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Show - "gusng- «wa- [52] [53] pital fortrefs would foon fall into our hands. Thoufands on this continent would not have wept in angurfh tor the lofs of a hutband, a father, or a friend, had the fame emotions of philanthropy pervaded the bofoms of our per- fceutors. But the itrohe of divine juttice ieems to have been fuipendcd until their cup of gutlt was filled with the widows and the orphans tears. rid-irritations neceflitry for the fupport Of any governmmt NOTWITHSTANDINC the efforts which had been made for reconciliation, the profpetft of it feemed every moment to be more remote. Every account from Great-Britain ferved to confirm the opinion, that nothing {hort of an unconditional fubmillion on our part would be accepted ; and every day's enquiry convinced the unprejudiced, that we had every thing to fear from a connection with them. As the governments of the feveral colonies had been ex- under the crown of Great-Britain , and it is titrellarv that the exercif: of every kind of authority under the fad] crown lhould be totally fupprelltd, and all the powers of government exerttd under the authority of the people of the colonies, for the preterva'tion of internal peace, virtue, and good order, as well as for the defence of their lives, liberties and properties, againft the hoftile inianons and Cruel dopredations of their enemies ; " RESOLVED, That it be recommended to the ref'peilive allctnblies and conventions of the United C010; nies, where no government lufficient to the exigencies of their affairs hath been hitherto eflablithcd, to adopt fuch government as {hall in the opinion of the reprelcihative of the people heft conduce to the happinefs and fafetv of their eonitituents in particular, and America in general." ercifed under authority from the king of Great-Britain, they were reduced to the alternative of being in a manner without government, or of inftituting new fyflems on :1 balls purely republican. The former was chofen, as the latter would have tended greatly to impede a future conlut a fate of political anarchy could not long neclion. be tolerable to any fociety : the evils refulting from it muf't at length have produced the molt fatal confequences ; and it was impoffibie to forefee What might be the event of a eontctt in which mankind were fet loofe from the i'eilraints of law. Imprefled with thcfe ideas, the Con- grefs on the 151h of May, 1776, publifhed the following relolution : " \VnEREAs his Britannic majefty, in conjunction with the loros and commons of Great-Britain has, by a late aft of parliament, excluded the inhabitants of thefe United Colonies from the proteétion of his crown , and whereas no anfwer whatever to the humble petitions of the colonies for redrefs of grievances and reconciliation with Great-Britain has been or is likely to be given, but the whole force of that kingdom, aided by foreign mercenaries, is to be exerted for the dcf'truétion of the good people of thefe colonies; and whereas it appears abe- lutely irreconcileable to reafon and good eonfeienee, for the people of thefe colonies now to take the oaths and allirmations THE conduct of Great-Britain was {till the fame com- pon id ofviolence and fraud. \Vhile the llores of poli- tical artifice were exhaufted, to prevent us from obtaining foreign aid, nothing, which money or promifes could et- fect was left undone, to collefrt, the mercenaries of Ger- many for our fubj ugation. Foiled in their former efforts, they called forth all their firength, and to lull us into fecurity at the fame time, endeavoured to cover their de- {1ng With the thin veil of reconciliation. For this pur- pofe they pal ed an aét of parliament, and in confequence of it appointed commiffioners, with power to grant pardons to thofe Americans, who would be to guilty as to folieit them. At length, fully convinced of what reafon had long dictated, that no rational fecurity for our li« berties could be obtained duringa commotion with Great- Britain, and that every idea ofdependence tended toenfechle our efforts, in a caufe on which every thing was at (take, the fine fpun thread, which held the two Countries to- gether, was cut on the memorable 4th of July, 1776, by the tollowmg " D E C L A R ATI O N by the Raj/\rifiirtm‘im's of the UNITE D STAT ES of AlVilLRlCA, in Congnfi (w'émblal. " WHEN, in the courfe of human events, it be" Domes neeeflary for one people to diflolve the political bands |
