The ungrateful despotism and inordinate lust of domination, which marked the unnatural designs of the British king and his venal parliament, to enslave [tile? the?] people of America, reduced you to the necessity of either asserting your rights by arms, or ingloriously passing under the yoke. You nobly preferred war.
We all got that, right?
From Congress to their constituents?
"Read twice and unanimously agreed to"?
And who did Congress assume without question could "assert... [their] rights by arms"?
Their "Friends and Fellow-Citizens!"
Is the "debate" over yet? Because if it's not, the only possible explanation would be a deliberate campaign of lies to con the weak and foolish.