declaration250
| id | section_order | section_key | heading | body |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | preamble | Preamble | When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and 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 separation. |
| 2 | 2 | self_evident | Self-Evident Truths | We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government. |
| 3 | 3 | grievances_intro | The Charge Against the King | The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. |
| 4 | 4 | conclusion | The Declaration | We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. |
| 5 | 5 | signatories | The Signers | 56 delegates signed. John Hancock signed first and largest as President of Congress. The youngest signer was Edward Rutledge (26); the oldest, Benjamin Franklin (70). Most signing took place on August 2, 1776, not July 4. |