Declaration to a king

On this day, 250 years ago, the American Colonies declared their independence from the British Empire and King George III.

The British monarch is known in the United States with disdain and as a tyrant for his actions against the thirteen original colonies.

By 1776, the colonials had had enough and drafted a document, the unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, and it was formally adopted on 4 July 1776 by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in the history of the United States. It begins with a famous line that American students memorise in history class:

“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.”

Public Domain

The document then goes on to specifically mention the monarch and 27 grievances with King George III.

“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,” it states.

The Declaration goes on to list the many issues the Colonies had with King George III. These included his refusal to give assent to laws for the public good, obstructing the Administration of Justice, making judges dependent on his will, cutting off trade, taxation without representation, and suspending legislatures.

They stress that even though they have shared their concerns, they were ignored. It is in this paragraph that the King is specifically called a tyrant: “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.”

The Declaration of Independence was signed by many representatives, including future presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, and famous historical figures Benjamin Franklin and John Hancock. The latter’s signature is a bit larger than the others. American folklore says he signed it so large that George III would not have to wear glasses to read it. However, this has never been proven to be true.

The full document can be read here.

Of course, the American Revolution began a year earlier, in April 1775, at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. The war would not come to a conclusion until September 1783. The first American president and Founding Father, George Washington, refused to become a monarch, leading to the system of government that still runs the United States today.