. The magazine of American history with notes and queries. common benefit. JEFFERSON.—To secure these rights governments areinstituted. Mason.— When any government shall be found inad-equate or contrary to these purposes, a majority of the community havean indubitable right to alter, reform or abolish it. Jefferson.— When-ever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is theright of the people to alter or abolish it. A similar resemblance will be seen between the following passages inthe Declaration and in Pendletons resolutions of May 15th. PENDLETON.— Appealing to the Sear
. The magazine of American history with notes and queries. common benefit. JEFFERSON.—To secure these rights governments areinstituted. Mason.— When any government shall be found inad-equate or contrary to these purposes, a majority of the community havean indubitable right to alter, reform or abolish it. Jefferson.— When-ever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is theright of the people to alter or abolish it. A similar resemblance will be seen between the following passages inthe Declaration and in Pendletons resolutions of May 15th. PENDLETON.— Appealing to the Searcher of Hearts for the sincerity of former dec- 394 THE VIRGINIA DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. larations. JEFFERSON.— Appealing to the Supreme Judge of theworld for the rectitude of our intentions. PENDLETON.— That thedelegates ... be instructed to propose ... to declare the UnitedColonies free and independent States, absolved from all allegiance to ordependence upon the crown or parliament of Great Britain. JEFFER-SON.—We therefore . . do declare that these United Colonies areand of right ought to be free and independent States absolved from allallegiance to the British crown. Thus the general Declaration of all thecolonies at Philadelphia was similar in many of its expressions to thatmade in Virginia. In bringing this paper to a close it is necessary to notice a last point—the statement above quoted that the Virginia Constitution of 1776 was thefirst written Constitution of a free State in the annals of the world. This THE VIRGINIA DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE 395 is apparently contradicted by the fact that both South Carolina and NewHampshire had already adopted rep
Size: 1472px × 1698px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookpublishernewyorkasbarnes
