Click2History - American Colonies - Chapter 5

<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 5 - WE ARE FREE!</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>On July 2, 1776, <A href="http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/bdsds/photo30.jpg" target=_blank><B>Charles Thompson</B></A>, Secretary of the Second Continental Congress, penned <A href="http://www.nara.gov/exhall/originals/decreso.jpg" target=_blank><B>Lee’s resolution</B></A> severing the ties with England and put it to a vote:</P> <BLOCKQUOTE><FONT face="Times New Roman"><B><I>Resolved, 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 connexion between them, and the state of Great Britain, is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.</B></I></BLOCKQUOTE> <P align=justify><FONT face="arial, helvetica">All the colonies except New York (which abstained) <A href="http://www.nara.gov/exhall/originals/decreso.jpg" target=_blank><B>voted</B></A> in favor of the resolution. (Follow this link to see the actual results of the vote - look at the lower right side.) On July 2, 1776 Congress <A href="http://media.nara.gov/media/images/19/29/19-2859a.gif" target=_blank><B>approved the concept</B></A>: the British colonies would sever all political ties with Great Britain. John Adams told his wife <A href="http://www.costumes.org/history/victorian/women/fashionplates/acarter/june99/c1800woman-mrsjohnadams.jpg" target=_blank><B>Abigail</B></A> it was the greatest day in the history of the country.</P> <P><A href="http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/decp2.jpg" target=_blank><B>More work</B></A> had to be done on the Declaration itself to make it acceptable to all the colonies. The committee needed two more days to complete the final draft. (Follow this link to see <A href="http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/decp3.jpg" target=_blank><B>handwritten changes</B></A> by Jefferson, <A href="http://media.nara.gov/media/images/43/12/43-1102a.gif" target=_blank><B>John Adams</B></A> and <A href="http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/decp4.jpg" target=_blank><B>Ben Franklin</B></A>.)</P> <P>On July 4, 1776 the <A href="http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/declaration/decstone.jpg" target=_blank><B>final version</B></A> of the Declaration of Independence was ready for a <A href="http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/declara/voting.jpg" target=_blank><B>vote</B></A>. This time, even New York approved. When it came time for the representatives to <A href="http://media.nara.gov/media/images/28/4/28-0328a.gif" target=_blank><B>sign</B></A> the document - which actually put them <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ctssar.org/articles/price_paid.htm"><B>in peril</B></a> with the Crown - <A href="http://www.earlyamerica.com/portraits/images/hancock.jpg" target=_blank><B>John Hancock</B></A>, president of the Congress, <A href="http://www.tcdc.com/ddiscs/bddisc1b.htm" target=_blank><B>signed</B></A> in huge letters. He wanted to be sure the king saw his name. Today, his is the only signature still legible on the <A href="http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/declaration/decorig.jpg" target=_blank><B>original Declaration</B></A>. </P></DIV> <P align=center><FONT size=2><a href="am_colonies_ch4.htm">GO TO LAST CHAPTER</a>     <a href="am_colonies_ch1.htm">BACK TO FIRST CHAPTER</a>     <a href="am_colonies_ch6.htm">GO TO NEXT CHAPTER</a></P><BR></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></CENTER></B></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></BODY>