He has abdicated government here, by declating us out of his protection, and waging war against us. He has plundered our feas, ravaged our coafts, burnt our towns, and deftroyed the lives of our people. He is, at this time, tranfporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, defolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumftances of cruelty and perfidy, fcarcely 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 feas, 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 domeftic infurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the mercilefs Indian favages, whofe known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, fexes and conditions. In every ftage of thefe oppreffions, we have petitioned for redrefs in the most humble terms: Our repeated petitions have been anfwered 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 British brethren. We have warned them, from time to time, of attemps by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumftances of our emigration and fettlement here. We have appealed to their native juftice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred, to disavow these ufurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connexions and correfpondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of juftice and of confanguinity. We muft, therefore, acquiefce in the neceflity which denounces our feparation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace, friends. WE, therefore, the reprefentatives of the United States of America, in General Congrefs affembled, 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, folemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, Free and Independent States; that they are abfolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connexion between them and the state of Great-Britain, is, and ought to be, totally diffolved; 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 fupport of this de. claration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our facred honour. JOHN HANCOCK. O F Confederation and Perpetual Union, BETWEEN THE STATES OF New-Hampshire, Maffachusetts-Bay, Rhode-Iland and ARTICLE I. HE ftile of this confederacy fhall be, “THE UNI- THE ARTICLE II. Each state retains its fovereignty, freedom and independence, and every power, jurifdiction and right which is not by this confederation exprefsly delegated to the United States in Congrefs affembled. ARTICLE III. The faid ftates hereby feverally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defence, the fecurity of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to affift each, other, against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, fovereignty, trade, or any other pretence whatever. ARTICLE IV. The better to fecure and perpetuate mutual friendfhip and intercourfe among the people of the different states in this union, the free inhabitants of each of these ftates, paupers, vagabonds, and fugitives from justice excepted, shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of free citizens in the several states; and the peo ple of each state fhall have free ingrefs and regrefs to and from any other state, and shall enjoy therein all the privileges of trade and commerce, fubject to the fame duties, impofitions and reftrictions as the inhabitants thereof respectively, provided that fuch restrictions fhall not extend fo far as to prevent the removal of property imported into any ftate, to any other state of which the owner is an inhabitant; provided alfo, that no impofitions, duties or reftrictions fhall be laid by any ftate, on the property of the United States, or either of them? If any perfon guilty of, or charged with treafon, felony, or other high misdemeanor in any state, shall flee from justice, and be found in any of the United States, he fhall upon demand of the governor, or executive power of the state from which he fled, be delivered up and removed to the ftate having jurisdiction of his offence. Full faith and credit fhall be given in each of these ftates, to the records, acts and judicial proceedings of the courts and magiftrates of every other state. ARTICLE V. For the more convenient management of the general interests of the United States, delegates fhall be annually appointed in fuch manner as the legislature of each ftate fhall direct, to meet in Congrefs on the firft Monday in November, in every year, with a power referved to each ftate, to recal its delegates, or any of them, at any time within the year, and to fend others in their ftead, for the remainder of the year. No ftate fhall be reprefented in Congrefs by lefs than two nor more than feven members; and no perfon fhall be capable of being a delegate for more than three years in any term of fix years; nor fhall any perfon, being a delegate, be capable of holding any office under the United States, for which he, or any other for his benefit, receives any falary, fees or emolument of any kind. Each state fhall maintain its own delegates in a |
