|
|
|
Use a Prop
When I worked in retail jewelry, I used to move a tissue box around the sales floor. This was a way to get close to a new customer without pressuring them. I would just look like I was replacing an old tissue box and say, "Good morning! Please look around." Then I would walk off and pretend to water a plant or straighten a display. Many people are uncomfortable in jewelry stores, so ANYTHING you can do to make them feel at ease, DO IT! Approaching a customer too fast and too directly can make them tense up. A prop can help!
|
|
3,765 yr old Customer Service Complaint!
Poor customer service has been around
for a long, long time. Just check out this
3,765-year-old tablet with a customer
service complaint on it! It was written to a Babylonian merchant for his poor quality copper. Click here: COMPLAINT ABOUT DELIVERY OF
|
|
Great time to promote
MADE IN AMERICA JEWELRY
I hear Ed Levin is a good line to check out
|
|
Why Do Women Buy Jewelry?
Women buy jewelry to tell the world who they are. A woman's style, including what brands she wears, is her way of telling the STORY OF WHO SHE IS.
When a self purchasing woman comes in your store, find out her GOAL of what she wants the jewelry to say. Also remember what you see as her story might not be how SHE SEES HERSELF. Every woman pictures herself in a certain way. Sell to the woman she pictures herself to be, not the one you see in front
of you.
|
|
PICK ONE
CLEAR
MESSAGE!
Say I throw 6 balls at You.
You probably won't catch
any of them. But if I throw
ONE ball at you. You might
catch it! The same is with
your brand. Too many
messages blurs them.
I recommend picking a slogan or goal and keeping it in your wallet. Wouldn't a note you see every day saying "The BEST place for
bridal in America" help you
focus your efforts more?
|
|
|
ALEAH IS A DIAMOND'S
BEST FRIEND!
1-800-882-8900
| |
|
|
SPECIAL JULY OFFER!
I will help make you
a Personal Video to close
a specific sale.
Have a customer that
needs a extra push?
Make them a PERSONALIZED
video!
Make more videos. It's easy.
I will help. How about showing
a funny before & after video?
The wife looking sad before she
gets the ring, then after she
gets the ring she is
taller and gets better parking
spots. We could even include your customer's hobbies or
favorite sports team. You can
make a quick sales pitch video
on your phone and send it to the customer. It's easy and
effective. I made this simple
'you will love a big diamond'
for a customer who thought the
size diamond she wanted
might be too big.
| |
|
|
You need the RETAIL DOCTOR!
Bob Phibbs writes the best retail blog around.
Sign up here.
| |
|
the
What are the ideal proportions
for a pear shape?
|
This chart will help.
Email me your address and I will mail you a hard copy "Chart for
IDEAL Length/Width
Ratios"
|
| U.S.A!!!
In Honor of INDEPENCE DAY, when you
sell a diamond
we will make a donation to
| |
|
|
|
|
GIVE HER FIREWORKS
she can wear!
|
|
Bam! 1.20 OVAL GIA F SI2 $4090/ct
9x5.55mm very long Look
Pow! 1.71 GIA H SI2 Oval $8200
9.5x6.8mm Beautiful cut!
| | |
|
Bang! 1.56 ROUND GIA F SI2 $8988
TRIPLE EXCELLENT! XXX Eye Clean
Boom! 1.38 ROUND K SI2 $3200 Total!
7.25mm Big look, Great face
| | |
|
Sizzle! 1.39 CUSHION GIA D SI1 $6915 total
BIG LOOK 6.6x6mm
Pop! 3.48 CUSHION AGS H SI1 $25,700 total
8.19x8.71mm EX EX! a 3.50 for
the price of a 3ct!!
| | |
|
Pow! .47 GIA EMERALD Only $185
Great price GIA M VVS2 looks whiter
Bam!1.42 AGS EMERALD F Si1 $6000
EX EX none 7.6x5.4mm
| | |
|
Pop! 2.97 PRINCESS GIA H SI1 $18,500
Great buy!
Pow! 1.01 PRINCESS AGS E SI2 $3695/ct IDEAL IDEAL
| | |
|
Bang! 1.52 PEAR J color Nice I1 $1250/ct
9.3x6mm faces almost eye clean
Pow! .94 PEAR GIA! H SI2 Eye Clean $2695
EX VG none 8x5.4mm
| | |
|
CALL ALEAH FOR ANY DIAMOND!
