Then and Now citizens responsibly HOLD THESE TRUTHS

A Pattern Reminiscent of that Notable Era

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ontemporary American leaders stand charged with 

• ·       Refusing their “Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.”

• ·       Exciting “domestic insurrections” among the public.

• ·       Rendering “the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.”

• ·       Erecting “a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people .…”

• ·       Deploying among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies, without the Consent of our legislatures.”

July 4, 1776

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henever “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.….”

“…We hold these truths to be self-evident: … all [people] are created equal …, endowed by their Creator with certain [inalienable] Rights; among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” … 

To “secure these rights, Governments are instituted [which derive] their just powers from the consent of the governed.” [Excerpt, minor edits from the Declaration of Independence]

82 years from Independence

“If we could just know where we are and whither we appear to be tending, we could all better judge of what to do, and how to do it. … 

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‘A house divided against itself cannot stand.’… I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. 

“I do not expect the Union to be dissolved—I do not expect the house to fall—but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other.” [Excerpt]

89 years from Independence 

“With malice toward none …

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[L]et us strive on to … to bind up the nation’s wounds, … care for [those] who shall have borne the battle, … do all that may achieve and cherish a just and a lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations.” (Excerpt, minor edits)

Sources

Declaration of Independence United States: The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America in Congress July 4, 1776 Declaration of Independence.  (2013). Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Deluxe Edition.  Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica.

Abraham Lincoln. “A House Divided” delivered June 16 1858, Springfield, Illinois American Rhetoric http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/abrahamlincolnhousedivided.htm

Abraham Lincoln. “Second Inaugural Address” delivered March 4, 1865 American Rhetoric http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/abrahamlincolnsecondinauguraladdress.htm

Abraham Lincoln was America’s 16th president

Insight Beyond Today’s News, CLB