“Duty, to Throw Off such Government”: The Declaration of Independence as Obligation

What does the word “duty” mean in the fourth sentence of the Declaration of Independence, which asserts that a people have not only the right but the duty to overthrow despotic government? This lecture explores the intellectual roots of that claim in natural law and Law of Nations theory. While these traditions clearly justify a right to resist tyranny—drawing on examples such as the Dutch Revolt—the basis for a duty to do so is less examined. Minow will argue that this duty may arise from obligations accompanying rights, analogies between individuals and peoples, and the expectation that free nations should model resistance to tyranny and inspire movements for self-determination worldwide