| Show Adoption of of Declaration by Congress From Jeffersons Jefferson's Autobiography lu iu Congress June 7 7 1770 1170 The delegates from Virginia moved In obedience to Instructions from their constituents that the Congress should declare that these United Colonies are and of right ought to be free and Independent States that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown and that all political conDe connection between them and the State of Great Orent Britain is Is and ought to be be totally dissolved that mt meas measures ns urea ores should be Immediately taken for procuring the Else assistance of foreign powers and aDd a confederation he be formed to bind hind the Colonies more closely together The louse House being obliged to attend at that time to 10 some other business the proposition was referred to the next day and the members member were ordered ordered ordered or or- dered to attend punctually at 10 Saturday June 8 The They proceeded to ta take ke It Into consideration and referred referred re re- It to a committee of ot the whole Into which they Immediately resolved themselves and passed that day anti and Monday the In to debating on the subject It was wa argued by Wilson Robert R. R Livingston E. E Rutledge Dickinson Dickin son Inn and others- others That Thai Though they were friends to the measure themselves and saw the Impossibility that we should ever again be united with Great reat Britain yet yel they were agatna adopting them at this time That the conduct we had formerly observed was wise and proper now DOW of or deferring to take RD any capital step till the voice of the people drove us os Into It II That they were our power and without them our declarations could not be he carried Into effect That the people of t the Middle Colonies Colo Coin nies Maryland Delaware Pennsylvania Pennsyl vania vaDIa the Jerseys Jersey find and New York fork were not Dot yet let ripe for tor bidding adieu to British connection but that they were fast ripen ripening Ins find and In a short time would join In to the general voice of America IC ICOn o oOn On the other side It was urged by J. J Adams Lee Iee and others that hunt no DO gentleman had argued against the policy or the right of separation from frum Britain nor Dor had hud supposed It possible we should ever renew our connection Unit that they had hod only opposed opposed op op- posed Its being now declared That the question was not Dol whether by bl a 8 Declaration of Independence we should make ourselves what WP WI weare ire are not but whether we should declare de du clare dare a tact fart which already exists That Thor os liS to the I people lle or Parliament Parlia ment o o. o l England we hind find always been heln Independent of 01 them theta their restraints un on our trade deriving efficacy from our acquiescence only and not Dot from any ony rights they possessed I of Impo Ing Ini them hem and that hunt so fur for our connection connection tion tend been Federl only and WAS now dissolved by the tile commencement of hostilities That as ns to the King Zang we had bad hl been n bound to hint him by allegiance but bul that this bond was now dissolved d by bl his assent to the last lost act of or Parliament by which he tic declares us out of his hie protection ont and by his bis levying war on onus us us n a fact which hail had long ago proved provell us out of his hIli protection lo It being a II certain position In low law that allegiance end and protection are lire reciprocal the one ceasing when the other Is withdrawn S It appearing a In to the course of 01 these those debates that too the Colonies of New Nework NewYork NewYork York ork New Jersey Pennsylvania Delaware Maryland and South Carolina Caro Caro- lina IIDa were not Dot yet matured for falling from the parent stem but that t they l were fast fost advancing to that state slate It was was os thought most prudent to wait walt a awhile awhile awhile while for tor them theta and to tG postpone the tho final decision to Jul July 1 but bur that this might occasion as little delay as possible pos sible a committee was ap appointed to prepare a Declaration of ence The committee were John Adams Dr Franklin Roger Sherman Robert It U. Livingston and myself Committees were were also appointed at atthe atthe atthe the same Rome time to prepare a plan of confederation for the Colonies and end to 10 state the terms proper to be proposed pro pro- posed for foreign alliance The Tho committee corne com for drawing the Declaration of or independence ce desired me to do It iL It was waa accordingly done and being ap approved approved ap- ap p- p proved d b by them therm I 1 reported It to the House on Friday the tune of June when It was read rend and aDd ordered to lie Ho Hoon on OD the table On Monday the 1st of ot July the House resolved Itself Into a committee of the whole and resumed the consideration of the original motion motion notion