pattern of Locke, while also functioning as an artifact of political protest in the British colonies of North America.
As an analogue to the legislative primacy of England's Parliament, the Continental Congress was not in a position to get into the details or structures of governance; that remained for the work of the Constitutional Convention in 1789. The Declaration articulated and justified the view that revolution could exclude a king without degenerating into anarchy and that the result of revolution would be an improvement in government. The lengthy list in the Declaration of grievances against the king's actions is an exercise in clarity that will explain the legitimacy of the republic envisioned, and the pledge of lives, fortunes, and sacred honor argues both the boldness and the self-consciousness of political men who intended to be taken seriously not only by every individual but also by every government in the world, not just the British one.
The serious intent surrounding the creation of the Declaration can
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