A Pledge for 2021

The cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy!

 

H. L. Mencken, Notes on Democracy, 1926

 

The New York Times has published what the political left believes are better templates for a new United States flag. Rather than using acerbic wit to dismantle their argument, we will hand that honor to Johnny Cash. Do yourself a favor and check out the actual recording. As moving as the lyrics are, the song gets more powerful by a factor of 100 when you hear it.

 

 

Ragged Old Flag (live) 

 

 

‘RAGGED OLD FLAG”

Words & music by Johnny Cash

 

 

I walked through a county courthouse square
On a park bench, an old man was sittin' there.
I said, "Your old court house is kinda run down,
He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town".
I said, "Your old flag pole is leaned a little bit,
And that's a ragged old flag you got hangin' on it".
He said, "Have a seat", and I sat down,
"Is this the first time you've been to our little town"
I said, "I think it is"
He said "I don't like to brag, but we're kinda proud of
That Ragged Old Flag

"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there,
When Washington took it across the Delaware.
and It got powder burned the night Francis Scott Key sat watching it,
writing "Say Can You See"
It got a rip in New Orleans, with Packingham & Jackson
tugging at its seams.
and It almost fell at the Alamo
beside the Texas flag,
But she waved on though.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville,
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee and Beauregard and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on
That Ragged Old Flag

"On Flanders Field in World War I,
She got a big hole from a Bertha Gun,
She turned blood red in World War II
She hung limp, and low, a time or two,
She was in Korea, Vietnam, She went where she was sent
by her Uncle Sam.
She waved from our ships upon the briny foam
and now they've about quit wavin' back here at home
in her own good land here She's been abused,
She's been burned, dishonored, denied an' refused,
And the government for which she stands
Has been scandalized throughout out the land.
And she's getting thread bare, and she's wearin' thin,
But she's in good shape, for the shape she's in.
Cause she's been through the fire before
and i believe she can take a whole lot more.

"So we raise her up every morning
And we bring her down slow every night,
We don't let her touch the ground,
And we fold her up right.
On second thought
I *do* like to brag
Cause I'm mighty proud of
That Ragged Old Flag"

September 11, 2021 - Twenty Years. Two Words.

 

 NEVER FORGET

 

"343"

 

 "BRAVEHEART"

      

The Big Afghan Lie

 

The cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy!

 

H. L. Mencken, Notes on Democracy, 1926

 

President Joe Biden is lying to the world regarding his repeated declarations that his hands were tied by the agreement made by President Trump with the Taliban.

One may disagree with President Trump on the specifics of the deal, but it is absolutely clear that Biden could have found the Taliban was not in obeyance and thus tossed the deal. He could then have safely brought out each and every American now trapped in Afghanistan.

 

The official text of the agreement is below. We challenge any citizen to read it and then agree with Biden’s assessment.

 

Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan
between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States
as a state and is known as the Taliban and the United States of America

February 29, 2020
which corresponds to Rajab 5, 1441 on the Hijri Lunar calendar
and Hoot 10, 1398 on the Hijri Solar calendar

A comprehensive peace agreement is made of four parts:

1. Guarantees and enforcement mechanisms that will prevent the use of the soil of Afghanistan by
any group or individual against the security of the United States and its allies.

2. Guarantees, enforcement mechanisms, and announcement of a timeline for the withdrawal of
all foreign forces from Afghanistan.

3. After the announcement of guarantees for a complete withdrawal of foreign forces and timeline
in the presence of international witnesses, and guarantees and the announcement in the presence
of international witnesses that Afghan soil will not be used against the security of the United
States and its allies, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United
States as a state and is known as the Taliban will start intra-Afghan negotiations with Afghan
sides on March 10, 2020, which corresponds to Rajab 15, 1441 on the Hijri Lunar calendar and
Hoot 20, 1398 on the Hijri Solar calendar.

4. A permanent and comprehensive ceasefire will be an item on the agenda of the intra-Afghan
dialogue and negotiations. The participants of intra-Afghan negotiations will discuss the date
and modalities of a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire, including joint implementation
mechanisms, which will be announced along with the completion and agreement over the future
political roadmap of Afghanistan.

