John Dickinson: Mr. Jefferson, I have very little interest in your paper, as there's no doubt in my mind that we've all but heard the last of it, but I am curious about one thing. Why do you refer to King George as a... tyrant?
Thomas Jefferson: Because he *is* a tyrant.
John Dickinson: I remind you, Mr. Jefferson, that this "tyrant" is still your king.
Thomas Jefferson: When a king becomes a tyrant, he thereby breaks the contract binding his subjects to him.
John Dickinson: How so?
Thomas Jefferson: By taking away their rights.
John Dickinson: Rights that came from him in the first place.
Thomas Jefferson: All except one. The right to be free comes from nature.
John Dickinson: And are we not free, Mr. Jefferson?
Thomas Jefferson: Homes entered without warrant, citizens arrested without charge, and in many places, free assembly itself denied.
John Dickinson: No one approves of such things, but these are dangerous times.
Benjamin Franklin: Be careful Mr. Dickinson, those who give up some of their liberty in order to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
John Dickinson: Mr. Wilson, Do we in Pennsylvania consider King George a tyrant?
James Wilson: Well ... I don't know, He... Oh, um... no, no, we don't, he's not a tyrant ... in Pennsylvania.
John Dickinson: There you are Mr. Jefferson, your declaration does not speak for us all. I demand the word tyrant be removed.
Charles Thomson: Very well
Thomas Jefferson: Just a moment, Mr. Thomson. I do not consent. The king is a tyrant whether we say so or not. We might as well say so.
Charles Thomson: But I already scratched it out.
Thomas Jefferson: Then scratch it back in!
John Hancock: Put it back, Mr. Thomson. The King will remain a tyrant.
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