1. VOCABULARY From The Declaration of Independence

2. Impel To drive forward, force When people feel they have been wronged strongly enough to separate from their government, they should declare the causes which impel them to separate.

3. Prudence Cautiousness, carefulness Prudence says that governments should not be changed unless there’s a good reason.

4. Despotism Government by ruler with unlimited power When a government descends to despotism, the people have a right to create a new government in order to protect their future.

5. Usurpations To use something without the right to do so A government which issues a long series of abuses and usurpations impels itself towards despotism.

6. Tyranny Oppression, domination, cruelty The King of England’s usurpations have created a state of tyranny over the States.

7. Candid Honest, sincere, straight To prove that the British government has become tyrannical, we will show the facts to a candid world.

8. Relinquish Surrender, abandon, resign, give up The king of England refused to pass laws to protect the people, unless those people relinquished their right to have representation in the legislature.

9. Annihilation Total destruction, obliteration Even if the King fires all of the representatives, legislative power cannot be annihilated, but someone else has to take it over instead.

10. Appropriation The taking of something; an acquisition The King of England would not let the States grow because he made the appropriation of land more difficult than it needed to be.

11. Abdicate Renounce, relinquish, give up responsibility The King of England has abdicated his duties in the American colonies, by declaring that they were outside of his protection, and waging war against them.

12. Mercenary Professional soldier hired to fight in a foreign army The King is hiring foreign mercenaries, and sending them to the American colonies to commit further acts of tyranny and usurpations.

13. Perfidy Treachery, dishonesty The perfidy in the States is worse than barbaric times, and is not fit for a civilized nation.

14. Redress Correction of a wrong We have humbly and repeatedly asked the British government for redress.

15. Magnanimity Nobility, generousness of spirit, fairness We want to believe that our current government is one of justice and magnanimity

16. Rectitude Morally correct behavior or thinking We, the Representatives of the United States of America want to convince the rest of the world of our rectitude in declaring that these United Colonies are now the free and independent United States. We’re a real country now.