The four parts above are interrelated and each will be implemented in accordance with its own agreed
timeline and agreed terms. Agreement on the first two parts paves the way for the last two parts.

Following is the text of the agreement for the implementation of parts one and two of the above. Both
sides agree that these two parts are interconnected. The obligations of the Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban in this
agreement apply in areas under their control until the formation of the new post-settlement Afghan
Islamic government as determined by the intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations.

PART ONE

The United States is committed to withdraw from Afghanistan all military forces of the United States,
its allies, and Coalition partners, including all non-diplomatic civilian personnel, private security
contractors, trainers, advisors, and supporting services personnel within fourteen (14) months following
announcement of this agreement, and will take the following measures in this regard:

. II
A. The United States, its allies, and the Coalition will take the following measures in the first one
hundred thirty-five (135) days:

1) They will reduce the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan to eight thousand six hundred
(8,600) and proportionally bring reduction in the number of its allies and Coalition
forces.

2) The United States, its allies, and the Coalition will withdraw all their forces from five
(5) military bases.

B. With the commitment and action on the obligations of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which
is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban in Part Two of this
agreement, the United States, its allies, and the Coalition will execute the following:

1) The United States, its allies, and the Coalition will complete withdrawal of all remaining
forces from Afghanistan within the remaining nine and a half (9.5) months.

2) The United States, its allies, and the Coalition will withdraw all their forces from
remaining bases.

C. The United States is committed to start immediately to work with all relevant sides on a plan
to expeditiously release combat and political prisoners as a confidence building measure with
the coordination and approval of all relevant sides. Up to five thousand (5,000) prisoners of
the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and
is known as the Taliban and up to one thousand (1,000) prisoners of the other side will be
released by March 10, 2020, the first day of intra-Afghan negotiations, which corresponds to
Rajab 15, 1441 on the Hijri Lunar calendar and Hoot 20, 1398 on the Hijri Solar calendar.
The relevant sides have the goal of releasing all the remaining prisoners over the course of the
subsequent three months. The United States commits to completing this goal. The Islamic
Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known
as the Taliban commits that its released prisoners will be committed to the responsibilities
mentioned in this agreement so that they will not pose a threat to the security of the United
States and its allies.

D. With the start of intra-Afghan negotiations, the United States will initiate an administrative
review of current U.S. sanctions and the rewards list against members of the Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban
with the goal of removing these sanctions by August 27, 2020, which corresponds to Muharram
8, 1442 on the Hijri Lunar calendar and Saunbola 6, 1399 on the Hijri Solar calendar.

E. With the start of intra-Afghan negotiations, the United States will start diplomatic engagement
with other members of the United Nations Security Council and Afghanistan to remove
members of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as
a state and is known as the Taliban from the sanctions list with the aim of achieving this
objective by May 29, 2020, which corresponds to Shawwal 6, 1441 on the Hijri Lunar calendar
and Jawza 9, 1399 on the Hijri Solar calendar.

. III

F. The United States and its allies will refrain from the threat or the use of force against the
territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan or intervening in its domestic
affairs.


PART TWO

In conjunction with the announcement of this agreement, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is
not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban will take the following steps
to prevent any group or individual, including al-Qa’ida, from using the soil of Afghanistan to threaten
the security of the United States and its allies:

1. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and
is known as the Taliban will not allow any of its members, other individuals or groups, including
al-Qa’ida, to use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its
allies.

2. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and
is known as the Taliban will send a clear message that those who pose a threat to the security
of the United States and its allies have no place in Afghanistan, and will instruct members of
the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and
is known as the Taliban not to cooperate with groups or individuals threatening the security of
the United States and its allies.

3. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and
is known as the Taliban will prevent any group or individual in Afghanistan from threatening
the security of the United States and its allies, and will prevent them from recruiting, training,
and fundraising and will not host them in accordance with the commitments in this agreement.

4. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and
is known as the Taliban is committed to deal with those seeking asylum or residence in
Afghanistan according to international migration law and the commitments of this agreement,
so that such persons do not pose a threat to the security of the United States and its allies.

5. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and
is known as the Taliban will not provide visas, passports, travel permits, or other legal
documents to those who pose a threat to the security of the United States and its allies to enter
Afghanistan.

PART THREE
1. The United States will request the recognition and endorsement of the United Nations Security
Council for this agreement.

. IV
2. The United States and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United
States as a state and is known as the Taliban seek positive relations with each other and expect
that the relations between the United States and the new post-settlement Afghan Islamic
government as determined by the intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations will be positive.

3. The United States will seek economic cooperation for reconstruction with the new post-
settlement Afghan Islamic government as determined by the intra-Afghan dialogue and
negotiations, and will not intervene in its internal affairs.



Signed in Doha, Qatar on February 29, 2020, which corresponds to Rajab 5, 1441 on the Hijri Lunar
calendar and Hoot 10, 1398 on the Hijri Solar calendar, in duplicate, in Pashto, Dari, and English
languages, each text being equally authentic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Afghanistan - 8-31-2021 - Not On My Watch

The cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy!

 

H. L. Mencken, Notes on Democracy, 1926

 

{ed. note: As the lead content writer and editor for The Madison Conservative, I have always opted to hand this platform over to guest commentators when an issue is significant but outside the purpose of this blog. I established The Madison Conservative as a means to keep the United States Constitution at the forefront of all governmental policy discussions.

This time, however, the issue is personal. Given that reality, I will be stepping out as editor and give voice to my own personal opinions. This blog has always relied upon the facts within the Constitution to form the foundation of our arguments. I take great pride in that fact. But today is different. It has to be.}

 

I enlisted in the United States Navy as a direct result of the Iranian hostage crisis. With all the bravado and arrogance of youth at my disposal, my attitude was that nobody was going to harm Americans, and somebody needed to secure their safe release. I decided if somebody was going to wade into harm’s way to get them home, it might as well be me. I’d take a minute when leaving Iran   to stop and teach the Ayatollah a thing or two about messing with Americans.  Of course, I had nothing to do with the hostage’s release, but in many ways the mindset persists.

My naval career instilled many truths to my sense of self, but perhaps the two strongest lessons were these:

1 – Never leave anyone behind. That transfers into pretty much every aspect of daily life. See someone having a hard time, we go help. Someone is lost, even in the mall, you stop and help get them to where they need to be. I understand this attitude is not solely an American philosophy, but we as a people sure have perfected it. We leave no one behind, be it soldier or civilian.

 

Why not? That brings us to number two.

 

2 – “No. Not on my watch”. As Americans, we make sure our neighbor is safe. We will do what is needed to be done. Because we will not stand idly by and just take a look at what has occured. We jump into action, because no harm will come to another human being if we can stop it.

 

Not on our watch.

 

There are more than enough issues to be discussed about the epic cowardice of Joe Biden and his administration. The entire scope of the Afghan War closure is tainted by the politics of the left. No doubt I will return to this platform to give personal voice to them.

 

Right now, there needs to be immediate answers as to exactly why Americans were left in Afghanistan.

 

Why, President Biden?

 

The American mantra is that no one will be left behind, not on our watch.

 

Yet you did exactly that. Your need for political expediency has condemned Americans to live with fear, torture, and potentially death.

 

Why?

 

Under what rationale did you leave citizens behind?

 

Why?

 

Your cowardice demands answers, but none more immediate is why were Americans abandoned to the hands of terrorists.

 

Why?

 

We as a people have always known that America would not desert us. Joe Biden has taken that absolute faith and buried it in a pile of political manure.

 

The fact is that history will judge you as the coward you are, but first you must answer for your actions.

 

Why have none of your administration resigned in disgrace, or at least been fired?

 

There is an inherent social contract between the governing and the governed. You have disgraced yourself and your office.

 

Allow me to make the point as often as I can.

 

America does not leave anyone behind.

 

Not on our watch.

 

America – Land of the Free BECAUSE of the Brave.

 

You, Mr. President, do not deserve the honor of the presidency.

 

You are a liar and a coward.

 

And here’s something else I learned during my Navy hitch. Once you are branded a coward, that bell will never be un-rung.

 

Not on my watch.

