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decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that
they should declare the causes which impel them to the
separation.
Next, Jefferson spelled out what would become the
declaration’s most important message to the king:
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.
Jefferson had established that all men and women
had the same rights, regardless of whether they were
born rich or poor, and those rights included the right to
live free. He said those rights were granted by God—the
Creator—and that they were “self-evident,” meaning
men and women should expect to enjoy those rights
whether the government said so or not.
His next words were aimed directly at King George.
He said that when people disagree with their govern-
ment, they have the right to “alter or to abolish it, and to
institute new Government.”
In England and many other countries of the world,
rulers held their thrones
under what was known as
“divine right,” meaning
they believed God had
picked them and their fami-
lies to rule.
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The Declaration of Independence: Forming a New Nation
Make Connections
Thomas Jefferson wrote
the Declaration of
Independence on a portable desk
that he had designed himself.