Author’s Note: This piece is a modern reimagining of the Declaration of Independence, written in the structure, cadence, and rhetorical form of the 1776 original, but updated to speak to the democratic crises, civic erosion, and abuses of power of our time. It is not offered as a literal political document, but as a creative thought experiment—one that asks what a people might declare today if they believed their government had ceased to safeguard their rights, dignity, and future.
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for a free people to reaffirm their commitment to liberty, justice, and democratic self-government, and to reconsider the political bonds that have connected them with those who would subvert these principles, a decent respect to the opinions of humankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to such reflection and action.
We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all people are endowed with certain inalienable rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Justice; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among the people, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; and 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 to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form as shall seem most likely to effect their Safety, Liberty, and Justice.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light or transient causes; and accordingly all experience has shown that humankind is more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right itself by abolishing the forms to which it is accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to erode liberty, undermine justice, and weaken democratic self-rule, it is the right of the people—it is their duty—to resist such governance and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of the American people; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to reckon with the condition of their democracy.
The history of the present administration is a history of repeated injuries and abuses, all tending toward the concentration of personal and partisan power and the degradation of democratic norms. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world:
- He has undermined the integrity of elections by spreading demonstrable falsehoods, pressuring election officials, and refusing to accept lawful and verified outcomes.
- He has attacked the freedom of the press, denigrating independent journalism as illegitimate, encouraging hostility toward reporters, and seeking to discredit any account that contradicts his interests.
- He has obstructed the administration of justice by attempting to influence investigations, intimidate witnesses, defy lawful subpoenas, and place himself above the rule of law.
- He has weakened systems of accountability by dismissing inspectors general, undermining oversight bodies, and refusing transparency to the people.
- He has abused executive authority to bypass legislative scrutiny, asserting powers not granted by law and disregarding constitutional limits on his office.
- He has eroded the independence of the civil service and judiciary by appointing loyalists in place of qualified public servants and politicizing institutions designed to serve the public impartially.
- He has undermined voting rights by supporting measures that suppress participation, disproportionately burden marginalized communities, and weaken confidence in democratic processes.
- He has manipulated public fear and division by amplifying conspiracy theories, misinformation, and grievance, setting citizen against citizen to distract from failures in governance.
- He has interfered with scientific, medical, and public health guidance for partisan purposes, endangering lives and undermining trust in expertise and evidence.
- He has weakened protections for the environment, public health, and worker safety, subordinating the common good to private and political interests.
- He has exploited public office for personal enrichment, directing public resources toward his own benefit and that of his family and allies.
- He has disparaged and marginalized communities based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender, and political belief, fostering fear and resentment where equal protection and dignity were required.
- He has threatened and retaliated against whistleblowers, civil servants, advocates, journalists, artists, and satirists who have sought to hold power accountable or speak inconvenient truths.
- He has politicized law enforcement, emergency authority, and military power, treating institutions meant to protect the public as instruments of partisan loyalty.
- He has weakened alliances and international commitments, diminishing the standing of the United States and undermining cooperative efforts essential to global stability.
- He has repeatedly ignored lawful petitions and appeals from the people, answering calls for reform not with dialogue or correction, but with obstruction, contempt, and reprisal.
In every stage of these oppressions, the people have petitioned for redress in measured and lawful terms. Their repeated petitions have been met only by defiance and injury. A leader whose character is thus marked by actions that consistently undermine democratic restraint and civic trust is unfit to govern a free people.
Nor have the people been wanting in efforts to avert this condition. They have warned lawmakers and public officials of attempts to erode checks and balances and concentrate power. They have reminded their fellow citizens of shared history, common ideals, and mutual obligations. They have appealed to conscience, decency, and the rule of law, invoking every tie of civic responsibility to resist abuses that threaten the foundations of democratic society. These appeals, too, have too often been met with indifference or denial.
We, therefore, the representatives of the people of the United States, in civic assembly, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name and by authority of the people, solemnly publish and declare: That when a government persistently betrays the trust from which its authority is derived, the bonds of consent and confidence between it and the citizens are broken; that the people retain the right and responsibility to restore democratic governance; and that they are, and of right ought to be, free to defend the rule of law, protect civil liberties, and secure the blessings of democracy for themselves and future generations.
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on principle, conscience, and civic virtue, we mutually pledge to one another our vigilance, our commitment, and our sacred honor.
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