Happy Independence Day to all Americans! (In a few hours for you.)

But please understand what you're actually celebrating if you do. Because unlike a popular narrative, taxation wasn't the main reason to reject the British monarchy. More important reasons included:

- The king shut down representatives who tried to oppose him.
- The king obstructed the naturalization of foreigners.
- The king tried to make judges obey him rather than the laws in place.
- The king used his officers to harass and deport people for imagined crimes.
- The king deployed armies without the consent of local legislators.
- The king cut off trading with all parts of the world.
- The king imposed taxes without the colonists' consent. There it is! (Way down the list and in context.)
- The king deprived people in some cases of trial by jury or due process.
- The king took away the right of individual colonies to write their own laws.

If you're happy none of that happens anymore, go light some fireworks in celebration!

If you believe those things only disappeared temporarily and are back now, perhaps a protest to make them something of the past again is more fitting.

More details in text form: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
And in video form if you prefer that:
[media=https://youtu.be/rAxdjJ7PQN0]

Captainjackass · 31-35, M

Back then we actually did things right and fought a tyrant. Now we allow one to do whatever he wants and think resisting him is mocking him online. I miss the days we executed dictators.

NerdyPotato ·

@Captainjackass as I heard someone say recently: "A guillotine is only called that in its country of origin, France. In the rest of the world it's called a shiny wealth distributor."