He has affected to render the military independent of, and superior to the civil power.

He has combined with others to fubject us to a jurifdiction foreign to our conftitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his affent to their acts of pretended legiflation:

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 thefe ftates:

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

Forimpofing taxes on us without our confent:

For depriving us, in many cafes, of the benefits oftrial by jury:

For tranfporting us beyond feas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free fyftem of English laws in a neighboring province, eftablifhing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries, fo as to render it at once an example and fit inftrument for introducing the fame abfolute rule into thefe colonies :

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:

For fufpending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invefted with pow er to legiflate for us in all cafes whatsoever.

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection, and wa ging War against us.

He has plundered our feas, ravaged our coafts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is, at this time, tranfporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, defolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumftances of cruelty and perfidy, fcarcely parallelled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.

He has conftrained our fellow-citizens, taken captive on the high feas, to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themfelves by their hands.

He has excited domestic infurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers the mercilefs Indian favages, whofe known rule of warfare is an undistinguished deftruction, of all ages, fexes, and conditions.

In every stage of thefe oppreffions we have petitioned for redrefs in the most humble terms: Our repeated petitions have been anfwered only by repeated injury. A prince, whofe character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have we been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them, from time to time, of attempts by their legiflature to extend an unwarrautable jurifdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumftances of our emigration and fettlement here. We have appealed to their native juftice and mag. nanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to difavow thefe ufurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correfpondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of confanguinity. We muft, therefore, acquiefce in the neceffity, which denounces our feparation, and hold them, as we hold the reft of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.

We, therefore, the representatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in: GENERAL CONGRESS affembled, appealing to the fupreme judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by authority of the good people of thefe colonies, folemnly publish and declare, That thefe United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES; that they are abfolved from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political connexion between them and the ftate of Great Britain, is, and ought to be, totally dif folved; and that as FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, eftablish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which INDEPENDENT STATES may of right do. And for the fupport 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 facred honour.

The foregoing declaration was by order of Congress engroffed and figned by the members from the feveral different States.

THE

CONSTITUTION

OF THE

UNITED STATES.

WE the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, infure domestic tranquility, provide for the common de- Preamble. fence, promote the general welfare, and secure the bleffings of liberty to ourselves and our pofterity, do ordain and establish this Conftitution for the United States of America.

ARTICLE I

Supreme powers where

Sect. 1. ALL legislative powers herein granted fhall be vefted in a Congrefs of the United States, which fhall confift of a Senate and Houfe of Reprefentatives. vested. Sect. 2. The House of Reprefentatives fhall be compofed of members chofen every fecond year by the people of the House of Reseveral states, and the electors in each ftate fhall have the qual- presentatives ifications requifite for electors of the most numerous branch how chofen. of the ftate legislature.

Their qualifi

& direct taxes

No perfon fhall be a reprefentative who fhall not have attained to the age of twenty-five years, and been feven years cations. a citizen of the United States, and who fhall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state in which he shall be chofen. Representatives and direct taxes fhall be apportioned among the feveral ftates which may be included within this Union, Rule of aporaccording to their refpective numbers, which fhall be deter-tioning Remined by adding to the whole number of free perfons, inclu- prefentatives ding those bound to fervice for a term of three years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three-fifths of all other perfons. The actual enumeration fhall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congrefs of the United States, and within every fubfequent term of ten years, in fuch manner as they fhall by law direct. The number of reprefentatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand, but each state shall have at least one reprefentative; and until fuch enumeration Number of fhall be made, the ftate of New-Hampshire fhall be entitled to chufe three, Maffachusetts eight, Rhode-Ifland and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New-York fix, New-Jerfey four, Pennfylvania eight,. Delaware one, Maryland fix, Virginia ten, North-Carolina five, South-Carolina five, and Georgia three.

When vacancies happen in the representation from any state,

Reprefenta

tives.

Vacancies how filled.

Senate how shofen, &c.

Rotation of fenators.

Their qualifications.

Prefident of fenate.

Their Powers

the Executive authority thereof fhall iffue writs of clection to fill fuch vacancies.

The House of Reprefentatives fhall chufe their Speaker and other officers; and fhall have the fole power of impeachment. Sect. 3. The Senate of the United States fhall be compofed of two fenators from each ftate, chofen by the legiflature thereof, for fix years; and each senator shall have one vote. Immediately after they fhall be affembled in confequence of the first election, they fhall be divided as equally as may be into three claffes. The feats of the fenators of the first clafs fhall be vacated at the expiration of the second year, of the fecond clafs at the expiration of the fourth year, and of the third class at the expiration of the fixth year, fo that one-third may be chofen every fecond year; and if vacancies happen by refignation, or otherwise, during the recess of the legislature of any ftate, the Executive thereof may make temporary appointments until the next meeting of the legislature, which shall then fill fuch vacancies.

No perfon fhall be a fenator who fhall not have attained to the age of thirty years, and been nine years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that ftate for which he fhall be chofen.

The Vice Prefident of the United States fhall be Prefident of the fenate,but shall have no vote,unless they be equally divided. The Senate fhall chufe their other officers, and also a Prefident pro tempore, in the abfence of the Vice-Prefident, or when he fhall exercife the office of Prefident of the United States.