1-800-882-8900
|
| |
|
|
ORDER MOST DAYS BY 6 PM FOR SAME DAY SHIPPING
We're here at all hours for you
|
|
|
Gemology. Volume 33 Issue 4A Contribution to Understanding the Effect of Blue Fluorescence on the Appearance of Diamonds Thomas M. Moses, Ilene M. Reinitz, Mary L. Johnson, John M. King, and James E. Shigley The presence of fluorescence in diamonds has been for some time a subject of controversy in the trade.GIA Gem Trade Laboratory (GIA GTL) researchers designed a visual experiment to study the effect of fluorescence on diamond appearance. 'Observers in this study found blue fluorescence to have, at best, a subtle effect on color appearance and transparency,' said Thomas Moses, GIA GTL vice president of identification. The study's results indicated that average observers, like those in the jewelry buying public, saw no systematic differences in color or transparency with fluorescence.
In general, the strength of fluorescence had no perceptible effect on the color appearance of diamonds viewed table-down. In the table-up position, diamonds with strong fluorescence were reported to have a better color appearance than those with less fluorescence. This study challenges the industry notion that fluorescence has a negative effect on better-color diamonds GIA's result supports considering each individual diamond on its own visual merits.
The Impact of Fluorescence in Diamonds: A Different Research Perspective
William E. Boyajian The effect of ultraviolet fluorescence on diamond appearance has been hotly debated for at least the past decade. With great conviction, some say that blue fluorescence of different strengths typically enhances a diamond's overall appearance. Others, as convincingly, say that it has a negative effect. To address this controversy, researchers at the GIA Gem Trade Laboratory conducted an experiment on the effects of long-wave ultraviolet radiation on the color appearance and transparency of gem diamonds. The study's results support the age-old belief that strong or even very strong blue fluorescence can improve appearance rather than detract from it, especially in diamonds with faint yellow body color. While the apparent benefits of blue fluorescence are less obvious in colorless to very near-colorless diamonds, they still were evident in the study. This should bring into question the trade's lower 'bid' prices for moderate to highly fluorescent diamonds in the better colors. The science of gemology is not just about spectral analysis. It is also about dispelling (or, in some cases, confirming) beliefs that have been perpetuated over the years, and about separating bias and tradition from reality in the gem industry
Gemology. Volume 33 Issue 4A Contribution to Understanding the Effect of Blue Fluorescence on the Appearance of Diamonds Thomas M. Moses, Ilene M. Reinitz, Mary L. Johnson, John M. King, and James E. Shigley The presence of fluorescence in diamonds has been for some time a subject of controversy in the trade.GIA Gem Trade Laboratory (GIA GTL) researchers designed a visual experiment to study the effect of fluorescence on diamond appearance. 'Observers in this study found blue fluorescence to have, at best, a subtle effect on color appearance and transparency,' said Thomas Moses, GIA GTL vice president of identification. The study's results indicated that average observers, like those in the jewelry buying public, saw no systematic differences in color or transparency with fluorescence.
In general, the strength of fluorescence had no perceptible effect on the color appearance of diamonds viewed table-down. In the table-up position, diamonds with strong fluorescence were reported to have a better color appearance than those with less fluorescence. This study challenges the industry notion that fluorescence has a negative effect on better-color diamonds GIA's result supports considering each individual diamond on its own visual merits.
The Impact of Fluorescence in Diamonds: A Different Research Perspective
William E. Boyajian The effect of ultraviolet fluorescence on diamond appearance has been hotly debated for at least the past decade. With great conviction, some say that blue fluorescence of different strengths typically enhances a diamond's overall appearance. Others, as convincingly, say that it has a negative effect. To address this controversy, researchers at the GIA Gem Trade Laboratory conducted an experiment on the effects of long-wave ultraviolet radiation on the color appearance and transparency of gem diamonds. The study's results support the age-old belief that strong or even very strong blue fluorescence can improve appearance rather than detract from it, especially in diamonds with faint yellow body color. While the apparent benefits of blue fluorescence are less obvious in colorless to very near-colorless diamonds, they still were evident in the study. This should bring into question the trade's lower 'bid' prices for moderate to highly fluorescent diamonds in the better colors. The science of gemology is not just about spectral analysis. It is also about dispelling (or, in some cases, confirming) beliefs that have been perpetuated over the years, and about separating bias and tradition from reality in the gem industry
Gemology. Volume 33 Issue 4A Contribution to Understanding the Effect of Blue Fluorescence on the Appearance of Diamonds Thomas M. Moses, Ilene M. Reinitz, Mary L. Johnson, John M. King, and James E. Shigley The presence of fluorescence in diamonds has been for some time a subject of controversy in the trade.GIA Gem Trade Laboratory (GIA GTL) researchers designed a visual experiment to study the effect of fluorescence on diamond appearance. 'Observers in this study found blue fluorescence to have, at best, a subtle effect on color appearance and transparency,' said Thomas Moses, GIA GTL vice president of identification. The study's results indicated that average observers, like those in the jewelry buying public, saw no systematic differences in color or transparency with fluorescence.