 

 

Afghanistan - August 16th, 2021 - A Guest Commentary

 

The cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy!

 

H. L. Mencken, Notes on Democracy, 1926

 

 

Afghanistan has fallen to the Taliban, and the horrors of that fact have yet to begin. The loss of Afghanistan will have long ranging ripple effects for the world, and for decades to come.

The entry into the 20 year war was a direct result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. There were voices at the time who encouraged President Bush to, as the saying went, bomb them back into the stone age, wish them a good day,  and then leave. The sentiment of we broke it, we own it, won out.

History will judge the decisions made, but at this moment in time there is so much false and fraudulent information spewing forth from the stenographic media that it is necessary to mark these events with facts.

In no real particular order:

 

President Biden and his administration are directly responsible for the current state of events. President’s of both political parties share ownership of this cataclysm. Biden announced his intention to withdraw troops on a date certain with absolutely no need to do so, and with no coherent plan to do so. Administration flacks have already attempted to lay blame at the feet of President Donald Trump. This is idiotic on the face of it. President Trump did indeed make the decision to end our longest war. What the spokespeople seem to forget is that Trump had an actual plan. To do it a great injustice in summing it up this way, but in short Trump told the Taliban leaders if they did not honor their agreements, they would have a very bad day. Trump had already taken out al-Qaida leadership, so they knew not to cross him. Biden made no such statements. Rather, he was quoted as saying that the Taliban would not overtake the country. That was a month ago.

Whoops.

There seems to be a wild case of amnesia by the pundits, as they keep making comparisons to Vietnam and the fall of Saigon.

This is a very minority opinion, but the military did not lose the Vietnam War.

The politicians of the time did, by injecting their ignorance into the situation. They cut funding, and made the entire exit a political game. Again, the military did not lose the Vietnam War.

 

In much the same way, our military did not lose Afghanistan. Biden and the political left did. That is not partisan, that is fact.

To quote what is attributed to Casey Stengel – “you could look it up”.

 

In the same way Vietnam has been erroneously labelled as a ‘loss’, so it is with Afghanistan. Americans gave their lives, spent hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars and the overriding theme of the political class is that this is another loss for the American military.

There must be questions asked and answered for what has happened in Afghanistan, but the focus must not be on the military rank and file. It may be shown that leadership made avoidable errors, but let them stand on their own.

When the question of what was it all for is asked, the answer is simple.

For the first time in recorded history, the Afghan people knew what it was to experience freedom. Women and girls were educated. Many became successful pursuing their dreams.

That is something special, unique, and to be honored.

 

To quote another American of note: "The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the first and only legitimate object of good government.” – Thomas Jefferson, 1809.

 

The men and women of the American armed forces were doing the work of a free people. That fact must not, cannot, be lost in a haze of political acrimony.

There is one direction to follow in pursuit of culpability for the Afghanistan disaster. That direction ends at President Joe Biden.

 

There will be dark days ahead, as terror organizations will find safe haven in the rubble of Afghanistan. There are processes to follow as we search for answers, but as Americans, we must stand solidly together as a people, in support of the Afghanis, people terrorized by their governments around the world, to be the hallmark of democracy.

To show the world that a government of the people, for the people, and by the people will never perish from the face of the earth.

We are Americans.

That fact carries with it great pride and great responsibility.

Never forget that.

 

 

 

 

American Freedom Is An Absolute, Not a Sense

 

The cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy!

 

H. L. Mencken, Notes on Democracy, 1926

 

Amidst the recent furor caused by the Biden administrations intent to go door to door if necessary to insure vaccine compliance, remarks made by HHS Secretary Xavier Bacerra have gone mostly ignored, at least the most chilling parts of his recent CNN interview.

 

The snippets that have been relayed are the Secretary’s beliefs that given the government has paid trillions to aid in Covid relief, the government thus most certainly have the right to invade every citizens privacy, on the premise they need to find out if their investment is properly being realized.

Dismantling such an imbecilic statement is too easy to warrant time and editorial space to do just that.

