George Barnes: The lofty fighting words in the Declaration of Independence

George Barnes: The lofty fighting words in the Declaration of Independence

Posted Jul. 4, 2015 at 6:00 AM

Today is the 4th of July, a date that will live in consanguinity.

I know the sentence makes no sense, but I am making a point. As a journalist I was told I should never use words too dense for the good people of your readership to understand or pronounce. That is why most of my columns begin with "See Spot. See Spot run. Run, Spot, run." I would normally never use the word consanguinity, especially since it basically means kinship and kinship has six fewer letters.

But at noon today I will find consanguinity with a large group of patriotic Americans, each reading a bit of the Declaration of Independence at First Church of Templeton. It is a fairly recent tradition that is fun, meaningful and you can get ice cream after. My part is to read some names of signers, which saves me from the embarassment of stumbling over words like consanguinity - the most difficult word in the Declaration - and magnanimity, usurpations, unalienable, shewn and evinces. The last two words are fairly easy to pronounce, but so odd sounding I had to throw them in.

Consanguinity is probably only useful for those interested in impressing friends. It is used in the
 Declaration to thumb our collective American noses at our British brethren for failing to support us in our complaints against the crown. I imagine my British ancestors wincing when they read, "They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity."
In your face, John Bull! Go to your Oxford dictionary on that one!

Evinces is a word only poets and British comedians should use. There are better substitutes. It may have been popular in 1776, but in modern literature, evinces should be replaced by "shows" when talking about long trains of abuses and usurpations. It is just easier to understand.
The Declaration of Independence is a wonderful document penned in a mysterious archaic form of handwriting called cursive. Once it is translated to print, the block letters familiar to today's schoolchildren, readers discover many great quotes and ideas. It starts with one of the more overly long, but wonderfully written  sentences in American literature:

"When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."


It ends with moving phrase, "We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor."

Many people only remember the first seven words of the Declaration, others focus on the statement that all men are created equal and are endowed with rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I enjoy a section of the document criticizing the king for obstructing the ability of foreigners to be naturalized or obstructing others from moving here. At one time we thought it was an affront to prevent immigration and interfere with the naturalization of immigrants.

It bothers me that statements opposing slavery are notably absent, but that was due to compromises. Thomas Jefferson, one of five who drew up the document, wanted to include a condemnation of the British involvement in slave trade, but unfortunately it was removed against his wishes.

The Declaration, although enjoyable to read, is not perfect. It could use some tightening up. It comes off as a little whiny and is occasionally difficult to understand, but it does evince the magnanimity of the usurpations by the king of Great Britain. With all its florid language, it was still able to stir the hearts and minds of the American colonists, convincing them to put down their plows, pick up their muskets, and head off to win our freedom.
That alone is worth celebrating today.