#declaration of independence

[eugenedebs1920]

Electing a person who openly and willingly lied about the election results, then incited a rebellion against the democratic process of certification….. Not patriotic.

Supporting a president who pardoned the very people who engaged in insurrection, even the violent cop beaters..:.. Not patriotic.

Supporting the brazen acts of financial corruption through the executive branch, whether through crypto, through “gifts” of private jets, through dismantling agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), who’s only objective was to protect American consumers, by selling access to the presidency, or through making deals for real estate projects as president….. Not patriotic.

Supporting clear 1st amendment infringement (not just getting your false post taken down from social media) like telling universities what they can teach under the guise of antisemitism ordered by the most antisemitic and racism administration in generations, like suing news outlets, like putting the “ten commandments” in public schools, like instituting Christian public schools, or like how with unbelievable gaslighting and hypocrisy claiming that NBC, CBS, ABC, are political operatives while aligning with Fox News and saying NOTHING about them…. Not patriotic.

By selling your country out in some immature “own the libs” mentality, then acting like nothing is wrong as our republic crumbles beneath us…. Not patriotic.

There’s a huge difference between patriotic and nationalistic. There’s a huge difference between loyalty and allegiance. There’s a huge difference between the truth and a lie. There’s a huge difference between maga and true Americans.

Real Americans stand for, and with the Constitution.

While maga stands with a traitor….

[saywhat-politics]

His full answer: "Well, it means exactly what it says, it's a declaration. A declaration of unity and love and respect, and it means a lot. And it's something very special to our country."

🤡 🤡 🤡 🤡 🤡 🤡 🤡 🤡

[retropopcult]

Schoolhouse Rock, "No More Kings" (1975)

Written & performed by Lynn Ahrens Animation by Paul Kim & Lew Gifford

[citizenscreen]

“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.--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…”

[nodynasty4us]

When a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

United States Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776)

[stone-cold-groove]

The Saturday Evening Post magazine - July 1924.

[riesenfeldcenter]

Happy (almost) 4th of July!

Here is a 1781 printing of the Declaration of Independence, bound with the constitutions of several early US states and the Articles of Confederation. This copy was printed by Francis Bailey, who printed the first official printing of the Articles of Confederation and acted as printer for Congress and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

We hope everyone has a wonderful, safe weekend ahead!

[asm5129]

No kings. Not today, not ever.

The declaration of independence states:

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.--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 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.

[fast-moon]

Reminder that most American schoolchildren only learn the opening paragraph to the Declaration of Independence ("We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal", etc). Leading us to believe it was a fairly generalized document broadly denouncing tyranny and promoting justice.

But no. The remainder of the document that we don't learn is a fucking itemized list of the exact specific behaviors that should cause Americans to rise in protest of their ruler. See if any of these sound familiar:

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us

[eugenedebs1920]

This is our country! We, the Americans who believe in the Constitution, the rule of law, justice, freedom, decency, basic human rights, this is our country.

The loudest, dumbest voices in the room have dominated the narrative. They believe we are weak, that we are submissive, that we will roll over to tyranny.

That is not the case.

Good on San Diego residents for fighting these gestapo traitors! We must all fight back when we see wrong, when we see lawlessness, when we see violations of our Constitution and others rights.

What this administration is doing is wrong. So many don’t see that due to their propaganda intake. It will take the true Americans to stand up to this for it to be stopped.

There are more decent Americans than cruel ones. There are more good people than evil people. There is more kindness than hatred.

I’m not saying we don’t fight fire with fire, I’m saying. DON’T GIVE UP.

We got em on the ropes, keep swinging!!

Fk maga! Fk Trump! And Fk fascism! This is America god damnit!! Let’s take it back!!!

🇺🇸

[saywhat-politics]

Readers added context

[taraross-1787]

This Day in History: America Declares Independence

On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress declares America’s independence! Did you know that this vote actually occurred on July 2, not July 4?

“That these United Colonies are,” congressional delegates resolved, “and, of right, ought to be, Free and Independent States; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown . . . .”

There would be no more attempts to reconcile with Great Britain.

John Adams was elated, and he thought that July 2 would be celebrated as a memorable day in American history. He wrote Abigail: “The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.” 

Well, it didn’t quite work out that way, did it? ;) Instead, Americans have chosen to celebrate July 4 as our Independence Day. On that day, Congress finally approved a formal, written Declaration of Independence.

FULL STORY: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-july2nd

[delicatefury]

This may be controversial on the Miku-binder website, but 1776 is, hands down, the best thing to watch on July 4th. One of my favorite musicals of all time.

You have Mr. Feeny as obnoxious John Adams

You have glorious troll Benjamin Franklin

(Yes, that is a painting of himself in the background).

You have “can’t write the declaration until he’s had a “visit” from his wife” Thomas Jefferson.

Less jokingly, I love it because it has all that, but doesn’t shy away from the human cost of the war, the inherent conflict between the dream of freedom and the slaveholding practices of the south, or how providential the whole thing was. In the actual meaning of providential.

It’s cheeky, it’s solemn, it’s mythic and very human (so many jokes and innuendos revolving around the fact that these men were away from their wives for months.) And there’s something so grand about all-male choruses.

Also, “Is Anybody There?” makes me cry. All the time. literal tingles.

so yeah. 1776. The best Revolutionary War musical.

[quovadisamerica]

Johnny Midnight 

This is absolutely Wonderful by Charlie Kirk, for those of you that don’t think our Country was based on Christianity! If you are Christian, Please share!

[stone-cold-groove]

The Saturday Evening Post magazine - July 1934.

[progressivemillennial]

I've been thinking often about the unconditional nature of humanity this year. Once we start dehumanizing people casually (i.e. labeling Palestinians animals, calling transgender people it, referring to immigrants as illegals), we open the door to violations of human rights (i.e. ethnically cleansing Gaza, the legal and eventual literal eradication of transgender people, sending people to gulags overseas). This is understandable as human rights flow from one's humanity. Human rights don't apply to non-humans.

As Americans, if we believe that human rights are unalienable and Creator-given, then we must also acknowledge that one's humanity cannot be revoked, and certainly not by mere mortals such as you and I.

A better world is possible, one where all humans have inherent value and we strive to uphold the dignity and rights of every person, no matter who they are or where they're from. Let us imagine that world and agitate for it. We owe it to each other as humans.