BBC: Is the US Declaration of Independence illegal?
107 replies, posted
Source: [url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15345511[/url]
[quote]
On Tuesday night, while Republican candidates in Nevada were debating such American issues as nuclear waste disposal and the immigration status of Mitt Romney's gardener, American and British lawyers in Philadelphia were taking on a far more fundamental topic.
Namely, just what did Thomas Jefferson think he was doing?
Some background: during the hot and sweltering summer of 1776, members of the second Continental Congress travelled to Philadelphia to discuss their frustration with royal rule.
By 4 July, America's founding fathers approved a simple document penned by Jefferson that enumerated their grievances and announced themselves a sovereign nation.
The event, presented by the Temple American Inn of Court in conjunction with Gray's Inn, London, pitted British barristers against American lawyers to determine whether or not the American colonists had legal grounds to declare secession.
For American lawyers, the answer is simple: "The English had used their own Declaration of Rights to depose James II and these acts were deemed completely lawful and justified," they say in their summary.
To the British, however, secession isn't the legal or proper tool by which to settle internal disputes. "What if Texas decided today it wanted to secede from the Union? Lincoln made the case against secession and he was right," they argue in their brief.
A vote at the end of the debate reaffirmed the legality of Jefferson and company's insurrection, and the American experiment survived to see another day.
[/quote]
Read the link for the full story, it breaks it down. Very interesting stuff.
...What?
Of course it wasn't legal, nor did it have any legal backing. It was an entirely symbolic gesture, any [US] history class would tell you this.
Too late to change anything now. :v:
This is just stuff; it won't mean UK's gonna try and reclaim the lost territories. If anything that'd end very badly; best case scenario Britain having to make repairations to the US for being idiots, middle case scenario Britain is annexed by America, worst case scenario BOMBS.
wow brits get over it
ok, lets ban the DoI and go under british rule then
i mean its not like american politics would do anything illegal or stand for anything illegal like this
this is very serious guys xD
[sp]this is a sarcastic post please don't take it seriously[/sp]
[QUOTE=Cheshire_cat;32861741]Too late to change anything now. :v:[/QUOTE]
That's what you think, turncoat!
Why would anyone put any serious thought into something like that. Great, it was illegal under past and current law, now get over it.
Sorry you all need to start paying us taxes, feel free to forward mine to my paypal.
Honestly, if I remember history class right the colonies weren't taxed nearly as heavily as the mother country so I don't know why we even bothered, it's not like we the people have more say about how taxes are levied with our own government in charge.
Attack the USA reclaim our terittory!
[QUOTE=taipan;32861940]Attack the USA reclaim our terittory![/QUOTE]
i dare you
[QUOTE=JerryK;32861952]i dare you[/QUOTE]
I double-doggy dare you!
[QUOTE=taipan;32861940]Attack the USA reclaim our terittory![/QUOTE]
I wouldn't mind being under Dutch rule, come on over, I'll help you take over Pennsylvania. :v:
[QUOTE=Nevermind me;32861985]I wouldn't mind being under Dutch rule, come on over, I'll help you take over Pennsylvania. :v:[/QUOTE]
Do we also get the debt if we invade?
Maybe nice way to get around that, let the USA get invaded, no more debt because there is no more USA!!
:v:
We will call it USA......2
I'm pretty sure when you seperate and form your own country, you are saying you don't give a fuck what their laws are anyways.
Wow. Politicians looking for more shit to argue over. It happened, and there would be [I][B][U]BIG TIME[/U][/B][/I] hell-to-pay for GB if they decided that America is theirs again.
[QUOTE=rosar0980;32862069]Wow. Politicians looking for more shit to argue over. It happened, and there would be [I][B][U]BIG TIME[/U][/B][/I] hell-to-pay for GB if they decided that America is theirs again.[/QUOTE]
I don't think they were seriously trying to argue about it, I very highly doubt Britain has any interest whatsoever in reclaiming their former American colonies. It was just an intellectual debate.
[QUOTE=rosar0980;32862069]Wow. Politicians looking for more shit to argue over. It happened, and there would be [I][B][U]BIG TIME[/U][/B][/I] hell-to-pay for GB if they decided that America is theirs again.[/QUOTE]
DAMNIT THIS IS TWO LAWYERS NOT ANY DAMN POLITICIANS IT'S THE MEDIA, RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE.
[QUOTE=taipan;32862015]Do we also get the debt if we invade?
Maybe nice way to get around that, let the USA get invaded, no more debt because there is no more USA!!
:v:
We will call it USA......2[/QUOTE]
The Commonwealth of United American States.
[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;32862187]The Commonwealth of United American States.[/QUOTE]
South Canada?
It is.
[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;32862187]The Commonwealth of United American States.[/QUOTE]
I believe my state is already a commonwealth, actually I have no clue what the hell that implies. Welp, to google I guess. :v:
no one cares anymore
Europe, assemble!
Your pity "United States" is ours now.
Lincoln made the case against secession and he was right?
Lincoln made the case against secession and he [I]WON[/I]
[QUOTE=XanaToast.;32862226]no one cares anymore[/QUOTE]
Also this mostly.
[QUOTE=Atlascore;32861784]They're just mad because they lost all their land.[/QUOTE]
Whatabout the Natives? Surely they lost more than us?
We came, robbed a fair amount of good stuff, then lost it.
Veni, vidi, vici then we fucked up :v:
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