What does this line of the declaration of independence mean?
The English law referred to is the legal system of England and Wales, and is the basis of common law legal systems throughout the world (as opposed to civil law or pluralist systems in other countries, such as Scots law). It was exported to Commonwealth countries while the British Empire was established and maintained, and it forms the basis of the jurisprudence of most of those countries. English law prior to the American revolution is still part of the law of the United States, except in Louisiana, and provides the basis for many American legal traditions and policies, though it has no superseding jurisdiction. For abolishing the "free System of English Laws in a neighboring 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.” The “neighboring Province” refers to Quebec, and “establishing therein an arbitrary Government, and enlarging its Boundaries,” This was altering the laws by the Quebec Act of 1774 which was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain setting procedures of governance in the Province of Quebec. Principal components of the act: • Expansion of territory to take over part of the Indian Reserve (1763), including much of what is now southern Ontario, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota. • Replaced the oath of allegiance so that it no longer made reference to the Protestant faith. • Guaranteed free practice of the Catholic faith. • Restored the use of the French civil law for private matters while maintaining the use of the English common law for public administration, including criminal prosecution.
In vietnamese dey say "thay long doi da"..what does it mean, can sum1 please answer me in english?
its usually said to sum1 that has broken sum1 elses heart... its a vietnamese line that they say inlove movies and im dyiin to know the excate meanin of it.... wat does "doi da" means,.... i no wah "thay long" means but not "doi da" i think it can be translated as somethin like..changed of heart... or sumthin lik that,...but i need the professional translation of this.. if u cant write it in english then write it in vietnamese if u can
“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.”These assertions are more than a statement of philosophy or ethics. They form the basis for both the rule of law (as opposed to rule by monarch) and consent of the governed (as opposed to rule by monarchy). Monarchy asserts that all men are NOT created equal, that the King or Emperor possesses rights significantly greater than those persons subject to the ruler.Further, a monarch had the ability to create, suspend or obviate existing laws by their own volition, effectively usurping “unalienable” rights for whatever reasons they believed useful or for no reason at all. Life could be taken by a king, liberty could be suspended or destroyed by an emperor, and the pursuit of happiness did not factor into many lives subject to tyrannical rulers.The purpose of the phrase is multi-faceted but one undeniable intent was to assert, clearly, that tyrannical rule - even benevolent rule - would not be tolerated.
What does this last line in the declaration mean?
You've got some great answers already, so I just wanted to add a note: That line was important, because please remember that if the British had won, and it certainly seemed possible, even likely at the time the Declaration was signed, those men who had signed it would have forfeited everything they had, from property to liberty to reputation to their very lives. The punishment for treason to the Crown was death, and the seizure of all properties owned by the traitor. The line was added to remind those who chose to sign that their was now no turning back, no real hope of reconciliation with Britain. The men who signed that document, and who fought in the Continental and militia forces were willing to take that risk, because they saw that giving in would cause they and their children and their children's children to be somehow less. Enslaved, as many wrote. Forced to give to the Crown whatever the crown wanted, and have no voice whatsoever in their government. They judged that fighting now, even with the huge risk it entailed, was their only choice.
The Declaration of Independence was essentially a bill of divorcement from America to the British Crown. The document lists the reasons for this separation. In doing so, the new United States” wished to take their place among the other nations “to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.”Note, US government is not “based” on the Declaration of Independence as President Carter mistakenly stated. Initially there were The Articles of Confederation that did that, but they were replaced by the American Constitution. A great book on this is topic is The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution by Joseph J. Ellis.
"When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."A little history is necessary here. The colonists always thought of themselves as British citizens and loyal subjects of the King, but two things drove a wedge between the colonies and England. Historically, each colony had a Royal Governor and an elected legislature. This actually worked well for over a century. The problem came when due to several factors, Royal Governors were not appointed and colonies started ruling themselves for periods of time. The colonies got accustomed to self-government.Second, the French and Indian War, known as the Seven Years War in Europe. In the Americas this brought in a large number of British troops and cooperation with the colonies militia. Well, not so much cooperation actually. The British, being professionals, disliked the colonial rabble and they declared all militia officers above captain to be captains and below all British captains at that. This knocked the landed gentry off the British military.The British and colonials were successful in the French and Indian War, but it cost a lot. The British wanted colonials to pay for it. This really knocked the common people off the British. The colonies had been becoming more mature economies by this point with New York, Virginia and Massachusetts actually commencing exports and the Carolinas servicing the British merchant fleet. They had also been starting to educate themselves with a smattering of universities appearing.The British reaction was hostile, surprisingly so. By ending the Massachusetts legislature and imposing direct rule on that colony and imposing new taxes, the British effectively cut the loyalty of colonists off at the knees.The colonists saw no alternative but to preserve their self-government and to rebel. The D of I states the reasoning.
What does the author mean in the last sentence of the Declaration of Independence?
To answer the main question, all one has to do is read the massage. "...for the support of this Declaration," self explanatory. "...with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence," means we believe that God will protect us. "...we mutually pledge to each other..." self explanatory. "...our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honour..." this is what they stood to lose should they ever be captured or should the American cause of Independence fail. Most of the people who signed that document ended up giving one or more of theses things to the Cause. Nearly all died penniless. Several died before the end of the war. Fortunately, only very few surrendered their sacred Honor. None of those men did and of the most notable names of the revolution, only Arnold stands out as a well known name, although there were well and truly hundreds if not thousands of others on a much lower scale than he.