John R. Vile is professor of political science and dean of the University Honors College at Middle Tennessee State University, USA, and author of numerous critically acclaimed works of American history, including Encyclopedia of Constitutional Amendments, Proposed Amendments, and Amending Issues, 1789-2023 (Bloomsbury, 2023).

• Topical List of EntriesPrefaceIntroductionTimelineInteresting FactsEntries:Abdication of Government (Charge #23)AbolitionismAbuses and UsurpationsAct of Abjuration (Plakkaat van Verlatinge, 1581)Adams, JohnAdams, John Quincy, Independence Day Address (July 4, 1821)Address to the Inhabitants of the Colonies (Wilson)Address to the People of Great Britain (October 21, 1774)Albert H. Small Declaration of Independence CollectionAmbitionAn Answer to the Declaration of the American Congress (Lind)Attestation ClausesAudiences for the Declaration of IndependenceBentham's Short Review of the Declaration of IndependenceBill of RightsBinns Engraving of the Declaration of IndependenceBritish ConstitutionBritish CrownBritish Deposition ApologiasCalhoun, John C.Called Together Legislative Bodies Unusually (Charge #4)Capitalization and Punctuation in the Declaration of IndependenceCaptions of the Declaration of IndependenceCharges against the King and OthersCircumstances of Our Emigration and SettlementCivilian Control of the Military (Charge #12)Coins and Stamps Depicting the Declaration of IndependenceCommittee Responsible for Writing the Declaration of IndependenceCommon Sense (Paine)Congress Voting Independence (Painting by Savage)Congressional and Presidential References to the Declaration of IndependenceCongressional Response to Lord North's Conciliatory ResolutionConnecticut and Its SignersConsent of the GovernedConsiderations on the Nature and Extent of Legislative Authority of the British Parliament (Wilson)ConspiracyConstrained Our Fellow Citizens Taken Captive on the High Seas (Charge #26)Covenants and CompactsCreation of New State GovernmentsCreed/ScripturesDebates over the Declaration of IndependenceDeclaration (Meaning of Term)Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress (1774)Declaration HouseDeclaration of Independence DeskDeclaration of Sentiments (1848)Declaration on the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up ArmsDeclaratory Act of 1766Delaware and Its SignersDemocracyDickinson (John) Speech Opposing the Declaration of IndependenceDissolution of GovernmentDissolved Representative Houses (Charge #5)Dunlap Broadside Printing of the Declaration of IndependenceEndeavored to Prevent the Population (Charge #7)English Declaration of RightsEngravings and Printings of the Declaration of IndependenceEngrossed Declaration of Independence (Matlack)EqualityErected a Multitude of New Offices (Charge #10)Evolution of the TextFactsFamilyFaulkner, Barry (Painting)FederalismForbidding Governors from Passing Laws (Charge #2)Franklin, BenjaminFriends and EnemiesGeorge III, Proclamation of Rebellion (August 23, 1775)George III, Speech to Parliament (October 27, 1775)George III, Speech to Parliament (October 31, 1776)Georgia and Its SignersGodGoddard Printing of the Declaration of IndependenceHancock's Letters Accompanying the Declaration of IndependenceHe Has Combined with Others (Charge #13)Howe's Circular Letter (1776)Human Nature and the Declaration of IndependenceIndependenceIndependence DayIndependence HallInternational LawInterpreting the Declaration of IndependenceJefferson, ThomasJefferson MemorialJefferson's EpitaphJefferson's Last Words on the Declaration of IndependenceJefferson's Notes on Debates over IndependenceJefferson's Resolutions on Lord North's Conciliatory ProposalJefferson's Speech to Jean Baptiste Ducoigne (1781)JusticeKingshipLaws of Nature and of Nature's GodLegal Form of the Declaration of IndependenceLength of the Declaration of IndependenceLife, Liberty, and the Pursuit of