Every school kid knows that Thomas Jefferson was the drafter of the Declaration of Independence, which was adopted on July 4th, 1776. Had he been a poet it might have looked like this (less the grievances.)
We Hold These Truths Self Evident
When in the course of human events
The time comes to dissolve
The bands that tie the populace,
Free people will resolve
To assume among the powers of earth
A separate, equal station.
God’s law entitles us to form
An independent nation.
We hold these truths self evident,
We’re all the same created,
And have rights eternally
That may not be abated:
The pursuit of happiness
And liberty and life.
Governments are thus contrived
To secure each precious right.
When any form of government
Is destructive to that end,
It may be abolished
By freedom-loving men.
The history of King George
Is one of usurpations
That are simply not imposed
By just and noble nations.
We have petitioned frequently
For sufferance to redress,
Only to be answered
By tyrannical excess.
We, therefore, do declare
That we are, and ought to be,
Absolved from fealty to the crown;
We’re sovereign and we’re free.
So we create from colonies
A new and sovereign state.
Citizens will be in charge.
No despot will dictate.
We pledge to each other
Our fortunes and our lives
And our sacred honor
To ensure that it survives.
Note: For more poems about patriotic documents, events and heroes, see Patriotic Poems by Lee Austin, available through Amazon.
My Poetry That Rhymes 