The Madison Conservative, however, is alarmed at what has not been commented on by the mainstream media. The political  left is no more a liberal ideology, but rather  a belief that they have the absolute right and power to encroach on every aspect of our lives, because the government knows what is in our best interest, certainly more than any citizen does relative to his own life choices. The political left continually rang the alrm bell that President Trump was angling for a dictatorship, with him on the throne as absolute monarch.

The fallacy of those comments is self-evident to anyone who takes a breath and looks at President Trump’s record.

In similar fashion, Bacerra, the HHS Secretary who has no medical background, gave away what the intent of the political left has set as their ultimate goal.

 

Consider this quote from the aforementioned interview:

 

 

“We want to give people the sense that they have the freedom to choose. But we hope they choose to live.”

 

Before we undertake our dismantling of this assault on American freedom, we will ask the founding fathers to preface our argument by quoting a relevant passage from the Declaration of Independence, for the benefit of the political left who may be unware of the passage.

To wit:

 

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…

 

In other words, Secretary Bacerra, President Biden and any other citizen who believes in the primacy of government, freedom is NOT a ‘sense’. The government has no power, authority, or right to put restrictions on the American right to choose. The intent of the political left is to make a restrictive list of ‘proper’ choices, because anyone who has opted out of receiving a vaccine is choosing to not live.

This is an affront and an assault on the basic foundations of America.

As noted whenever the object of the discussion includes the topic of vaccines, the Madison Conservative takes no stand on the vaccine issue itself. This is a conscious decision because it is nobody’s business what personal health choices and American may make. In that same vein, neither is it the business of the government. If it were, when an administration of a particular political belief gained power, they could cite precedence by asking about abortion status.

Bacerra attempted to ‘clean up’ his statements by claiming that the government had no records on who was and was not vaccinated. The question then of course is how would they know whose door to knock.

Americans must remain vigilant. The founders and framers were clear on the subject of American freedom. Their stated belief was that Americans were endowed by their creator with the right of freedom. The fight was not to gain any modicum of freedom.

The fight was to preserve the rights granted by the Creator.

There is a huge difference. Do not be fooled by the cowards of no consequence. They are intent on the restriction of freedom. Tyrants attempt to gain control of the masses by promising freedom.

Mr. Bacerra, we have the freedom. It is not yours to grant.

It is NOT a sense.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank You - July 4th, 2021

 

The cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy!

 

H. L. Mencken, Notes on Democracy, 1926

 

There is little The Madison Conservative can add to what follows. We do ask you to read the names of the first American patriots and remember that they could have been hanged for the act of signing their names to the document which follows. They fully understood the import of what they were doing, evidenced by the last line of the Declaration of Independence:

 

“we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

Something to think about. May we continue to make them proud.

 

In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

 

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 Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. 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.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, 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, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured 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, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

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 rule into these Colonies:

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.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured 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 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 Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. 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 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 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; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, 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, 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, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

---

Georgia

Button Gwinnett

Lyman Hall

George Walton

 

North Carolina

William Hooper

Joseph Hewes

John Penn

 

South Carolina

Edward Rutledge

Thomas Heyward, Jr.

Thomas Lynch, Jr.

Arthur Middleton

 

Maryland

Samuel Chase

William Paca

Thomas Stone

Charles Carroll of Carrollton

 

Virginia

George Wythe

Richard Henry Lee

Thomas Jefferson

Benjamin Harrison

Thomas Nelson, Jr.

Francis Lightfoot Lee

Carter Braxton

 

Pennsylvania

Robert Morris

Benjamin Rush

Benjamin Franklin

John Morton

George Clymer

James Smith

George Taylor

James Wilson

George Ross

 

Delaware

Caesar Rodney

George Read

Thomas McKean

 

New York

William Floyd

Philip Livingston

Francis Lewis

Lewis Morris

 

New Jersey

Richard Stockton

John Witherspoon

Francis Hopkinson

John Hart

Abraham Clark

 

New Hampshire

Josiah Bartlett

William Whipple

 

Massachusetts

Samuel Adams

John Adams

Robert Treat Paine

Elbridge Gerry

 

Rhode Island

Stephen Hopkins

William Ellery

 

Connecticut

Roger Sherman

Samuel Huntington

William Williams

Oliver Wolcott