HappinessLincoln, AbrahamList of Infringements and Violations of Rights (Warren)Locke, JohnMade Judges Dependent on His Will (Charge #9)Majority Rule and UnanimityMartin Luther King Jr. LegislationMaryland and Its SignersMassachusetts and Its SignersMecklenburg Declaration of IndependenceMemorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of IndependenceMoral Virtues in the Declaration of IndependenceMusical Play 1776Native American Indians (Charge #27)NecessityNew Hampshire and Its SignersNew Jersey and Its SignersNew York and Its SignersNor Have We Been Wanting in Attention to Our English BrethrenNorth Carolina and Its SignersNorthwest Ordinance of 1787Obstructed the Administration of Justice (Charge #8)Olive Branch PetitionOriginality of the Declaration of IndependenceOur Lives, Our Fortunes, and Our Sacred HonorOutline and Organization of the Declaration of IndependencePennsylvania and Its SignersPeoplePetition to King George III (1774)Petitions for Redress Ignored (Charge #28)PhiladelphiaPlundered Our Seas (Charge #24)Preamble to the Resolution of Virginia Convention (May 15, 1776)Preserving the Declaration of IndependenceProclamation, Reading, and Reception of the Declaration of IndependenceProperty RightsProtecting Troops by Mock Trials (Charge #15)PrudenceQuartering Troops (Charge #14)Quebec Act of 1774 (Charge #20)ReasonReferences to King George III in the Declaration of IndependenceRefused Assent to Colonial Laws (Charge #1)Refused to Cause Others to Be Elected (Charge #6)Refused to Pass Other Laws (Charge #3)Remember the LadiesRepresentative (Republican) GovernmentReputation of the Declaration of IndependenceResolutions Introduced by Richard Henry Lee (June 7, 1776)RevolutionRhode Island and Its SignersThe Rights of Great Britain Asserted against the Claims of America (Macpherson)Rush's (Benjamin) Characters of the SignersScottish EnlightenmentSecond Continental CongressSecrecySelf-Evident TruthsSigners, Collective ProfileSigning of the Declaration of IndependenceSlaverySouth Carolina and Its SignersStanding Armies (Charge #11)State Constitutions and the Declaration of IndependenceStatue of LibertyStone Engraving of the Declaration of IndependenceStrictures upon the Declaration of Independence (Hutchinson)Style of the Declaration of IndependenceSuffolk Resolves of 1774A Summary View of the Rights of British America (Jefferson)Supreme Court and the Declaration of IndependenceSuspending Legislatures (Charge #22)Sussex DeclarationSyng InkstandTaking Away Our Charters (Charge #21)Taxes (Charge #17)Temperature on July 4, 1776Timing of the Declaration of IndependenceToriesTrade (Charge #16)Translations of the Declaration of IndependenceTransporting Large Armies of Foreign Mercenaries (Charge #25)Transporting Us beyond Seas (Charge #19)TreasonTrial by Jury (Charge #18)Trumbull, John (Paintings)Tyler Engraving of the Declaration of IndependenceTyrannyUnalienable RightsUnited States of America (Name)U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of IndependenceVirginia and Its SignersVirginia Constitution of 1776Virginia Declaration of RightsVirginia Resolution of May 15, 1776Vote for Independence"We" (First-Person Plural)We Have Appealed to Their Native Justice & MagnanimityWhen in the Course of Human EventsWhig Political ThoughtWhitney, Peter (Sermon)Writing the Declaration of Independence (J. L. G. Ferris Painting)Appendix A: Thomas Jefferson's Rough Draft of the Declaration of IndependenceAppendix B: Declaration of Independence (1776)Appendix C: Signers by State from North to SouthGlossaryBibliographyIndex

John R. Vile is professor of political science and dean of the University Honors College at Middle Tennessee State University, USA, and author of numerous critically acclaimed works of American history, including Encyclopedia of Constitutional Amendments, Proposed Amendments, and Amending Issues, 1789-2023 (Bloomsbury, 2023).

