Final answer:
Jefferson's grievances against King George III in the Declaration of Independence include taxation without consent, trade restrictions, denial of jury trials, suspension of laws, and imposing arbitrary government, which motivated the colonies' pursuit of independent governance to protect their rights to life, liberty, and happiness.
Step-by-step explanation:
Thomas Jefferson, in the Declaration of Independence, summarizes a series of grievances against King George III, which include a litany of abuses that justified the American colonies' break from British rule. These grievances encompass the unilateral imposition of taxes without the colonists' consent, restrictions on trade, the denial of trial by jury, transportation of Americans for trial on distant shores, the arbitrary dismissal of established laws and charters, and the implementation of an arbitrary government in neighboring territories, among others.
The clear pattern of tyranny laid out in Jefferson's list included the crown's interference in self-governance through the suspension of local legislatures, imposing standing armies during peacetime without consent, and exposing the colonies to danger by inviting mercenary forces and inciting frontier conflicts. These actions constituted a broad overreach and abuse of power, leading the founders to declare their right to establish a government that would secure their unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.