Declaration of Independence – watercress words by Dr Aletha

Declaring Independence-July 4, 2026

Read the text of the Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776. Would you have supported the fight for independence?

In Congress, July 4, 1776

“The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands 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.

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. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But 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.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

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, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose 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 Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support 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 sacred Honor.”

Declaration of Independence: A Transcription

“The previous text is a transcription of the Stone Engraving of the parchment Declaration of Independence (the document on display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum). The spelling and punctuation reflect the original.“

You can learn about the Declaration, its authors and signers, and see high-resolution images of the original at the above link. Read it here in Spanish.

La Declaración de Independencia

Remember and Research

Signing the Declaration and supporting the Revolution were costly for those who chose independence. Most paid with their property, money, family, and some paid with their lives.

Do you have ancestors who were part of the Revolution and know what happened to them? If you don’t know, consider researching your history. FamilySearch and the DAR Genealogical Research System are free and available to anyone wanting to find their Patriot ancestors.

Exploring the HEART of Health

I’d love for you to follow this blog and follow me on social media.

I share information and inspiration to help you transform challenges into opportunities for learning and growth.

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I enjoy seeing who is new to Watercress Words. When you subscribe, I will visit your blog or website. Thanks and see you next time.

Dr. Aletha

I joined the DAR when I found my Patriot ancestor.

Jump Into July

July is a significant month, with celebrations like the Apollo 11 moon landing anniversary and U.S. Independence Day, marked with events such as the Republican National Convention and the 2024 Summer Olympics. It’s a time for reflection on history, patriotism, and excitement for upcoming festivities, including a notable move for the 2028 Olympics.

revised June 20, 2025

How much do you remember about July 2024? Read this post to find out.

Here we are, starting the second half of the year. July is the first full month of summer for half the world and the last full month before school starts again, at least for some families. In July, we have only one federal holiday in the United States, but that doesn’t mean it’s a dull month.

July 20-Remembering the First Moonwalk

Perhaps I should have titled this post Leap into July since this month we remember a “giant leap” that happened in 1969.

On July 20 we will remember that historic day over 50 years ago when humans first walked on the moon, first Neil Armstrong, followed by Edwin Aldrin.

From the National Aeronautics and Space Administration website

“The primary objective of Apollo 11 was to complete a national goal set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961: perform a crewed lunar landing and return to Earth.

Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy on July 16, 1969, carrying Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin.

An estimated 650 million people watched Armstrong’s televised image and heard his voice describe the event as he took “…one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” on July 20, 1969.

one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind
Commander Neil Armstrong, July 20, 1969

Armstrong and Aldrin spent 21 hours, 36 minutes on the moon’s surface.

After a flight of 195 hours, 18 minutes, 35 seconds Apollo 11 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, 13 miles from the recovery ship USS Hornet July 24, 1969.”

If you don’t remember it, or weren’t alive then, you can watch it at this link.

July 20, 1969: One Giant Leap For Mankind

life size photo of the Apollo 11 crew-Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin — No, I didn’t go to the moon with the Apollo 11 team. My husband snapped this photo of me in front of this wall-sized photo of them displayed at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX

Now the United States and multiple other countries plan to return to the moon within the next few years. I hope this new “space race” is as exciting as the first one was.

July 4-Celebrating Independence

Further back in United States history, colonists in North America took a “giant leap” by declaring independence from Great Britain. That set off a hard-fought, costly war, culminating in an independent country of 13 states.

We celebrate Independence Day, more commonly simply called the 4th of July. The Continental Congress voted on July 2, 1776 to declare independence, but the Declaration was adopted on July 4, so we celebrate that day, which is an official federal holiday.

Unfortunately, the war was not the end of conflict for the new country.

The European settlers engaged in conflicts with the Indigenous people that still impact lives today. Many settlers bought and enslaved Africans despite many who objected to such a heinous practice.

The struggle between slave owners and abolitionists eventually led to a bitter Civil War a hundred years later and the civil rights movement after another century.

Still, the original dream of equality and the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness continues to inspire and motivate all Americans, whatever their origin.

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,
the Declaration of Independence

Thanks again to my husband for this photo of me at the Lincoln Memorial looking toward the Washington Memorial in Washington, DC.