• Topical List of EntriesPrefaceIntroductionTimelineInteresting FactsEntries:Abdication of Government (Charge #23)AbolitionismAbuses and UsurpationsAct of Abjuration (Plakkaat van Verlatinge, 1581)Adams, JohnAdams, John Quincy, Independence Day Address (July 4, 1821)Address to the Inhabitants of the Colonies (Wilson)Address to the People of Great Britain (October 21, 1774)Albert H. Small Declaration of Independence CollectionAmbitionAn Answer to the Declaration of the American Congress (Lind)Attestation ClausesAudiences for the Declaration of IndependenceBentham's Short Review of the Declaration of IndependenceBill of RightsBinns Engraving of the Declaration of IndependenceBritish ConstitutionBritish CrownBritish Deposition ApologiasCalhoun, John C.Called Together Legislative Bodies Unusually (Charge #4)Capitalization and Punctuation in the Declaration of IndependenceCaptions of the Declaration of IndependenceCharges against the King and OthersCircumstances of Our Emigration and SettlementCivilian Control of the Military (Charge #12)Coins and Stamps Depicting the Declaration of IndependenceCommittee Responsible for Writing the Declaration of IndependenceCommon Sense (Paine)Congress Voting Independence (Painting by Savage)Congressional and Presidential References to the Declaration of IndependenceCongressional Response to Lord North's Conciliatory ResolutionConnecticut and Its SignersConsent of the GovernedConsiderations on the Nature and Extent of Legislative Authority of the British Parliament (Wilson)ConspiracyConstrained Our Fellow Citizens Taken Captive on the High Seas (Charge #26)Covenants and CompactsCreation of New State GovernmentsCreed/ScripturesDebates over the Declaration of IndependenceDeclaration (Meaning of Term)Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress (1774)Declaration HouseDeclaration of Independence DeskDeclaration of Sentiments (1848)Declaration on the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up ArmsDeclaratory Act of 1766Delaware and Its SignersDemocracyDickinson (John) Speech Opposing the Declaration of IndependenceDissolution of GovernmentDissolved Representative Houses (Charge #5)Dunlap Broadside Printing of the Declaration of IndependenceEndeavored to Prevent the Population (Charge #7)English Declaration of RightsEngravings and Printings of the Declaration of IndependenceEngrossed Declaration of Independence (Matlack)EqualityErected a Multitude of New Offices (Charge #10)Evolution of the TextFactsFamilyFaulkner, Barry (Painting)FederalismForbidding Governors from Passing Laws (Charge #2)Franklin, BenjaminFriends and EnemiesGeorge III, Proclamation of Rebellion (August 23, 1775)George III, Speech to Parliament (October 27, 1775)George III, Speech to Parliament (October 31, 1776)Georgia and Its SignersGodGoddard Printing of the Declaration of IndependenceHancock's Letters Accompanying the Declaration of IndependenceHe Has Combined with Others (Charge #13)Howe's Circular Letter (1776)Human Nature and the Declaration of IndependenceIndependenceIndependence DayIndependence HallInternational LawInterpreting the Declaration of IndependenceJefferson, ThomasJefferson MemorialJefferson's EpitaphJefferson's Last Words on the Declaration of IndependenceJefferson's Notes on Debates over IndependenceJefferson's Resolutions on Lord North's Conciliatory ProposalJefferson's Speech to Jean Baptiste Ducoigne (1781)JusticeKingshipLaws of Nature and of Nature's GodLegal Form of the Declaration of IndependenceLength of the Declaration of IndependenceLife, Liberty, and the Pursuit of HappinessLincoln, AbrahamList of Infringements and Violations of Rights (Warren)Locke, JohnMade Judges Dependent on His Will (Charge #9)Majority Rule and UnanimityMartin Luther King Jr. LegislationMaryland and Its SignersMassachusetts and Its SignersMecklenburg Declaration of IndependenceMemorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of IndependenceMoral Virtues in the Declaration of IndependenceMusical Play 1776Native American Indians (Charge #27)NecessityNew Hampshire and Its SignersNew Jersey and Its SignersNew York and Its SignersNor Have We Been Wanting in Attention to Our English BrethrenNorth Carolina and Its SignersNorthwest Ordinance of 1787Obstructed the Administration of Justice (Charge #8)Olive Branch PetitionOriginality of the Declaration of IndependenceOur Lives, Our Fortunes, and Our Sacred HonorOutline and Organization of the Declaration of IndependencePennsylvania and Its SignersPeoplePetition to King George III (1774)Petitions for Redress Ignored (Charge #28)PhiladelphiaPlundered Our Seas (Charge #24)Preamble to the Resolution of Virginia Convention (May 15, 1776)Preserving the Declaration of IndependenceProclamation, Reading, and Reception of the Declaration of IndependenceProperty RightsProtecting Troops by Mock Trials (Charge #15)PrudenceQuartering Troops (Charge #14)Quebec Act of 1774 (Charge #20)ReasonReferences to King George III in the Declaration of IndependenceRefused Assent to Colonial Laws (Charge #1)Refused to Cause Others to Be Elected (Charge #6)Refused to Pass Other Laws (Charge #3)Remember the LadiesRepresentative (Republican) GovernmentReputation of the Declaration of IndependenceResolutions Introduced by Richard Henry Lee (June 7, 1776)RevolutionRhode Island and Its SignersThe Rights of Great Britain Asserted against the Claims of America (Macpherson)Rush's (Benjamin) Characters of the SignersScottish EnlightenmentSecond Continental CongressSecrecySelf-Evident TruthsSigners, Collective ProfileSigning of the Declaration of IndependenceSlaverySouth Carolina and Its SignersStanding Armies (Charge #11)State Constitutions and the Declaration of IndependenceStatue of LibertyStone Engraving of the Declaration of IndependenceStrictures upon the Declaration of Independence (Hutchinson)Style of the Declaration of IndependenceSuffolk Resolves of 1774A Summary View of the Rights of British America (Jefferson)Supreme Court and the Declaration of IndependenceSuspending Legislatures (Charge #22)Sussex DeclarationSyng InkstandTaking Away Our Charters (Charge #21)Taxes (Charge #17)Temperature on July 4, 1776Timing of the Declaration of IndependenceToriesTrade (Charge #16)Translations of the Declaration of IndependenceTransporting Large Armies of Foreign Mercenaries (Charge #25)Transporting Us beyond Seas (Charge #19)TreasonTrial by Jury (Charge #18)Trumbull, John (Paintings)Tyler Engraving of the Declaration of IndependenceTyrannyUnalienable RightsUnited States of America (Name)U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of IndependenceVirginia and Its SignersVirginia Constitution of 1776Virginia Declaration of RightsVirginia Resolution of May 15, 1776Vote for Independence"We" (First-Person Plural)We Have Appealed to Their Native Justice & MagnanimityWhen in the Course of Human EventsWhig Political ThoughtWhitney, Peter (Sermon)Writing the Declaration of Independence (J. L. G. Ferris Painting)Appendix A: Thomas Jefferson's Rough Draft of the Declaration of IndependenceAppendix B: Declaration of Independence (1776)Appendix C: Signers by State from North to SouthGlossaryBibliographyIndex

John R. Vile is professor of political science and dean of the University Honors College at Middle Tennessee State University, USA, and author of numerous critically acclaimed works of American history, including Encyclopedia of Constitutional Amendments, Proposed Amendments, and Amending Issues, 1789-2023 (Bloomsbury, 2023).

• Topical List of EntriesPrefaceIntroductionTimelineInteresting FactsEntries:Abdication of Government (Charge #23)AbolitionismAbuses and UsurpationsAct of Abjuration (Plakkaat van Verlatinge, 1581)Adams, JohnAdams, John Quincy, Independence Day Address (July 4, 1821)Address to the Inhabitants of the Colonies (Wilson)Address to the People of Great Britain (October 21, 1774)Albert H. Small Declaration of Independence CollectionAmbitionAn Answer to the Declaration of the American Congress (Lind)Attestation ClausesAudiences for the Declaration of IndependenceBentham's Short Review of the Declaration of IndependenceBill of RightsBinns Engraving of the Declaration of IndependenceBritish ConstitutionBritish CrownBritish Deposition ApologiasCalhoun, John C.Called Together Legislative Bodies Unusually (Charge #4)Capitalization and Punctuation in the Declaration of IndependenceCaptions of the Declaration of IndependenceCharges against the King and OthersCircumstances of Our Emigration and SettlementCivilian Control of the Military (Charge #12)Coins and Stamps Depicting the Declaration of IndependenceCommittee Responsible for Writing the Declaration of IndependenceCommon Sense (Paine)Congress Voting Independence (Painting by Savage)Congressional and Presidential References to the Declaration of IndependenceCongressional Response to Lord North's Conciliatory ResolutionConnecticut and Its SignersConsent of the GovernedConsiderations on the Nature and Extent of Legislative Authority of the British Parliament (Wilson)ConspiracyConstrained Our Fellow Citizens Taken Captive on the High Seas (Charge #26)Covenants and CompactsCreation of New State GovernmentsCreed/ScripturesDebates over the Declaration of IndependenceDeclaration (Meaning of Term)Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress (1774)Declaration HouseDeclaration of Independence DeskDeclaration of Sentiments (1848)Declaration on the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up ArmsDeclaratory Act of 1766Delaware and Its SignersDemocracyDickinson (John) Speech Opposing the Declaration of IndependenceDissolution of GovernmentDissolved Representative Houses (Charge #5)Dunlap Broadside Printing of the Declaration of IndependenceEndeavored to Prevent the Population (Charge #7)English