The Declaration of Independence had an entire section of indictments against King George of England. The purpose of the document, written by Thomas Jefferson, was to make the case for a legal separation between the colonies and the king. The indictment section listed over twenty grievances that the colonists had against the king. Most of them charged the king with acting as a tyrant. This is especially true of the actions that related to legislation and the fact that the colonists were not able to represent themselves in Parliament. An example of a legal indictment from this section:
He (the king) has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
In this instance, Jefferson charged that the king had not respected the laws of the colonial assemblies. The king used his veto power to cancel legislation that the colonists deemed necessary for their survival.
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