(bright music) - [Narrator] How did colonists employ language to paint King George III as a tyrant?

On July 4th, 1776, American Patriots declared their independence from Great Britain with the Declaration of Independence.

Considered one of the most essential parts of the Declaration by the Committee of Five, the list of grievances against the King criticized his rule of law and called into question the legitimacy of his reign.

Using verbs like ravaged, plundered, and excited, the writers sought to justify their revolution and illustrate that George was actively abusing his power.

Even when some of the charges laid against the King were exaggerated, accusations like, "sending swarms of officers to harass our people," and "burnt our towns and destroyed the lives of our people" were claims that produced images of injustice in the minds of the Patriots.

Language such as this helped incite the ire of the colonists, and were the building blocks for the American Revolution.