The Declaration of Independence is a breakup letter from America to the King of England, with severe complaints. Here are five of wildest:
The king sending swarms of government officials to harass us and steal our food.
The king won’t sign laws until we give up our representation…Kind of like refusing to sign a housing bill until a more restrictive voting bill is passed.
Armed troops burning our towns and destroying our lives, which somehow did not make the top two.
Armed troops murdering us and not being punished… which thankfully doesn’t happen today?
A tie between: kidnapping us and forcing us to kill our friends and family or be killed ourselves, and the king encouraging Native Americans to kill us with no regard for women, children, or the sick or disabled—which is kind of ironic.
Look, 250 years later, it’s important to revisit these complaints to make sure our current government doesn’t repeat them.
Ben Sheehan is a political commentator and digital creator. He specializes in civics education, which is showcased in his latest book, What Does the Constitution Actually Say?: A Non-Boring Guide to How Our Democracy Is Supposed to Work. Check out his Substack, Politics Made Easy.
