Grievances Against the King, Part 1: Abuses of Power

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The longest section of the Declaration lists a "history of repeated injuries and usurpations" against whom?

King George III of Great Britain.

What was the King accused of doing with laws passed by colonial legislatures?

He refused his "Assent" (royal approval) to laws that were necessary for the public good.

How did the King interfere with the functioning of colonial legislatures?

He repeatedly dissolved Representative Houses for opposing his policies and refused to allow others to be elected.

What grievance was related to the colonial judiciary system?

He made judges dependent on his will alone for their jobs and salaries, removing judicial independence.

What complaint concerned the stationing of British soldiers in the colonies?

He kept standing armies among the colonists in times of peace without the consent of their legislatures.

What did the Declaration accuse the King of regarding the military's role?

He tried to make the military independent of and superior to the civil (non-military) power.

How did the King obstruct the administration of justice?

By refusing to approve laws for establishing judiciary powers, essentially blocking the creation of colonial courts.

What complaint was made about where legislative bodies were forced to meet?

He called them to meet at unusual, uncomfortable, and distant places, with the goal of wearing them down into compliance.

The King was accused of combining with others to subject the colonies to a "jurisdiction foreign to our constitution." Who were these "others"?

The British Parliament, which passed acts like the Quartering Act and the Stamp Act without colonial representation.