Question

“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 of 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.”

Which phrase in this passage from the Declaration of Independence directly states the purpose of the document?

to dissolve the political bands
to assume among the powers of the earth
impel them to the separation
declare the causes

Answer 1

Answer: declare the causes.

The explicit purpose of the document, as stated in these lines, is to "declare the causes" that impel different peoples to separate from each other. This is important, the author argues, because these people had been bound together for a long time, and the laws of nature and God entitles them to respect. In order to be respectful to the long connection Americans have had to England, the author wants to explain why Americans feel inclined to become independent.