. . . 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.

What makes the US an independent state?

The United States is a sovereign nation. Sovereignty is a simple idea: the United States is an independent nation, governed by the American people, that controls its own affairs. The American people adopted the Constitution and created the government. They elect their representatives and make their own laws.

Who said free and independent states?

Delegate Richard Henry Lee of Virginia





Delegate Richard Henry Lee of Virginia had earlier introduced a measure whereby the Congress resolved, “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 …

Which of these powers are under the control of the states?

So long as their laws do not contradict national laws, state governments can prescribe policies on commerce, taxation, healthcare, education, and many other issues within their state. Notably, both the states and the federal government have the power to tax, make and enforce laws, charter banks, and borrow money.

What 3 main ideas are in the preamble of the Declaration of Independence?

The Declaration of Independence states three basic ideas: (1) God made all men equal and gave them the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; (2) the main business of government is to protect these rights; (3) if a government tries to withhold these rights, the people are free to revolt and to set up a

What was the first free and independent nation state in the Americas?



The United States of America declared independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776, thus becoming the first independent, foreign-recognized nation in the Americas and the first European colonial entity to break from its mother country.

What declared the United States as a free state?

The Declaration of Independence, 1776



By issuing the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain. The Declaration summarized the colonists’ motivations for seeking independence.

What are the 7 state powers?

State Government Powers:

  • Establish local governments.
  • Issue licenses for marriage, driving, hunting, etc
  • Regulate commerce within the state.
  • Conduct elections.
  • Ratify amendments.
  • Support the public health of the citizens.
  • Set laws for legal drinking and smoking ages.
  • Create state Constitutions.

What are the 4 powers of the states?

Powers Reserved to the States



ownership of property. education of inhabitants. implementation of welfare and other benefits programs and distribution of aid.

What are the 3 powers of the state?



Forty state constitutions specify that government be divided into three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. California illustrates this approach; “The powers of state government are legislative, executive, and judicial.

What did Thomas Jefferson say about freedom?

I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery” is a translation of a Latin phrase that Thomas Jefferson used: “Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem.” It has also been translated as, “I prefer the tumult of liberty to the quiet of servitude.”

What did Thomas Jefferson say about states rights?

Speaking for those who believed in states’ rights, Jefferson argued that the Constitution expressly enumerates all the powers belonging to the federal government and reserves all other powers to the states.

What does it mean to be a free and independent state?

The definition of an independent state or nation is a state or nation that is sovereign. Sovereign entities make their own laws and run their own affairs without interference from another country or state.

What was Thomas Jefferson saying in the preamble?



All men are created equal. They are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

What is Jefferson’s most famous line in the Declaration of Independence?

“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 … ” These words may be the best known part of the Declaration of Independence.

What are the 5 promises of the preamble?

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of