In general, the strength of fluorescence had no perceptible effect on the color appearance of diamonds viewed table-down. In the table-up position, diamonds with strong fluorescence were reported to have a better color appearance than those with less fluorescence. This study challenges the industry notion that fluorescence has a negative effect on better-color diamonds GIA's result supports considering each individual diamond on its own visual merits.
The Impact of Fluorescence in Diamonds: A Different Research Perspective
William E. Boyajian The effect of ultraviolet fluorescence on diamond appearance has been hotly debated for at least the past decade. With great conviction, some say that blue fluorescence of different strengths typically enhances a diamond's overall appearance. Others, as convincingly, say that it has a negative effect. To address this controversy, researchers at the GIA Gem Trade Laboratory conducted an experiment on the effects of long-wave ultraviolet radiation on the color appearance and transparency of gem diamonds. The study's results support the age-old belief that strong or even very strong blue fluorescence can improve appearance rather than detract from it, especially in diamonds with faint yellow body color. While the apparent benefits of blue fluorescence are less obvious in colorless to very near-colorless diamonds, they still were evident in the study. This should bring into question the trade's lower 'bid' prices for moderate to highly fluorescent diamonds in the better colors. The science of gemology is not just about spectral analysis. It is also about dispelling (or, in some cases, confirming) beliefs that have been perpetuated over the years, and about separating bias and tradition from reality in the gem industry
|
|
|
Gemology. Volume 33 Issue 4A Contribution to Understanding the Effect of Blue Fluorescence on the Appearance of Diamonds Thomas M. Moses, Ilene M. Reinitz, Mary L. Johnson, John M. King, and James E. Shigley The presence of fluorescence in diamonds has been for some time a subject of controversy in the trade.GIA Gem Trade Laboratory (GIA GTL) researchers designed a visual experiment to study the effect of fluorescence on diamond appearance. 'Observers in this study found blue fluorescence to have, at best, a subtle effect on color appearance and transparency,' said Thomas Moses, GIA GTL vice president of identification. The study's results indicated that average observers, like those in the jewelry buying public, saw no systematic differences in color or transparency with fluorescence.
In general, the strength of fluorescence had no perceptible effect on the color appearance of diamonds viewed table-down. In the table-up position, diamonds with strong fluorescence were reported to have a better color appearance than those with less fluorescence. This study challenges the industry notion that fluorescence has a negative effect on better-color diamonds GIA's result supports considering each individual diamond on its own visual merits.
The Impact of Fluorescence in Diamonds: A Different Research Perspective
William E. Boyajian The effect of ultraviolet fluorescence on diamond appearance has been hotly debated for at least the past decade. With great conviction, some say that blue fluorescence of different strengths typically enhances a diamond's overall appearance. Others, as convincingly, say that it has a negative effect. To address this controversy, researchers at the GIA Gem Trade Laboratory conducted an experiment on the effects of long-wave ultraviolet radiation on the color appearance and transparency of gem diamonds. The study's results support the age-old belief that strong or even very strong blue fluorescence can improve appearance rather than detract from it, especially in diamonds with faint yellow body color. While the apparent benefits of blue fluorescence are less obvious in colorless to very near-colorless diamonds, they still were evident in the study. This should bring into question the trade's lower 'bid' prices for moderate to highly fluorescent diamonds in the better colors. The science of gemology is not just about spectral analysis. It is also about dispelling (or, in some cases, confirming) beliefs that have been perpetuated over the years, and about separating bias and tradition from reality in the gem industry
Gemology. Volume 33 Issue 4A Contribution to Understanding the Effect of Blue Fluorescence on the Appearance of Diamonds Thomas M. Moses, Ilene M. Reinitz, Mary L. Johnson, John M. King, and James E. Shigley The presence of fluorescence in diamonds has been for some time a subject of controversy in the trade.GIA Gem Trade Laboratory (GIA GTL) researchers designed a visual experiment to study the effect of fluorescence on diamond appearance. 'Observers in this study found blue fluorescence to have, at best, a subtle effect on color appearance and transparency,' said Thomas Moses, GIA GTL vice president of identification. The study's results indicated that average observers, like those in the jewelry buying public, saw no systematic differences in color or transparency with fluorescence.
