Dear Johan Schmidt,

Greetings. I am glad I got to write to thee, my dear friend, for I have some issues of grave importance to discuss with thee. I have just signed the Declaration of Independence, and I think that we should declare independence from England at all costs. There are a few reasons why.

I think that the rightful form of government that can rule the united States of America is a government that defends the rights of all humans, among which are the self evident rights that all men are created equal, and the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and property. If the government fails to do so, then we should have the right to kick it out and get a new one. Because government was created by man, man has right to abolish it. Furthermore, government cannot make laws, decisions, and so forth, without the consent of the governed. This would be called tyranny, which is what our independence is all about.

One grievance is that the King 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. When he bestowed upon us the Intolerable Acts, and we requested a lift of these acts, we sent for his permission. He disregarded this request, needing a plea to persuade him. A true governor may not, should not, and cannot do so unless he desires a revolution. If George III had desired one, he made the right choice. Otherwise, he may be called a tyrant. I henceforth declare that such an act of untruthfulness is important to me because it is intolerable by the American peoples, thus meaning that it should be eliminated of its current position.

Another grievance I have against King George III is that he has made Judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. An example is that the judges of the vice admiralty court are appointed by the king and serve at his pleasure. How many times did the Vice Admiralty Courts accuse innocent people and send them off to jail merely to please their benefactour to the king? Additionally, how much chance does the accused have of leaving free of charge? As you might have guessed, none. This is of concern to me because during the course of the history of our not yet independent nation, the King has repeatedly tried innocent people and sent them off to jail – some of which have been close to me – without a fair trial where the accused has other persons fighting for his or her cause aside from him or herself.

I intend to support battle with the British for our country’s well being by any means I possibly can. I will go to any degree with this promise. I will give my property, family, and life to win this nation’s independence, because I think that if we continue living under such rule as we are now, we are sure to collapse. We are going to keep being angry with your King, which will lead to more battles and destruction, and death. Then it will bring devastation not only to us, but the British, too. That is why I will pay any price to free ourselves from this British burden. I hope you understand me and do not take offence from me. I write this from my heart, and as truthfully as I can. Please burn this after you’ve read this. Thank you.

Best Regards,

Antony Zhukovskiy