Declaration of Independence (VocabGrabber)

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  1. sufferable
    capable of being borne though unpleasant
    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 them
  2. Laws
    the first of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures comprising the first five books of the Hebrew Bible considered as a unit
    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 an
  3. unalienable
    incapable of being repudiated or transferred to another
    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.
  4. usurpation
    wrongfully seizing and holding by force
    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 fu
  5. King of Great Britain
    the sovereign ruler of England
    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.
  6. British Crown
    the symbol of the power of the British monarchy
    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 ...
  7. unacknowledged
    not openly acknowledged
    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:
  8. consanguinity
    relation by blood
    They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity.
  9. quartering
    dividing into four equal parts
    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:
  10. sufferance
    patient endurance especially of pain or distress
    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.
  11. depository
    a facility for storage or safekeeping
    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.
  12. abolish
    do away with
    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.
  13. unwarrantable
    incapable of being justified or explained
    We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us.
  14. undistinguished
    not worthy of notice
    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.
  15. naturalization
    the proceeding whereby a foreigner is granted citizenship
    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.
  16. legislative body
    persons who make or amend or repeal laws
    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.
  17. assent
    agree or express agreement
    He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
  18. absolved
    freed from any question of guilt
    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 ...
  19. deriving
    an explanation of the historical origins of a word or phrase
    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.
  20. standing army
    a permanent army of paid soldiers
    He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
  21. obstruct
    block passage through
    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.
  22. legislature
    an assembly that makes, amends, or repeals laws
    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.
  23. free people
    people who are free
    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.
  24. disavow
    refuse to acknowledge
    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.
  25. constrain
    hold back
    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.
  26. Acts
    a New Testament book describing the development of the early church from Christ's Ascension to Paul's sojourn at Rome
    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: nn For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: nn For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: nn For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: nn For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: nn For depriv...
  27. self-evident
    evident without proof or argument
    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.
  28. evince
    give expression to
    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.
  29. high sea
    the open seas of the world outside the territorial waters of any 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.
  30. rectitude
    righteousness as a consequence of being honorable and honest
    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 ...
  31. acquiesce
    agree or express agreement
    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.
  32. obstructed
    shut off to passage or view or hindered from action
    He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.
  33. perfidy
    an act of deliberate betrayal
    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.
  34. dissolved
    (of solid matter) reduced to a liquid form
    He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
  35. entitle
    give the right to
    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.
  36. suspend
    bar temporarily
    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.
  37. inestimable
    beyond calculation or measure
    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.
  38. colony
    a group of organisms of the same type living together
    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.
  39. fundamentally
    in essence; at bottom or by one's (or its) very nature
    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: nn For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: nn For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: nn For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: nn For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: nn For depriving us ...
  40. Judges
    a book of the Old Testament that tells the history of Israel under the leaders known as judges
    He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
  41. independent
    free from external control and constraint
    He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
  42. ravaged
    having been robbed and destroyed by force and violence
    He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
  43. altering
    the sterilization of an animal
    For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
  44. jurisdiction
    the territory within which power can be exercised
    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
  45. annihilation
    destruction by obliterating something
    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.
  46. cutting off
    the act of cutting something off
    For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
  47. magnanimity
    nobility and generosity of spirit
    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.
  48. law of nature
    a generalization that describes recurring facts or events in nature
    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.
  49. tyranny
    government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator
    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.
  50. alter
    cause to change; make different
    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.
  51. legislative
    relating to a lawmaking assembly
    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.
  52. tyrant
    a cruel and oppressive dictator
    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.
  53. transient
    lasting a very short time
    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.
  54. separation
    the act of dividing or disconnecting
    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.
  55. merciless
    lacking pity, compassion, or forgiveness
    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.
  56. hither
    to this place
    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.
  57. form of government
    the members of a social organization who are in power
    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.
  58. emigration
    moving from one place in order to settle in another
    We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here.
  59. absolute
    perfect or complete or pure
    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.
  60. mankind
    all of the living human inhabitants of the earth
    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.
  61. judiciary
    the system of law courts that administer justice
    He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.
  62. mutually
    in a shared manner
    — 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.
  63. law
    the collection of rules imposed by authority
    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.
  64. pretended
    adopted in order to deceive
    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:
  65. plundered
    wrongfully emptied or stripped of anything of value
    He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
  66. suspended
    supported or kept from sinking or falling by buoyancy
    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.
  67. denounce
    speak out against
    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.
  68. government
    the system or form by which a community is ruled
    — 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.
  69. tenure
    the term during which some position is held
    He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
  70. executioner
    an official who inflicts capital punishment
    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.
  71. mercenary
    a person hired to fight for another country than their own
    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.
  72. brethren
    the lay members of a male religious order
    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.
  73. redress
    make reparations or amends for
    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.
  74. migration
    the movement of persons from one locality to another
    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.
  75. convulsion
    a violent uncontrollable contraction of muscles
    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.
  76. constrained
    lacking spontaneity; not natural
    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.
  77. despotism
    dominance through threat of punishment and violence
    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.
  78. consent
    give an affirmative reply to; respond favorably to
    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.
