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.

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, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and 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 and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. – Such has been the patient sufferance of these States; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former System of Government. The history of the present United States Government 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.

They have refused to assent to His laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

They have endeavoured to prevent the population control of these States; for that purpose obstructing and obfuscating the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to enforce others, encouraging their illegal migrations hither.

They have obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing to assent to His laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

They have made Judges dependent on their will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

They have erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

They have kept among us, in times of peace, forein legions, not subject to the laws of the land under the guise of diplomatic immunity, without the Consent of the people.

They have affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

They have combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving their assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

For mandating and imposing foreign trade agreements with all parts of the world:

For imposing taxes on us without our consent:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute tyrannical rule into these States

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever, under the the guise of the War on Drugs, the War on Terror and Financial Emergencies.

They have abdicated Government here, by rendering us mute and waging War against us.

They have allowed our seas to be plundered, our coasts and borders ravaged, our towns burnt, and the lives of our people destroyed.

They have at this time allowed large Armies of illegal, foreign criminals to cross our borders to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Governement of a civilized nation.

They have constrained our fellow Citizens, taken Captive in their own lands, streets and homes, to bear Arms against this scourge, to become victims at the hands of these criminals.

They have excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and have endeavoured to bring on the basest inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless gangs, cartels, terrorists, pedophiles, rapists, murderers and thieves, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Government, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define Tyranny, we declare unfit to be the rulers of this Free People.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Fellow Citizens. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our forefathers emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Citizens of the United States of America, 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 States, solemnly publish and declare, That these United States are, and of Right ought to be once again Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to this present Government, and that all political connection between them and this present Government, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, create and abolish laws, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. – And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, and a return to our Constitution as it was intended, not interpreted, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor. One Nation Under God.