| Be it so, since they will have it. The road to happiness and to glory, is open to us, too. We will tread it apart from them, and acquiesce in the necessity which denounces our eternal separation. | |
|
We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress assembled, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these states, reject and renounce all allegiance and subjection to the kings of Great Britain, and all others who may hereafter claim by, through, or under them; we utterly dissolve all political connection which may heretofore have subsisted between us and the people or Parliament of Great Britain; and finally, we do assert, and declare these colonies to be free and independent states, and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. |
We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. |
| And for the support of this declaration, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. | And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. |
The words expunged from the original draft are distinguished by italics, as are the words that were introduced by Congress. The names of the members who subscribed the Declaration of Independence were as follows, viz:—
| JOHN | HANCOCK, President. | GEORGE TAYLOR, | THOMAS NELSON, Jun., |
| New Hampshire. | New York. | James WILSON, | FRANCIS LIGHTFOOT |
| JOSIAH BARTLETT, | WILLIAM FLOYD, | GEORGE ROSS. | LEE, |
| WILLIAM WHIPPLE, | PHILIP LIVINGSTON, | CARTER BRAXTON. | |
| MATTHEW THORNTON. | FRANCIS LEWIS, | Delaware. | |
| LEWIS MORRIS. | CÆSAR RODNEY, | North Carolina. | |
| Massachusetts Bay. | THOMAS M'KEAN, | WILLIAM HOOPER, | |
| SAMUEL ADAMS, | New Jersey. | GEORGE REED. | JOSEPH HUGHES, |
| JOHN ADAMS, | RICHARD STOCKTON, | JOHN PENN. | |
| ROBERT TREAT PAINE, | JOHN WITHERSPOON, | Maryland. | |
| ELBRIDGE, GERRY. | FRANCIS HOPKINSON, | SAMUEL CHASE, | South Carolina. |
| JOHN HART, | William PACA, | EDWARD RUTLEDGE, | |
| Rhode Island, etc. | ABRAM CLARK. | THOMAS STONE, | THOMAS HEYWARD, Jun., |
| STEPHEN HOPKINS | CHARLES CARROLL, of | THOMAS LYNCH, Jun., | |
| WILLIAM ELLERY. | Pennsylvania. | Carrollton. | ARTHUR MIDDLETON. |
| ROBERT MORRIS, | |||
| Connecticut. | BENJAMIN RUSH, | Virginia. | Georgia. |
| ROGER SHERMAN, | BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, | GEORGE WYTHE, | BUTTON GWINNETT, |
| SAMUEL HUNTINGTON, | JOHN MORTON, | RICHARD HENRY LEE, | GEORGE WALTON, |
| WILLIAM WILLIAMS, | GEORGE CLYMER, | THOMAS JEFFERSON, | LYMAN HALL. |
| OLIVER WOLCOTT. | JAMES SMITH. | BENJAMIN HARRISON. |