  79. Great Britain
    an island comprising England and Scotland and Wales
    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.
  80. dissolve
    pass into a solution
    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.
  81. invasion
    any entry into an area not previously occupied
    He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
  82. compliance
    the act of submitting, usually surrendering power to another
    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.
  83. dissolution
    separation into component parts
    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.
  84. reliance
    the state of depending on something
    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.
  85. right
    free from error; especially conforming to fact or truth
    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.
  86. establish
    set up or found
    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.
  87. dependent on
    determined by conditions or circumstances that follow
    He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
  88. relinquish
    turn away from; give up
    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.
  89. power
    possession of the qualities required to do something
    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.
  90. repeated
    recurring again and again
    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.
  91. Creator
    terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
    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.
  92. transport
    move something or somebody around
    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.
  93. throw off
    get rid of
    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.
  94. appealing
    able to attract interest or draw favorable attention
    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 ...
  95. people
    any group of human beings collectively
    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.
  96. desolation
    sadness resulting from being forsaken or abandoned
    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.
  97. dictate
    a guiding principle
    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.
  98. impel
    urge or force to an action; constrain or motivate
    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.
  99. arbitrary
    based on or subject to individual discretion or preference
    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
  100. unfit
    below the required standards for a purpose
    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.
  101. harass
    annoy continually or chronically
    He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
  102. appropriation
    a deliberate act of acquisition, often without permission
    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.
  103. protecting
    shielding (or designed to shield) against harm or discomfort
    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: nn For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: nn For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: nn For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: nn For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: nn For depriv...
  104. opposing
    characterized by active hostility
    He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
  105. define
    show the form or outline of
    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.
  106. declare
    state emphatically and authoritatively
    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.
  107. endeavour
    a purposeful or industrious undertaking
    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.
  108. insurrection
    organized opposition to authority
    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.
  109. allegiance
    the act of binding yourself to a course of action
    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 ...
  110. endowed
    provided or supplied or equipped with
    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.
  111. oppression
    the act of subjugating by cruelty
    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.
  112. state
    the way something is with respect to its main attributes
    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.
  113. inevitably
    in such a manner as could not be otherwise
    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.
  114. levy
    impose and collect
    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 o...
  115. protection
    the activity of shielding someone or something
    He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
  116. inhabitant
    a person who lives in a particular place
    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: nn For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: nn For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: nn For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: nn For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: nn For depriv...
  117. endow
    give qualities or abilities to
    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.
  118. free
    able to act at will
    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: nn For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: nn For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: nn For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: nn For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: nn For depriving us ...
  119. unworthy
    lacking in value or merit
    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.
  120. governed
    the body of people who are citizens of a particular government
    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.
  121. civilized
    having a high state of culture and social development
    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.
  122. solemnly
    in a serious and dignified manner
    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 ...
  123. invariably
    without change, in every case
    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.
  124. representative
    serving to typify
    He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
  125. Crown
    the Crown (or the reigning monarch) as the symbol of the power and authority of a monarchy
    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 ...
  126. necessity
    the condition of being essential or indispensable
    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.
  127. prudence
    discretion in practical affairs
    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.
  128. therein
    (formal) in or into that thing or place
    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
  129. charter
    a document creating an institution and specifying its rights
    For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
  130. decent
    socially or conventionally correct; refined or virtuous
    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.
  131. Providence
    the capital and largest city of Rhode Island
    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.
  132. pledge
    a binding commitment to do or give or refrain from something
    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.
  133. conditions
    the context that influences the performance of a process
    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.
  134. boundary
    the line indicating the limit or extent of something
    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: nn For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: nn For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: nn For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: nn For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: nn For depriving us ...
  135. shew
    establish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment
    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.
  136. trial
    the act of testing something
    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: nn For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: nn For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: nn For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: nn For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: nn For depriv...
  137. from time to time
    now and then or here and there
    We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us.
  138. conclude
    bring to a close
    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 o...
  139. Britain
    a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles
    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.
  140. burnt
    destroyed or badly damaged by fire
    He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
  141. appeal
    earnest or urgent request
    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.
  142. peace
    the state prevailing during the absence of war
    He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
  143. captive
    a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
    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.
  144. petition
    a formal request that something be submitted to an authority
    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.
  145. formidable
    extremely impressive in strength or excellence
    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.
  146. foreigner
    a person who comes from another country
    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.
  147. mock
    treat with contempt
    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: nn For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: nn For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: nn For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: nn For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: nn For depriv...
  148. pressing
    requiring immediate action or attention
    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.
  149. Divine
    terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
    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.
  150. legislation
    the act of making or enacting laws
    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: nn For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: nn For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: nn For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: nn For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: nn For depriv...
  151. render
    give or supply
    He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
  152. cruelty
    the quality of being able or disposed to inflict pain
    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.
  153. neglected
    lacking a caretaker
    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.
  154. justice
    the quality of being fair, reasonable, or impartial
    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.
  155. offence
    a lack of politeness
    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: nn For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: nn For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: nn For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: nn For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: nn For depriving us ...
