The Freeman 1972 - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

1972 THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE 281disingenuousness to be charged, itshould be about the fact that theyhad delayed so long in laying uponthe king the blame for what washappening. Colonists had, for adecade, blamed Parliament andministers for what was happening.But this, too, is understandable;it was a means of resistingwithout revolt. Now the case couldbe stated bluntly, and the blamecould be placed where it justlyrested, in the final analysis.In any case, the British governmentwas indicted for its acts bya listing of them in the Declararation,acts charged to George III.Even a· truncated version showshow weighty and .damaging wasthe case against him:He has refused his Assent toLaws....He has forbidden his Governors topass Laws....He has refused to pass other Lawsfor the accomodation of large districtsof people....He has called together legislativebodies at places unusual, uncomfortable,and distant from the depositoryof their Public Records. . . .He has dissolved RepresentativeHouses repeatedly....He has refused for a long time,after such dissolutions, to causeothers to be elected. . . .He has endeavoured to preventthe population of these States....He has obstructed the Administrationof Justice. . . .He has made Judges dependent onhis Will alone....He has erected a multitude of NewOffices, and sent hither swarms ofOfficers to harrass our People, andeat out their substance.He has kept among us, in timesof peace, Standing Armies withoutthe Consent of our Legislatures.He has affected to render the Militaryindependent of and superior tothe Civil Power.He has combined with others tosubject us to a jurisdiction foreign-toour constitution. . . . (F or quartering large bodies ofarmed troops among us.For protecting them ... from Punishment....For cutting off our Trade with allparts of the world.For imposing Taxes on us withoutour Consent.For depriving us, in many cases,of the benefits of Trial by Jury.For transporting us beyond Seasto be tried for pretended offences.For abolishing the· free System ofEnglish Laws in a neighbouringProvince, establishing therein anArbitrary government, and enlargingits Boundaries....For taking away our Charters....For suspending our own Legislatures,and declaring themselves investedwith Power to legislate for usin all cases whatsoever.He has abdicated Government here,by declaring us out of his Protectionand waging War against us.He has plundered our seas, ravagedour Coasts, burnt our towns,