Thanks to a cousin who did an extensive genealogy of my father’s family, I found evidence of having an ancestor who assisted in the fight for independence by providing supplies to the army. So I became a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

The mission of DAR includes education, patriotism, and historic preservation. Follow this link to see if you qualify to join, we always want new patriots and new members.

And don’t assume it doesn’t apply to you. DAR is seeking unrecognized African American and Native American patriots. One of them may be your ancestor

Daughters of the American Revolution

“As part of the DAR’s mission to preserve the past and encourage people to learn more about the nation’s history, the E Pluribus Unum Initiative will support new scholarship, create educational programming, and develop new research tools that complement work being done by other organizations, with the goal of enriching our understanding of the different people behind the effort of the colonies to win independence, and recognizing those who have been left out of the historical narrative.”

July 15-The Republican National Convention

At the 2024 Republican National Convention, delegates of the United States Republican Party selected the party’s president and vice president nominees for the 2024 presidential election in November. The event occurred July 15 to 18, 2024, at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The nominee was, as expected, former President Donald Trump, who announced his choice for a vice presidential running mate, Senator J.D. Vance.

Mr. Vance was known for his military service as well as his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, in which he described growing up poor in Appalachia.

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

He was raised by his grandmother because his mother, Beverly, struggled with substance abuse. She successfully overcame her addiction and lived to see her son become Vice President of the United States. Her story is one to celebrate.

I’ve never been inside the White House; it’s impressive from the outside. The President and his family reside here.

Aren’t the flowers gorgeous?

July 26-The Summer Olympics

The 2024 Summer Olympics (French: Jeux olympiques d’été de 2024), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad (French: Jeux de la XXXIIIe Olympiade) and commonly known as Paris 2024, is an international multi-sport event scheduled to take place from 26 July to 11 August 2024 in France, with Paris as the main host city and 16 other cities.

statues of runners passing a torch — at the U.S. Olympic Training Center at Colorado Springs Colorado, photo by Dr.Aletha

From 1924 to 1992, the Summer and Winter Games were held in the same year, every four years, a period called the “Olympiad”. The last Summer and Winter Games held in the same year were in Barcelona (Summer) and Albertville (Winter) in 1992.

Since then, the Summer Games are celebrated during the first year of an Olympiad and the Winter Games held in the third year, so we only have to wait two years to watch these exciting games again.

Considering the variety of sports held during the Summer Games, there will be many chances to observe competitive jumping-basketball, gymnastics, equestrian, volleyball, diving, and skateboarding-as well as sports that stay grounded-archery, golf, table tennis, and weightlifting.

two champion athletes — a runner and gymnast represented at the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs, CO

And what would summer be without water so we’ll see swimming, water polo, canoeing, rowing, and sailing. And surfing is in the Olympics, but not in Paris. Surfing events will be in Tahiti, which is part of French Polynesia.

a real “Olympic-sized” swimming pool at the training center

These photos are from my tour of the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado a few years ago. Please visit this post to see more photos and read more about my visit.

Tour the U.S. Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado

A visit to the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs showcases the dedication and resilience of Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Promoting physical activity, it emphasizes the health benefits of exercise, while sharing the “Winning Attitudes” and determination exhibited by champions. The center inspires a commitment to personal excellence and perseverance.

Keep reading

Exploring the HEART of Health

I’ll definitely be tuning in to watch the Olympic games. I especially enjoy the gymnastics and track events but also some of the less familiar sports. I may even check out breaking, which debuts this Olympics.

Breakdancing, as breaking is popularly known, is a form of dance sport that blends urban dance with remarkable athleticism, making it worthy of a spot in the Olympic program.

I’m already excited about the 2028 Summer Olympics coming to my home state, Oklahoma! At least part of it is. Los Angeles California is the official host city but two events will be in Oklahoma City-softball and canoe slalom.

“The partnership between the two cities is a move designed to use existing sports facilities and keep costs down.” Read more about the plans at this link

Why two 2028 Los Angeles Olympics events are moving to Oklahoma City

I’ve never been to an Olympic game so this will be my best chance.

I’d love for you to follow this blog and follow me on social media.

I share information and inspiration to help you transform challenges into opportunities for learning and growth.

Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.

I enjoy seeing who is new to Watercress Words. When you subscribe, I will visit your blog or website. Thanks and see you next time.