The fenate shall have the fole power to try all impeachments. When fitting for that purpose, they fhall be on oath or affirmation. When the Prefident of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice fhall prefide: And no perfon fhall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the members prefent. Judgment in cafes of impeachments fhall not extend further than to removal from office, and difqualification to hold and Judgment on enjoy any office of honor, truft or profit under the United impeachment States; but the party convicted fhall nevertheless be liable and not to extend, fubject to indictment, trial, judgment and punishment, accor ding to law.

&c.

Sect. 4. The times, places and manner of holding elections for fenators and reprefentatives, fhall be prefcribed in each ftate by the legiflature thereof: but the Congress may at any Elections how time by law make or alter fuch regulations, except as to the regulated. places of chufing Senators.

Congrefs

when to affemble.

Privileges of çach Houfe.

The Congrefs fhall affemble at least once in every year, and fuch meeting fhall be on the firft Monday in December, unless they fhall by law appoint a different day.

Sect. 5. Each houfe fhall be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own members, and a majority of each fhall conftitute a quorum to do bufinefs; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorised to compel the attendance of abfent members, in fuch manner, and under fuch penalties as each houfe may provide.

Each house may determine the rules of its proceedings, punifh its members for diforderly behaviour, and with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member.

Each houfe fhall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from

time to time publish the fame, excepting fuch parts as may in A Journal to their judgment require fecrecy; and the yeas and nays of the be kept, members of either houfe on any question fhall, at the defire of one-fifth of thofe prefent, be entered on the journal.

Neither house, during the feffion of Congrefs, fhall without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other place than that in which the two houses shall be fitting.

Adjournment.

Sect. 6. The fenators and reprefentatives fhall receive a Wages how compenfation for their fervices, to be afcertained by law, and afcertained paid out of the treasury of the United States. They fhall in all cafes, except treafon, felony and breach of peace, be privileged from arreft during their attendance at the feffion of their Freedom refpective houfes, and in going to and returning from the from arrefts, fame; and for any speech or debate in either house, they fhall &c. not be queftioned in any other place.

No fenator or reprefentative fhall, during the time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil office under Senators and reprefentathe authority of the United States, which shall have been cre- tives not eligi ated, or the emoluments whereof fhall have been encreased du- ble to civil ofring fuch time; and no perfon holding any office under the fices. United States, fhall be a member of either houfe during his continuance in office.

Sect. 7. All Bills for raifing revenue fhall originate in the houfe of reprefentatives; but the fenate may propofe or concur with amendments as on other bills.

Money bills.

Every bill which fhall have paffed the house of reprefentatives and the fenate, fhall, before it become a law, be prefented Bills to be to the prefident of the United States; if he approve he fhall prefented to fign it, but if not he fhall return it, with his objections to that the Prefident. house in which it fhall have originated, who fhall enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to reconfider it. If after fuch reconfideration two-thirds of that house shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be fent, together with the objections, to the other house, by which it fhall likewise be reconfidered, and if approved by two-thirds of that houfe, it fhall become a law. But in all fuch cafes the votes of both houses fhall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the perfons voting for and againft the bill fhall be entered on the journal of each house respectively. If any bill fhall not be returned by the Prefident within ten days (Sundays excepted) after it fhall have been prefented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he had figned it, unless the Congress by their adjournment prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law.

Every order, refolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the Senate and Houfe of Reprefentatives may be neceffary (except on a question of adjournment) fhall be prefented to the Prefident of the United States; and before the fame fhall take effect, shall be approved by him, or, being disapproved by him, fhall be re-paffed by two-thirds of the Senate and Houfe of Representatives, according to the rules and limitations prefcribed in the cafe of a bill,

Powers of
Congrefs.

Importation of flaves how regulated.

Sect. 8. The Congreís fhall have power

To lay and collect taxes, duties, impofts and excifes, to pay the debts and provide for the common defence and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, impofts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States :

To borrow money on the credit of the United States:

To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes :

To establish an uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the fubject of bankruptcies throughout the United States:

To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the ftandard of weights and measures:

To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the fecurities and current coin of the United States :

To establish poft-offices and poft roads :

To promote the progrefs of fcience and useful arts, by fecuring for limited times to authors and inventors the exclufive right to their respective writings and discoveries:

To conftitute tribunals inferior to the fupreme court : To define and punifh piracies and felonies committed ont the high feas, and offences against the law of nations:

To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water:

To raise and fupport armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years:

To provide and maintain a navy :

To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces:

To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Union, fupprefs infurrections and repel invasions :

To provide for organizing, arming, and difciplining the militia, and for governing fuch part of them as may be employed in the fervice of the United States, referving to the States refpectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the difcipline prescribed by Congrefs:

To exercife exclufive legislation in all cafes whatsoever, over fuch diftri&t (not exceeding ten miles fquare) as may, by ceffion of particular states and the acceptance of Congrefs, become the feat of the government of the United States, and to exercife like authority over all places purchafed by the confent of the legiflature of the state in which the fame shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dock-yards, and other needful buildings:-And

To make all laws which fhall be neceffary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this conftitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or office thereof.

year one

Sect. 9. The migration or importation of fuch perfons as any of the ftates now exifting fhall think proper to admit, fhall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be impofed on fuch importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each perfon.