Ought v Naught – The Declaration of Independence

Ought v. Naught

The Founding Documents

The Declaration of Independence

On July 4th, 1776, we all know that the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to sign this declaration from the thirteen founding colonies of what would become known as the United States. They had actually signed the Resolution of Independence two days prior as their assertion of independence and then went on to publish the formal declaration to announce and explain their basis for their radical action. The declaration justified the independence of the United States by listing the colonists’ grievances (27 in total) and asserted certain natural and legal rights, including a right of revolution. The 56 signers of this document are known as the nations Founding Fathers, and parsing what they said and did has been the subject a a great deal of historical review in the past 247 years. Nonetheless, I have delineated my understanding of what these Founding Fathers thought this process ought to mean.

1. The introduction: “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.”

i. People ought to be entitled to natural rights, among them to be free.

2. The preamble: “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.”

i. People ought to be treated as equal.

ii. People ought to have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

iii. People ought to include ALL men and women (as they identify) regardless of race, creed, religion or national origin, and especially including indigenous peoples.

iv. People ought to be governed based on their just consent which ought to be based on majority rule.

v. People ought to be able to abolish their government when they deem it unjust and no longer based on their consent, but to do so with a higher bar such as a super-majority.

vi. People ought to be able to action against abuses and usurpations of their rights and ought to consider such action as a duty.

3. The bill of grievances: These are the 27 specific grievances the colonials had against King George III and as such, not needed here except per their excerpts as follow:

i. People ought to be allowed to be ruled under laws of their making.

ii. People ought to be able to expect compliance by government to that rule of law.

iii. People ought to be allowed to protect themselves from enemies from outside and within.

iv. People ought to be allowed to expect a inflow of new citizens through an agreed and embracing process of immigration and naturalization.

v. People ought to have a properly functioning and fairly balanced judiciary system that is not beholding to anyone appointing them or seeking to unduly influence them.

vi. People ought to be able to expect an efficient and minimalist governmental structure that does not burden them with costs that they have not legislated and approved by majority.

vii. People ought to expect that the military is subject to the duly elected leaders.

viii. People ought to expect their government to not subject them to any foreign jurisdiction.

ix. People ought to be able to expect the protection of the courts against any criminal activity, even if perpetrated by the government itself.

x. People ought to expect that they will not be taxed without their consent by majority rule.

xi. People ought to be able to expect the protection of the courts against any criminal or civil action taken against them by the government or other citizens.

xii. People ought to be able to expect that no one, including the government itself, will be able to abolish and rights or laws already established other than via super-majority referendum.

xiii. People ought to expect their government to protect the natural resources of the nation to prevent plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burning our lands and towns, plundering all other natural resources and future rights, tangible or intangible, and thereby destroying the lives and livelihood of our people.

xiv. People ought to expect that their government will not excite domestic insurrections amongst us.

xv. People ought to be able to expect to be heard in the grievances by their government.

4. Conclusion: “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.”

i. People ought to be able to rely on one another to pledge their loyalty to one another in following these governing principles.