The Rights of Colonists

1772

(Adopted by the Boston Town Meeting)

Among the Natural Rights of the Colonists are these First.  A Right to Life; Secondly to Liberty; thirdly to Property; together with the Right to support and defend them in the best manner they can---Those are evident Branches of, rather than deductions from the Duty of Self Preservation, commonly called the first Law of Nature---

 All Men have a Right to remain in a State of Nature as long as they please: And I case of intollerable Oppression, Civil or Religious to leave the Society they belong to, and enter into another. ---

 When Men enter into Society, it is by voluntary consent; and they have a right to demand and insist upon the performance of such conditions, And previous limitations as form an equitable original compact. ---

 Every natural Right not expressly given up or from the nature of a Social Compact necessarily ceded remains. ---

 All positive and civil laws, should conform as far as possible, to the Law of natural reason and equality.

 As neither reason requires, nor religion permits the contrary, every Man living in or out of a state of civil society, has a right peaceably and quietly to worship God according to the dictates of his conscience…..

 The natural liberty of Men by entring into society is abridg’d or restrained so far only as is necessary for the Great end of Society the best good of the whole---

 In the state of nature, every man is under God, Judge and sole Judge, of his own rights and the injuries done him: Bu entering into society, he agrees to an Arbiter or indifferent Judge between him and his neigh ours; but he no more renounces his original right, than by taking a cause out of the ordinary course of law, and leaving the decision to Referees or indifferent Arbitrations…..

 “The natural liberty of man is to be free from any superior power on earth, and not to be under the will or legislative authority of man; but only to have the law of nature for his rule…”

 In short it is the greatest absurdity to suppose it in the power of one or any number of men at the entering into society, to renounce their essential natural rights, or the means of preserving those rights when the great end of civil government from the very nature of its institution is for the support, protection and defence of those very rights: the principal of which as is before observed, are life, liberty and property.  If men through fear, fraud or mistake, should in terms renounce and give up any essential natural right, the eternal law of reason and the great end of society, would absolutely vacate such renunciation; the right to freedom being the gift of God Almighty, it is not in the power of Man to alienate this gift, and voluntarily become a slave…..

 A Common Wealth or state is a body politick or civil society of men, united together to promote their mutual safety and prosperity, by means of their union. 

 All Persons born in the British American Colonies are by the laws of God and nature, and by the Common law of England, exclusive all charter from the Crown, well Entitled, and by the Acts of British Parliament are declared to be entitled to all natural essential, inherent & inseperable Rights Liberties and Privileges of Subjects born in Great Britian, or within the Realm.  Among those Rights are the following; which no men or body of men, consistently with their own rights as men and citizens or members of society, can for themselves give up, or take away from others.

 First, “The first fundamental positive law of all Commonwelths or States, is the establishing the legislative power; as the first fundamental natural law also, which is to govern even the legislative power itself, is the preservation of the Society.”

 Secondly, The Legislative has no right to absolute arbitrary power over the lives and fortunes of the people…..
 Thirdly, The supreme power cannot Justly take from any man, any part of his property without his consent, in person or by his Representative. ---

 These are some of the first principles of natural law & Justice, and the great Barriers of all free states, and of the British Constitution in particular.  It is utterly irreconcileable to these principles, and to many other fundamental maxims of the common law, common sense and reason, that a British house of commons, should have a right, at pleasure, to give and grant the property of the Colonists.