  156. parallel
    being everywhere equidistant and not intersecting
    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.
  157. equal
    having the same quantity, value, or measure as another
    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.
  158. invest
    lay out money or resources in an enterprise
    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: nn For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: nn For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: nn For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: nn For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: nn For depriving us ...
  159. correspondence
    an attribute of a shape or relation
    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.
  160. circumstances
    one's overall condition in life
    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.
  161. institute
    set up or lay the groundwork for
    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.
  162. representation
    standing in for someone and speaking on their behalf
    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.
  163. cause
    events that provide the generative force of something
    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.
  164. ruler
    a person who governs or commands
    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.
  165. declaration
    a statement that is emphatic and explicit
    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.
  166. frontier
    a wilderness at the edge of a settled area of a country
    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.
  167. jury
    a body of citizens sworn to give a verdict in a court of law
    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: nn For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: nn For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: nn For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: nn For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: nn For depriving us ...
  168. multitude
    a large indefinite number
    He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
  169. alliance
    the state of being joined in an association or coalition
    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 o...
  170. sole
    the underside of the foot
    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.
  171. circumstance
    the set of facts that surround a situation or event
    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.
  172. exposed
    with no protection or shield
    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.
  173. judge
    an official who decides questions before a court
    He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
  174. disposed
    (usually followed by `to') naturally disposed toward
    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.
  175. foreign
    not deriving from the essential nature of something
    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: nn For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: nn For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: nn For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: nn For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: nn For depriv...
  176. pursuit
    the act of following in an effort to overtake or capture
    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.
  177. Justice
    the U.S. department responsible for enforcing federal laws
    He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.
  178. humble
    marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful
    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.
  179. govern
    exercise authority over, as of nations
    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.
  180. remaining
    not used up
    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.
  181. utterly
    completely and without qualification
    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.
  182. constitution
    the act of forming or establishing something
    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: nn For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: nn For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: nn For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: nn For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: nn For depriv...
  183. establishment
    the act of forming something
    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.
  184. elected
    subject to popular election
    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.
  185. substance
    the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists
    He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
  186. united
    being or joined into a single entity
    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 ...
  187. system
    a group of independent elements comprising a unified whole
    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.
  188. British
    of or relating to or characteristic of Great Britain or its people or culture
    Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren.
  189. rule
    prescribed guide for conduct or action
    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: nn For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: nn For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: nn For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: nn For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: nn For depriving us ...
  190. political
    involving or characteristic of governing or social power
    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.
  191. accordingly
    in agreement with
    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.
  192. forbid
    command against
    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.
  193. neglect
    leave undone or leave out
    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.
  194. settlement
    the act of colonizing; the establishment of colonies
    We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here.
  195. evident
    clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
    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.
  196. purpose
    what something is used for
    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.
  197. domestic
    of or relating to the home
    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.
  198. foundation
    the basis on which something is grounded
    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.
  199. army
    a permanent organization of a nation's military land forces
    He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
  200. wage
    payment for work
    He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
  201. instrument
    the means whereby some act is accomplished
    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
  202. secure
    free from danger or risk
    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.
  203. history
    a record or narrative description of past events
    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.
  204. war
    the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
    He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
  205. elect
    choose by a vote for an office or membership
    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.
  206. contract
    a binding agreement that is enforceable by law
    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.
  207. safety
    being certain that adverse effects will not be caused
    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.
  208. savage
    without civilizing influences
    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.
  209. supreme
    greatest in status or authority or power
    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 ...
  210. hold
    have in one's hands or grip
    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.
  211. therefore
    as a result; from that fact or reason
    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.
  212. public
    not private
    He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
  213. population
    the people who inhabit a territory or state
    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.
  214. province
    the territory in an administrative district of a nation
    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: nn For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: nn For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: nn For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: nn For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: nn For depriving us ...
  215. protect
    shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage
    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: nn For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: nn For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: nn For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: nn For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: nn For depriv...
  216. security
    the state of being free from danger or injury
    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.
  217. established
    brought about or set up or accepted
    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.
  218. district
    a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
    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.
  219. State
    the federal department in the United States that sets and maintains foreign policies
    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.
  220. liberty
    freedom of choice
    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.
  221. administration
    the act of governing or exercising authority
    He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.
  222. publish
    prepare and issue for public distribution or sale
    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 ...
  223. citizen
    a native or naturalized member of a state
    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.
  224. tax
    a charge that a citizen pays to support government programs
    For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
  225. honor
    a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
    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.
  226. Congress
    the legislature of the United States government
    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 ...
  227. fortune
    your overall circumstances or condition in life
    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.
  228. life
    the organic phenomenon that distinguishes living organisms
    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.
  229. self
    your consciousness of your own identity
    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.
  230. prince
    a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign
    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.
  231. duty
    the social force that obliges you to behave in a certain way
    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.
  232. arms
    weapons considered collectively
    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.
  233. truth
    a factual statement
    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.
  234. officer
    a member of a police force
    He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
  235. affine
    (anthropology) related by marriage
  236. phratry
    people descended from a common ancestor
Created on 八月 12, 2009

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