I have been giving the Declaration of Independence a lot of thought lately. With all the talk of changing governments around the world. I wanted to focus on, and translate into modern English, my favorite part.
The original paragraph:
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
My translation is this paragraph:
You should take care not to change governments because of simple or temporary reasons. History is full of examples where people will put up with an abusive government rather than change it because it is familiar to them. But when the abuses escalate and rights abolished with the objective being absolute control by one person or one group. It is then the right and their duty to overthrow the abusive government, and create a new government that does not abuse their people or denies them their rights.
Sound familar to current events?