Hessian Declaration Of Independence

The Declaration of Independence delivers railing accusations targeted at the depravity of the Hessians, stating, “He [King George III] is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat [sic] the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.” What did the Hessians do that warranted such disturbing allegations from our founding fathers?
First, it is important to learn the history of these mercenaries. The Hessians were from Hesse-Cassel, a German nation-state. This tiny country’s ruler was a prince named Landgraf Wilhelm II. He had a strong taste for luxury, spending excessive amounts of money on public works. He also wanted to maintain a public welfare system and promote education. All of these projects required money – lots of money; however, he also had to ensure taxes were low in order to keep the people happy.

Thus, Wilhelm got into the habit of selling his country’s military service in order to pay for his costly endeavors.

Hesse-Cassel loaned its army to the British for an amount of money that was approximately proportionate to the earnings the country made from taxes in a time-period of thirteen years.
This created an extreme demand for soldiers, and boys in Hesse-Cassel were required to register for military service as soon as they turned age seven. Every year, males from age sixteen to thirty were mandated to appear before a government official for the possibility of being forced to join the army. Only those with careers deemed crucial to the state did not run the risk of

conscription.
In August of 1776, a force of 8,000 Hessians arrived in America to aid the British in silencing the Revolution. After being stationed in New Jersey, they ended-up hurting the British more than they helped them.
The Hessians captured food and livestock from the New Jersey farmers very rarely ever paid for it. Soldiers ravaged and obliterated homes and churches. Some Hessian troops even took young women hostage and molested them.
The Hessian soldiers became vehemently despised by New Jersey civilians. Many neutral colonists and even Loyalists changed their minds about England and the war. They decided that they were not going to cast their support to any nation which supported or encouraged the “works of death, desolation and tyranny,” as the Constitution put it. All across New Jersey, militias sprung up to assist the Continental Army in their war against the British.
The Hessians vindicated the colonists’ cause against Britain. The colonists were fighting the British because a monarchy was systematically taking away their rights without representation. The Hessians broadened the colonists’ view and showed them what an even more despotic government than England looked like; a country where citizens were forced to fight against their will so that their prince could pay for his desires of grandeur.
In the end, many of the Hessian soldiers themselves fell in love with the exciting concept of liberty free from governmental tyranny. Amazingly, 3,000 Hessians grew fond of America, refused to return to Europe, and made the land of the free their home. These Hessians, who cherished liberty so much as to forsake their home country, show us how blessed Americans are to live in a country where their government’s purpose is to defend its citizens’ God-given rights.