Show what made july 4 our greatest day ULY 2 tu in the year 1776 fell on a tuesday the continental tin congress ilien lien ain in convention corn entson tn in PhIla philadelphia delp it a opened its session tit at 9 it a m in independence hall the I 1 record of that days business as set forth in the journal of the continental congress Is brief and lacking in many details observes hal eal borland in the philada philadelphia elphra public lodger ledger several li letters etters including one from general washington were read and disposed of that of washington being referred to the board of war and ordnance then the journal says the congress resumed the consideration aton of the resolution agreed to by and reported from the committee of the whole and the same being read was agreed to as follows resolved that Tha these united colonies are and of right ought to be free and a n d independent states that they are absolved from all allegiance to the british crown and that all pol political be between t them and the state A if of great britain I 1 ts Is and ought to be i totally dissolved agreeable to the order of the day ill the e congress resolved itself into a committee of t the I 1 ae whole the president resumed the chair mr harrlson harrison reported thattie that the be committee have had under tinder consideration the declaration to them referred nit but not having had time to go through desired leave to sit fit again resolved that this congress will ft tomorrow again resolve itself into a committee of the whole to take into their further consideration the declaration of independence A few minutes later the session adjourned until ID 9 to 11 morrow orrow THIS resolution agreed to many years ago had been presented to the congress for action on the seventh day dayot f the june preceding almost a month bea before ore it was drawn up and presented by richard henry lee pursuant to a resolution of the virginia house of burgesses adopted on may ilay 15 the sam bame e year it was seconded when presented s to the congress by john adams on behalf of the massachusetts delegation consideration however was deferred until the following day when it was referred to the committee of the whole w h ole postponed again on the eighth which was a saturday on the tenth of june a committee was appointed to prepare a declaration to the effect of the said first resolution that committee was composed of thomas jeffer wn ton chairman john adsms adams benjamin franklin ln robert it II livingston and roger koger sherman this committee brought in its report donjune en june 28 with the first draft of the declaration it was read and ordered to lie on the table that avis was a friday the congress adjourned that day until the following Blon monday day july 1 bof THEN HEN came july 2 with the passage of the resolution presented on the seventh of junel mr lee but still aitho without agreement anthe text of the declaration itself july 8 saw a similarly fruitless discuss discussion lilu but on thurs thursday dij morning julja july 4 iii differences had been smoothed out the journal in its entry forthal for that day records I 1 i Ag agreeable to the order ot of the flay day the congress resolved itself into a committee ot the whole ito to te into their farther consideration the declaration the president resumed the chair mr air harrlson rep reported oried that the committee of the whole congress have greed agreed to a declaration which lie he delivered again in the declaration being again read was agreed to the text of the declaration as agreed to finally was substantially na as jefferson had prepared it HE declaration received the votes T tuia of 0 all the colonies except new york whose delegates were not then authorized to commit themselves on the matter A short time later they were so authorized and also sanctioned it agthe at the july 4 session after agreement ment to the declaration the congress ordered that it be punted printed and copies sent to the various s colonial assemblies sem blies and to the commanding officers I 1 of the continental troops and that it b be proclaimed in each of the united states and at the head of the army it was signed the same day by john II ancock as president of the congress Con giess the other signatures how h owner ner were not inscribed on the bilg inal text tet that text was copied on parchment and on olf august 2 the formality of signing took place fifty three signed that day three signed later in the year of the fifty six signers seven were riot not members of the congress on july 4 when the declaration was agreed to and of those who ft ho were present on that historic day seven never signed the document the declaration was first proclaimed in public on july 8 when it was read by john nixon from the platform built in independence square in 1709 T TUB LIE declaration was not adopted by the continental congress until almost fifteen months after the avar var fur for independence started stariea with the engagements at concord and lexington they occurred on april 19 1775 in fact seven important bittles battles of that war had bad been fought before the resolution of independence introduced by mr air lee was agreed to they were besides concord and lexington ticonderoga 1 on may 10 bunker banker nill hill on june 17 Alon montreal treal on november 13 quebec on december 31 till all in 1775 and fort le on june 28 1770 1776 george washington had been commander ln in chief though he was termed a gener general I 1 of the continental forces force s since june 15 35 1775 at the time of the declaration washington was in the field and had been for more than a year on the day it was formally adopted lie he he was in new york preparing for what was to be the battle of long island despite the deliberate action of the congress however there had been demands mands for a declaration af pf of independence months before that july day in 1776 there was vas the macklenberg Mach Alack lenberg declaration la passed 1 on may 20 1775 and on april 22 1770 the file freeholders freehold eis of cumberland county virl virginia onla cabied called for similar action by the virgi virginia i la convention alan itself w which aich met on may y 0 and moved tor for the declaration which rich nich ard henry lee presented to the congress the fol following lowin i month presidents dents and the fourth data of things that bapp happened ened on the F fourth of july baly reveel that one preat den calvin calel n cooledge g was was born boin on anthe the fourth aud and three presidents john adams thomas jefferson and james died on july 4 adams and noil jefferson I 1 dying on the same date in ii A 3 W |