The Declaration of Independence is often misunderstood, which I wrote about here. One of the most important, yet overlooked, sections of the document is the list of indictments against King George III. The indictments are further evidence that the Declaration was never meant to be a revolutionary statement. From the Magna Carta to the colonial constitutions, George III was indicted for violating existing laws. Jefferson listed a total of 27 indictments against the King. Throughout February, we’re going to look at one indictment a day, why it was levied, and why it is still relevant.

Indictment #25 reads as follows:

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

Why was the indictment levied: Now that martial law had been declared, King George III hired German soldiers to use against the colonies. Great Britain had troops in the colonies, but not enough for full-scale war. The Germans were brought in since Great Britain could not deploy the necessary number of troops in time.

Hiring mercenaries was becoming less common heading into the 19th century. The nation-states that become prevalent after the Napoleonic Wars could raise enough internal revenue to keep permanent standing armies. We’re still a few decades away from this however, therefore the Americans viewed hiring foreigners to put them down as the ultimate insult.

Why is this important today: The Federal Government does not hire foreign mercenaries to attack us outright, but they do fund foreigners to affect political change. The subject of immigration was brought up in indictment #7.

As noted, immigration is a state issue. However, the Federal Government is a general government, not a sovereign state. When they direct immigration policy to affect redistricting or voting patterns, that is an attack on state sovereignty.

This came up recently with the Afghan refugee crisis. Welcoming unvetted immigrants from a nation that we have been at war with for twenty years is suicidal policy. Vetting was always part of our immigration process, especially after WW1 and WW2. The founders themselves supported immigration, but only if vetted. Completely unrestricted immigration is a 21st century phenomenon.

You’ll notice that refugees are placed far away from Martha’s Vineyard, Kennebunkport or Camp David. The homes of the people who started the wars that created these refugees. While it is not identical to hiring foreign mercenaries, it follows the same principle. A head of state using foreigners to foster political instability reeks of “circumstances of cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and unworthy the head of a civilized nation.”