ay, 1775, it was

"Resolved, That whenever directly or indirectly abetted, or in any way,
form or manner countenanced, the unchartered and dangerous invasion of
our rights, as claimed by Great Britain, is an enemy to our country--to
America--and to the inherent and inalienable rights of man.

"Resolved, That we, the citizens of Mecklenburg County, do hereby
dissolve the political bonds which have connected us to the mother
country, and hereby absolve ourselves from all allegiance to the British
crown, and abjure all political connection, contract or association with
that nation, which has wantonly trampled on our rights and liberties,
and inhumanly shed the blood of American patriots at Lexington.

"Resolved, That we do hereby declare ourselves a free and independent
people; are and of right ought to be a sovereign and self-governing
association, under the control of no power other than that of our God
and the general government of the Congress. To the maintenance of which
independence we solemnly pledge to each other our mutual cooperation,
our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

There are two other resolutions, concerning the militia and the
administration of the law, but these, having no present value, are here
omitted.

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
In Congress, July 4, 1776.

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people
to dissolve the political bonds 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 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.

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal;
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable 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 a 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 no