A little farther down from some of the more famous passages is this one:
That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to 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 shown 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.
This blog and the thousands like it have submitted millions of facts to a candid? world. But we are mostly rich and comfortable, and cannot be bothered with nuisances like tyranny. If you view this as radical, then I don’t see how you ought celebrate the 4th of July. Well, of course I do, hot dogs and fireworks are awesome, and just about everyone can afford them today. That was not the case in 1776.
[…] leave you the famous second paragraph (actually the first few sentences seem to be known, not so much the rest of it), and allow you to click through to see the facts. We hold these truths to be self-evident, […]