In general, the strength of fluorescence had no perceptible effect on the color appearance of diamonds viewed table-down. In the table-up position, diamonds with strong fluorescence were reported to have a better color appearance than those with less fluorescence. This study challenges the industry notion that fluorescence has a negative effect on better-color diamonds GIA's result supports considering each individual diamond on its own visual merits.
The Impact of Fluorescence in Diamonds: A Different Research Perspective
William E. Boyajian The effect of ultraviolet fluorescence on diamond appearance has been hotly debated for at least the past decade. With great conviction, some say that blue fluorescence of different strengths typically enhances a diamond's overall appearance. Others, as convincingly, say that it has a negative effect. To address this controversy, researchers at the GIA Gem Trade Laboratory conducted an experiment on the effects of long-wave ultraviolet radiation on the color appearance and transparency of gem diamonds. The study's results support the age-old belief that strong or even very strong blue fluorescence can improve appearance rather than detract from it, especially in diamonds with faint yellow body color. While the apparent benefits of blue fluorescence are less obvious in colorless to very near-colorless diamonds, they still were evident in the study. This should bring into question the trade's lower 'bid' prices for moderate to highly fluorescent diamonds in the better colors. The science of gemology is not just about spectral analysis. It is also about dispelling (or, in some cases, confirming) beliefs that have been perpetuated over the years, and about separating bias and tradition from reality in the gem industry
Gemology. Volume 33 Issue 4A Contribution to Understanding the Effect of Blue Fluorescence on the Appearance of Diamonds Thomas M. Moses, Ilene M. Reinitz, Mary L. Johnson, John M. King, and James E. Shigley The presence of fluorescence in diamonds has been for some time a subject of controversy in the trade.GIA Gem Trade Laboratory (GIA GTL) researchers designed a visual experiment to study the effect of fluorescence on diamond appearance. 'Observers in this study found blue fluorescence to have, at best, a subtle effect on color appearance and transparency,' said Thomas Moses, GIA GTL vice president of identification. The study's results indicated that average observers, like those in the jewelry buying public, saw no systematic differences in color or transparency with fluorescence.
In general, the strength of fluorescence had no perceptible effect on the color appearance of diamonds viewed table-down. In the table-up position, diamonds with strong fluorescence were reported to have a better color appearance than those with less fluorescence. This study challenges the industry notion that fluorescence has a negative effect on better-color diamonds GIA's result supports considering each individual diamond on its own visual merits.
The Impact of Fluorescence in Diamonds: A Different Research Perspective
William E. Boyajian The effect of ultraviolet fluorescence on diamond appearance has been hotly debated for at least the past decade. With great conviction, some say that blue fluorescence of different strengths typically enhances a diamond's overall appearance. Others, as convincingly, say that it has a negative effect. To address this controversy, researchers at the GIA Gem Trade Laboratory conducted an experiment on the effects of long-wave ultraviolet radiation on the color appearance and transparency of gem diamonds. The study's results support the age-old belief that strong or even very strong blue fluorescence can improve appearance rather than detract from it, especially in diamonds with faint yellow body color. While the apparent benefits of blue fluorescence are less obvious in colorless to very near-colorless diamonds, they still were evident in the study. This should bring into question the trade's lower 'bid' prices for moderate to highly fluorescent diamonds in the better colors. The science of gemology is not just about spectral analysis. It is also about dispelling (or, in some cases, confirming) beliefs that have been perpetuated over the years, and about separating bias and tradition from reality in the gem industry
|
|
The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
|
|
|
The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
|
|
|
|
|