mo- mo tion made by by the delegates of ot Virginia Vir Yip ginia which being again again debated through the day was carried In the normative affirmative b by the votes of New Hampshire Connecticut Rhode Island and Georgia South Carolina and Pennsylvania voted against It Delaware had but two Iwo members present and they were were divided The delegates from New New York declared the they were for It 11 themselves and aDd were assured their constituents were for tor It but that Hutt their Instructions having been drawn near a twelve twelvemonth before when reconciliation was still mill the general object they were enjoined by bl them to do nothing which should Impede that object They therefore thought themselves not Dot justifiable In voting on OD either cither side and asked leave to withdraw with draw from the question which was given them The Tho committee rose and aDd reported their resolution to the House Mr AIr I Edward Rutledge of ot South Sonth Carolina Cure Caro linn lina then requested the determination might be put off to I the lie next nest day dllY as ashe ashe ashe he believed helleved Ida his colleagues though trough they disapproved of the resolution would then join JolD In ID It for the aake of unanimity The ultimate question whether tint the House would agree to to the resolution of the committee was accordingly ly po postponed t to 10 the next day 1111 when It was a again aln moved moed and South Carolina concurred In 10 voting for It iL In the mean menn time a B third member had come post from frolD the Dela Vela ware counties and turned the tho vote of ot that Colony In favor of ot the resolution Members l of a different sentiment attending at lit tending that turning from Pennsylvania Pennsyl vania vanla also her vote Ite was W changed so IG that the tho whole tw twelve e Colonies who were authorized to vela ct vc at nt alt all gave giue their voices vols for It and lIln a few days dus the Ibe convention of ot Ne Ner York approved nl of ot It and thus Il supplied the tho void occasioned by tho thou withdrawing of her delegates 18 from the vote Congress proceeded the some same day dal dayto dalto to consider tho the I Declaration of ot Independence Independence Inde Indo pen which had been reported and In lain In on tho the table the Friday preceding pro pre ceding and on Monday referred to a committee of the whole The pusillanimous push Idea that we had bad friends friend la In England worth keeping terms term with still haunted the this minds of ot many Fot For this reason those passages which conveyed conveyed con eon censures on the people of ot England England Eng Eng- land were ere struck truck out lest they thel should give gin theta them offense Tile The clause claue too reprobating the enslaving the Inhabitants inhabItants of Africa was struck out I. I In iii complaisance to South Carolina and ancl Georgia who had never attempted to restrain the Importation and who on the contrary still sUll wished to continue It iL Our Northern brethren II also niso 1110 I believe felt a little tender teDder onder under on- on der those censures for though their people leople had very verl few slaves them thew themselves selves yet they ha had been pretty considerable con con- considerable carriers of ot them to others other Th The debates having taken up the greater parts part of the and days of July were on the evening of ot the tho last closed dosed the Declaration was reported b by the committee agreed to toby toby by bl th the House and signed by bl every everl member present except Mr T son eon v Fraunces' Fraunces Tavern Re Relic ic of Revolutionary Day Days Fraunces' Fraunces tavern In New York city was once a n meeting place for Revolutionists Revolutionists later a warehouse and still lUll later a saloon but now stands restored restored restored re re- stored to Its aspect as al a II tavern taTem The Sons of the Revolution In the state of New York bought the old building after ft t had descended to the status statu of a II saloon It has bu been reconstructed reconstructed recon recon- and Its Us Interior and exterior COD conform form as 88 nearly as possible to the Fraunces' Fraunces tavern of ot Revolutionary days daIs John Adams and the delegates to the second Continental congress stopped overnight there on OD the way to Philadelphia The Sons of Liberty and the Vigilance committee met there on April 22 1774 1114 and aDd planned the attack on OD the London New Yorks York's tea party In August 1775 1711 a shot fired red from the British ship Asia struck the building The New York provincial congress assembled there from May Mal 18 to Juno June 30 1770 During the Revolutionary war the tavern contributed lt Ih lead window weights to the manufacture of bullets These bullets were used with effect at forts Montgomery and oDd Clinton It also aillo was the birthplace of or the first chamber chamber cham cham- ber of commerce In America In 1780 |
