of America in =
General Congress assembled do, in the name & by authority of the good =
people of these states, reject and renounce a11 allegiance & subjection =
to the kings of Great Britain & all others who may hereafter claim by, =
through, or under them; we utterly dissolve & break off a11 political =
connection which may have heretofore subsisted between us & the people =
or parliament of Great Britain; and finally we do assert and declare =
these a colonies to be free and independant states, and that as free & =
independant states they shall hereafter have power to levy war, conclude =
peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, & to do all other acts =
and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support =
of this declaration we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our =
fortunes, & our sacred honour.=20
