US Declaration of Independence (RR, actually!)
Bambouche
1,484 Posts
The Preamble:[/b]
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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. -- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- 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, [/b]laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness...
I don't know how familiar you folks are with this document, but I've been reading about the Oath of Abjuration, and remember a different version of the Preamble (the bold passage). I've searched, but can't seem to find any mention of an alteration. I remember the passage as such, "And when these rights are destroyed, over long periods of time, it is your duty to destroy, or abolish, that government."[/b]
I've looked at Jefferson's "original rough draft", and his "fair draft"
and neither appear to have the other text.
Dick Gregory (here's where it gets record-related) used this wording on his Declaration of Independence routine on Light Side: The Dark Side.
If you remember, he tells young kids to sit their parents in front of the television when the Watts riots are on the news, and he instructs the kids to stand behind their parents and scream, "And when these rights are destroyed, over long periods of time, it is your duty to destroy, or abolish, that government." (Sample-spotting: Jeru's sampled this snippet on one of those horrible later albums)
Am I high? I remember reading as well as hearing this alternate text at least a few times, but I can't seem to find any mention of it (except for a few weirdo conspiracy theory websites). Where are the poli-sci students? Where are the constitutional lawyers? Where are the eighth grade school teachers?
Skull & Bones 32,
~Bam
Comments
nice call on the dick gregory lp, great shit -- my favorite quote from that (badly paraphrased) "if democracy is so wonderful, how come were so busy using our guns to cram it down everyones throats all over the world" -- so relevant.
I read through Locke as well, but nothing...
My money is on a deceptive underground plot by the government to single-handedly erase every instance of the "original" text from the Internet, every history book, and the library archives. As well as some special-ops covert calligraphy expert to re-write the Declaration in the middle of the night, dangling from one of those Tom Cruise bungee cords with a flashlight and fountain pen...
It happened, I swear, YOU'VE GOT TO BELIEVE ME!!!