Click2History - American Colonies - Chapter 4

<BODY aLink=#ff0000 bgColor=#000033 link=#0000ff vLink=#000000> <TABLE bgColor=#000033 width="100%"> <TBODY> <TR> <TD align=middle vAlign=top> <TABLE bgColor=#ffffff width="90%"> <TBODY> <TR> <TD align=middle vAlign=top> <TR> <TD> <DIV align=center> <P><B><FONT color=#000000 face="arial, helvetica" size=5><B>WE ARE FREE!</P> <P><FONT size=4>CHAPTER 4 - DRAFTING THE DECLARATION</B></FONT></P></DIV></FONT> <CENTER> <TABLE width="90%"> <TBODY> <TR> <TD align=left vAlign=top> <DIV align=justify> <P><FONT color=#000000 face="arial, helvetica" size=3>While Washington and his troops were fighting the war, the <A href="http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/warindep/photo-1.gif" target=_blank><B>Second</B></A> Continental Congress convened to formally manage affairs on the home front. It wasn’t easy. The “federal” system of government had not been created. James <A href="http://media.nara.gov/media/images/43/12/43-1123a.gif" target=_blank><B>Madison</B></A> had not yet written his famous paper “<A href="http://memory.loc.gov/const/fed/fed_10.html" target=_blank><B>Federalist No. 10</B></A>." Each colony had its own legislature; there was no centralized authority. People disagreed about all kinds of things.</P> <P>Most of the representatives did agree on one thing, though. The colonies needed to formally declare their independence from <A href="http://www.royal.gov.uk/images2/history/george3.htm" target=_blank><B>George III</B></A>.  But how would they do it?</P> <P><A href="http://media.nara.gov/media/images/43/12/43-1121a.gif" target=_blank><B>Richard Henry Lee</B></A>, a representative from Virginia, submitted a resolution on June 11, 1776 which was adopted. The Second Continental Congress would <A href="http://media.nara.gov/media/images/19/29/19-2858a.gif" target=_blank><B>appoint</B></A> a committee to prepare a Declaration of Independence. <A href="http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/declara/committ.jpg" target=_blank><B>Five men</B></A> were chosen. <A href="http://media.nara.gov/media/images/43/12/43-1115a.gif" target=_blank><B>Thomas Jefferson</B></A>, a gifted writer from Virginia, would prepare the first draft.</P> <P>Drawing on his own educated background and his knowledge of <A href="http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/vc006482.jpg" target=_blank><B>John Locke’s</B></A> theory of <A href="http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/vc006483.jpg" target=_blank><B>government</B></A>, Jefferson penned his <A href="http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/declara/frag1.jpg" target=_blank><B>initial thoughts</B></A>. (Follow this link to the only surviving fragment of his preliminary work.) Years later, using the Declaration of Independence as a model, Jefferson would help his friend <A href="http://www.earlyamerica.com/portraits/images/lafayett.jpg" target=_blank><B>Lafayette</B></A> write the French "Declaration of The <A href="http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/vc004834.jpg" target=_blank><B>Rights of Man</B></A>." </P> <P>By the time Jefferson had completed <A href="http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/decp1.jpg" target=_blank><B>a draft</B></A> (follow this link to the original manuscript) he was willing to share with <A href="http://media.nara.gov/media/images/28/4/28-0327a.gif" target=_blank><B>the committee</B></A>, the final Declaration of Independence was taking shape. He had to overcome one major hurdle.</P> <P>Jefferson initially included a scathing indictment of the slave trade. Had it remained in the final draft, a unanimous vote adopting the Declaration could not have happened. The slavery <A href="http://memory.loc.gov/const/abt_declar.html" target=_blank><B>denunciation</B></A> was cut. The issue would be debated (and fought over) later.</P></DIV> <P align=center><FONT size=2><a href="am_colonies_ch3.htm">GO TO LAST CHAPTER</a>     <a href="am_colonies_ch1.htm">BACK TO FIRST CHAPTER</a>     <a href="am_colonies_ch5.htm">GO TO NEXT CHAPTER</a></P><BR></FONT></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></CENTER></B></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></BODY>