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US Documents Essay The long list of offenses attributed to the King in the Declaration of Independence were: that he did not approve laws for the common good, he did not allow his governors to pass laws no matter how urgent and important they may be and instead ordered the governors to wait for his approval which he never gave, he denied to enact laws for the benefit of the majority but would only do so if they gave up their representation in the Legislature and which the people found unacceptable and tyrannical, he convened the Legislature in places far from the Public Records depository and such location was distant, unusual and uncomfortable for the representatives, he dissolved on many occasions the Houses of Representatives for their opposition to his tyranny, he had denied the election of replacement for The Houses he dissolved thus exposing a State without Legislation to such threats as invasions from outside and unrest from inside, he prevented to populate the states when he tried to stop the passage of Naturalization and Immigration laws and refused to amend Land Appropriations, he did not allow for the administration justice with the continued absence of a Judicial arm of government, judges served under his pleasure as their terms of offices and salaries depended on him, he created offices for their officers to harass people, he created unconstitutional standing armies even in times of peace, he made the Military superior to the Civilian, he ruled under a constitution alien to the states, armed troops dwell among the citizens and were protected from punishment even for crimes against the citizens of the states, compulsory taxed and cut off foreign trade of the states, there was no trial by jury and instead brought trials overseas, he ruled in anarchy, dissolved Charters, changed the form of government, and abolished laws, instead of protecting the states declared war against them, he destroyed properties and plundered the people, and forced the people to fight against each other. Then Declaration of Independence states, â€Å" †¦ that all men are created equal , that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. † Locke believed those rights to be inherent in man’s natural state. Further, the Declaration of Independence provides, â€Å"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 institute new Government. †¦ That these united colonies are, and of Right, ought to be Free and Independent States, †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Locke believed that for Government to continue to exist it must have the consent of the people. When a government does not serve the purpose for which it was created, Locke believed that a revolution against it, is a right and an obligation. In both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, there is no mention of rebellion or revolution against the Government. Amendment 13 abolished slavery. This is the only part of the Constitution that touches on slavery. Three among the powers of Congress as provided for in the Constitution are: to legislate laws, to declare war, and to levy and collect taxes, duties and excises. Amendments 1-10 are otherwise known as the Bill of Rights. Among these Rights guaranteed in the Constitution are: Amendment 1 – â€Å" Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech , or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. † Amendment 2 – â€Å" †¦ the right of the people to keep and bear arms †¦,† Amendment 4 – â€Å" †¦ right to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, †¦,† and Amendment 6 – â€Å" †¦ the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial †¦Ã¢â‚¬  The times when National Security is involved are certainly periods when we have to be cautious. Suspension of Rights is never a way of caution. Life must go on even in times of threats. To bar people from practicing their faith, speaking up and writing out their thoughts, to gather peacefully, and to file for redress of grievances is not the way of a democracy, a democracy which replaced the anarchic government of the King. References Landry, P. (1997-2006). John Locke. Biographies. Retrieved February 19, 2008 from http://www. blupete. com/Literature/Biographies/Philisophy/Locke. htm