Declaration of RightsEngravings and Printings of the Declaration of IndependenceEngrossed Declaration of Independence (Matlack)EqualityErected a Multitude of New Offices (Charge #10)Evolution of the TextFactsFamilyFaulkner, Barry (Painting)FederalismForbidding Governors from Passing Laws (Charge #2)Franklin, BenjaminFriends and EnemiesGeorge III, Proclamation of Rebellion (August 23, 1775)George III, Speech to Parliament (October 27, 1775)George III, Speech to Parliament (October 31, 1776)Georgia and Its SignersGodGoddard Printing of the Declaration of IndependenceHancock's Letters Accompanying the Declaration of IndependenceHe Has Combined with Others (Charge #13)Howe's Circular Letter (1776)Human Nature and the Declaration of IndependenceIndependenceIndependence DayIndependence HallInternational LawInterpreting the Declaration of IndependenceJefferson, ThomasJefferson MemorialJefferson's EpitaphJefferson's Last Words on the Declaration of IndependenceJefferson's Notes on Debates over IndependenceJefferson's Resolutions on Lord North's Conciliatory ProposalJefferson's Speech to Jean Baptiste Ducoigne (1781)JusticeKingshipLaws of Nature and of Nature's GodLegal Form of the Declaration of IndependenceLength of the Declaration of IndependenceLife, Liberty, and the Pursuit of HappinessLincoln, AbrahamList of Infringements and Violations of Rights (Warren)Locke, JohnMade Judges Dependent on His Will (Charge #9)Majority Rule and UnanimityMartin Luther King Jr. LegislationMaryland and Its SignersMassachusetts and Its SignersMecklenburg Declaration of IndependenceMemorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of IndependenceMoral Virtues in the Declaration of IndependenceMusical Play 1776Native American Indians (Charge #27)NecessityNew Hampshire and Its SignersNew Jersey and Its SignersNew York and Its SignersNor Have We Been Wanting in Attention to Our English BrethrenNorth Carolina and Its SignersNorthwest Ordinance of 1787Obstructed the Administration of Justice (Charge #8)Olive Branch PetitionOriginality of the Declaration of IndependenceOur Lives, Our Fortunes, and Our Sacred HonorOutline and Organization of the Declaration of IndependencePennsylvania and Its SignersPeoplePetition to King George III (1774)Petitions for Redress Ignored (Charge #28)PhiladelphiaPlundered Our Seas (Charge #24)Preamble to the Resolution of Virginia Convention (May 15, 1776)Preserving the Declaration of IndependenceProclamation, Reading, and Reception of the Declaration of IndependenceProperty RightsProtecting Troops by Mock Trials (Charge #15)PrudenceQuartering Troops (Charge #14)Quebec Act of 1774 (Charge #20)ReasonReferences to King George III in the Declaration of IndependenceRefused Assent to Colonial Laws (Charge #1)Refused to Cause Others to Be Elected (Charge #6)Refused to Pass Other Laws (Charge #3)Remember the LadiesRepresentative (Republican) GovernmentReputation of the Declaration of IndependenceResolutions Introduced by Richard Henry Lee (June 7, 1776)RevolutionRhode Island and Its SignersThe Rights of Great Britain Asserted against the Claims of America (Macpherson)Rush's (Benjamin) Characters of the SignersScottish EnlightenmentSecond Continental CongressSecrecySelf-Evident TruthsSigners, Collective ProfileSigning of the Declaration of IndependenceSlaverySouth Carolina and Its SignersStanding Armies (Charge #11)State Constitutions and the Declaration of IndependenceStatue of LibertyStone Engraving of the Declaration of IndependenceStrictures upon the Declaration of Independence (Hutchinson)Style of the Declaration of IndependenceSuffolk Resolves of 1774A Summary View of the Rights of British America (Jefferson)Supreme Court and the Declaration of IndependenceSuspending Legislatures (Charge #22)Sussex DeclarationSyng InkstandTaking Away Our Charters (Charge #21)Taxes (Charge #17)Temperature on July 4, 1776Timing of the Declaration of IndependenceToriesTrade (Charge #16)Translations of the Declaration of IndependenceTransporting Large Armies of Foreign Mercenaries (Charge #25)Transporting Us beyond Seas (Charge #19)TreasonTrial by Jury (Charge #18)Trumbull, John (Paintings)Tyler Engraving of the Declaration of IndependenceTyrannyUnalienable RightsUnited States of America (Name)U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of IndependenceVirginia and Its SignersVirginia Constitution of 1776Virginia Declaration of RightsVirginia Resolution of May 15, 1776Vote for Independence"We" (First-Person Plural)We Have Appealed to Their Native Justice & MagnanimityWhen in the Course of Human EventsWhig Political ThoughtWhitney, Peter (Sermon)Writing the Declaration of Independence (J. L. G. Ferris Painting)Appendix A: Thomas Jefferson's Rough Draft of the Declaration of IndependenceAppendix B: Declaration of Independence (1776)Appendix C: Signers by State from North to SouthGlossaryBibliographyIndex