Junius Unmasked: Or, Thomas Paine the author of the Letters of Junius and the Declaration of IndependenceMoody, Joel
History
Junius Unmasked: Or, Thomas Paine the author of the Letters of Junius and the Declaration of Independence
Moody, Joel
Francis, Philip, 1740-1818; Junius, active 18th century; Paine, Thomas, 1737-1809; United States. Declaration of Independence
[A] Massacre at Lexington.
[B] See Note A, page 277.
ANALYSIS.
We have to do with the original draft, and to let the reader see the
hand of a master, I will analyze it.
"I love method," said Mr. Paine. The method of the piece stands as
follows, and, for the sake of elucidation, I have numbered the
paragraphs in the original;
I. INTRODUCTION, viz:--Paragraph 1.
II. BILL OF RIGHTS--Paragraph 2.
III. INDICTMENT--under three general charges: _Usurpation_,
_Abdication_, and _War_, as follows:
USURPATION.
Par. 3, 4, 5--Laws usurped, and hereunder:
_a._ Negatived.
_b._ Forbidden and neglected.
_c._ Refused, unless rights are surrendered.
Par. 6, 7, 8, 9--Legislation usurped, and hereunder:
_a._ Legislative bodies meet at the wrong place.
_b._ Legislative bodies dissolved.
_c._ Refused to have them elected.
_d._ Obstructing legislation for naturalization.
Par. 10, 11, 12--Judiciary powers usurped, and hereunder:
_a._ Destroyed by his negative.
_b._ Made the judges dependent on his will,
_c._ And erected new offices by his own will.
Par. 13, 14--Military powers usurped, and hereunder:
_a._ Established without consent of legislatures.
_b._ Made superior to civil power.
Par. 15--Jurisdiction usurped, and hereunder:
_a._ Troops, the quartering of.
_b._ Trial, of a mock nature.
_c._ Trade, the cutting off.
_d._ Taxes, without consent.
_e._ Trial, depriving of.
_f._ Transportation, to be
_g._ Tried, for pretended offenses.
_h._ Laws, abolishing the English.
_i._ Charters, the taking of.
_j._ Laws, abolishing special ones.
_k._ Constitutions, altering form of.
_l._ Legislatures, suspension of.
_m._ Power, to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
ABDICATION.
Par. 16--Declaring us out of his allegiance and protection.
WAR.
Par. 17--Warfare begun, and hereunder:
_a._ Seas plundered.
_b._ Coasts ravaged.
_c._ Towns burnt.
_d._ Lives destroyed.
Par. 18--Invasion.
Par. 19--Pressing of seamen.
Par. 20--Indian massacres.
Par. 21--Insurrection.
Par. 22--Waging war against human nature.
IV. PEACEFUL METHOD OF REDRESS, viz: Petitioning--Paragraph 23.
V. NECESSITY OF SEPARATION--declared in Paragraphs 24, 25.
VI. POWERS OF AN INDEPENDENT STATE DECLARED TO THE WORLD--in Paragraph
26.
ARGUMENT.
Let us now examine Articles III, IV, V, and VI. As they form the piece
proper, namely, the indictment and the declaration thereunder, let us
compare them with reference to the following:
In the conclusion of Common Sense Mr. Paine wrote: "Should a manifesto
be published and dispatched to foreign courts setting forth--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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