The Twenty-Seven Grievances

Two hundred and forty-nine years ago, we declared our opposition to tyranny.

Jul 07, 2025

John Trumbull, The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, 1786–1820, oil on canvas, 20 7/8 x 31 inches / 53 x 78.7 cm (Yale University Art Gallery) — “The Declaration of Independence” oil painting by John Trumbull, 1817, sits in the Capitol Rotunda

Standing before the desk of John Hancock in artist John Trumbull’s 1817 painting titled “The Declaration of Independence,” are Continental Congress members John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman, known as the “Committee of Five.”

To justify the momentous decision to declare independence from Great Britain and form their own government, the Continental Congress believed it was essential that the committee list the tyrannical acts of King George III.

That list would become known as the “Twenty-Seven Grievances.”

George III - Children, Madness & Family — Britain’s King George III ruled from 1760 to 1820

The Continental Congress approved the entire list for inclusion in the Declaration of Independence, which was then adopted on July 4, 1776.

Now, 249 years into our democratic republic, tyranny has returned.

President Donald Trump has posted images of himself as a king, the Pope, and a Superhero on social media, even saying of himself, “Long live the king!”

His administration has rapidly committed many of the same tyrannical acts as those of “Mad King George,” listed in the Twenty-Seven Grievances of our Declaration of Independence.

They include:

Refusing to Assent to Laws (Grievance 1)
Altering the Forms of Our Government (5)
Obstructing the Judiciary (8)
Controlling Judges (9)
Sending Officers to Harass the People (10)
Using Armies to Control the Population (11)
Rendering the Military Independent of and Superior to the Civil Power (12)
Cutting Off Trade Without Consent (16: “Liberation Day” tariffs)
Imposing Taxes Without Consent (17: “Liberation Day” tariffs)
The Denial of the Right to Trial by Jury (18: ICE mass arrests)
Transporting Individuals Beyond Seas for Trial (19: Sending prisoners to El Salvador)
Abolishing Our Most Valuable Laws (21)
Declaring Himself Invested With Power to Legislate For Us In All Cases Whatsoever (22)
Exciting Domestic Insurrections Among Us (27)

Defining images from the Jan 6th Capitol attack - January 5, 2024 | Reuters — January 6, 2021, Insurrection, Washington, D.C.

Donald Trump views the cages at the recently built “Alligator Alcatraz” in the Florida swamps to house immigrants rounded up by ICE

ICE agents at “Alligator Alcatraz.” Is this the face of democracy?

My small town of Coronado, CA, is home to Naval Base Coronado and the Naval Special Warfare Command, which oversees SEAL Teams 1, 3, 5, and 7.

We have had an annual Fourth of July Parade since 1888. People come from across the United States, and in recent years the crowds have topped 100,000.

For more than a decade, my wife has been a parade announcer.

We always take great joy in this celebration of our independence and love seeing generations of Americans come together to honor our country and all it stands for.

2025 Fourth of July Parade, Coronado Eagle & Journal, photos: K. Kasey

In America, We Don’t do Kings, and We Don’t do Tyranny

It is up to each of us, and all of us, to devote ourselves to the preservation of our democracy, for ourselves, our loved ones, our children, and all future generations.

All true patriots must gather together, speak truth to power, oppose tyranny, and endlessly support the most aspirational principles of our Declaration of Independence, which states:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

People waving flags and carrying signs fill a street during the No Kings protest — No Kings Day, June 14, 2025

On June 14 this year, more than 5 million Americans turned out nationwide for “No Kings Day” to protest against the authoritarianism and tyranny of Donald Trump.