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.

Definition: Unalienable Rights – Rights that cannot be taken away or given up.

Definition: Consent of the governed – The idea that a government’s legitimacy comes only from the permission of the people it rules.

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.

Modern Translation: You should not overthrow a government just because you are annoyed about small things. People usually prefer to suffer bad treatment rather than risk the chaos of a revolution. However, if a government keeps abusing power over and over again to create a dictatorship, it is your duty to overthrow it. We have been patient, but King George III has proven himself to be a tyrant. Here is the evidence.

Definition: Despotism – A system of government where a single ruler holds absolute power.

Definition: Usurpations – Illegal acts of taking power or authority.