Delegates sign Declaration of Independence - Aug 02, 1776 - HISTORY.com On this day in 1776, members of Congress affix their signatures to an enlarged copy of the Declaration of Independence. Fifty-six congressional delegates in total signed the document, including some who were not present at the vote approving the declaration. The delegates signed by state from North to South, beginning with Josiah Bartlett of New Hampshire and ending with George Walton of Georgia. John Dickinson of Pennsylvania and James Duane, Robert Livingston and John Jay of New York refused to sign. Carter Braxton of Virginia; Robert Morris of Pennsylvania; George Reed of Delaware; and Edward Rutledge of South Carolina opposed the document but signed in order to give the impression of a unanimous Congress. Five delegates were absent: Generals George Washington, John Sullivan, James Clinton and Christopher Gadsden and Virginia Governor Patrick Henry. Exactly one month before the signing of the document, Congress had accepted a resolution put forward by Richard Henry Lee that stated “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 connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.” Congress adopted the more poetic Declaration of Independence, drafted by Thomas Jefferson, two days later, on July 4. The president of Congress, John Hancock, and its secretary, Charles Thompson, immediately signed the handwritten draft, which was dispatched to nearby printers. On July 19, Congress decided to produce a handwritten copy to bear all the delegates’ signatures. Secretary Thompson’s assistant, Philadelphia Quaker and merchant Timothy Matlack, penned the draft. News of the Declaration of Independence arrived in London eight days later, on August 10. The draft bearing the delegates’ signatures was first printed on January 18 of the following year by Baltimore printer Mary Katharine Goddard.
See? Even back then New York was a PITA.. This may sound silly to some, but standing where many of those men argued, debated and laid the groundwork for this nation always gave me goosebumps..
I would love to see the look on their faces if a crystalball woulda been available & seen who's potus & wtf is goin on.
Unfortunately every thing that they worked so hard to obtain for the nation is unravelling before our very eyes....a sad time for the republic.
I somewhat agree. What I have discovered in the past year or so while I've been enmeshed in study of the times and the players. things we not as noble as they appear in the rear view mirror. There was every bit as much in-fighting, dirty politics, back stabbing and even disregard for the constitution after it was signed as we find today. Even Jefferson used what would be called "executive privilege" when he he bypassed due process and drafted a Bill of Attainder against Josiah Phillips. "A bill of attainder is a legislative, as opposed to a judicial, conviction of a capital offense. When a parliament or congress declares a person guilty of a high crime, circumventing the due process provided by the courts, the target is said to be “attainted.” He is culpable of felony or treason in the eyes of the government, without opportunity to defend himself at trial, and his property is seized." (Jack Lynch, Colonial Williamsburg, Issue Spring 2002" Would they be shocked with the current state of affairs? No, I don't think so. If the communication in the 1700 - 1800 was as fluid and as immediate as it is today, I believe that the new "citizens" would have seen much of the same thing that we are seeing today.
Most of them witnessed and some including Washington even supported one of the first significant escalations of federal dominance with the whiskey rebellion and subsequent SCOTUS ruling in support of the power grab. And that was in the late 1700's.
Exactly. Since the very beginning it has been a struggle to limit the powers of the federal government. I guess that speaks to the human component in any political philosophy and how difficult it is to apply the pure concept to ever changing circumstances and players. Nonetheless, we cannot abdicate our responsibility to hold elected officeholders accountable for acting within the boundaries defined by our Constitution. If the nation fails, it can be laid at the feet of the citizens who allowed it to happen.
@RightHand thank you for saying that. I too don't believe that the founding fathers would be shocked. The slower communication in their time allowed more to be hidden or should I say less was revealed than there is today. I also think Americans are just now waking up. It's time to give up the illusion that the founding fathers were model citizens or that the principles they espoused are perfectly executed. They were human beings with all human failings of man. Power does corrupt.
Keep in mind also, that it could take months between letters. And there were no excuses for notes liKe "WTF?" Or "K", messages needed to be well written, well thought out, clear. (And even still, spelling was variable) or you could lose time and money with poor communications between shipping partners, businesses and families. Letters tended to be direct, long, and several copies would go off in the post, because even in peace time, ships never made harbor. And every letter sent, was costly, paper was taxed heavily, and the king's stamp cost as well. Storm seasons, wars, pirates, letters held at one port, while the ship in question went to another port due to the slant of wind they rode. Messages, letters, documents of any kind, needed to be clear, unambiguous, and precise, because it took so long to correct a mistaken idea, or even ask questions.
The Founders risked everything, their lives, their fortunes, and their families to resist tyranny. They risked absolutely all, just to have a taste of true freedom --to establish a land of liberty, with limited government. What was born through blood and turmoil, ended up becoming a republic, of the people, for the people and by the people. Unfortunately, the people could not remain vigilant, and the republic was lost. If anybody asks me if the politicians on the hill are any different now than they were long ago at the start of our nation, I would say, "Our ancestors were a people of great pride, but they tempered it with honesty and virtue. They lived according to the laws of free men --with respect to private property, and common law, they never wavered. Today, the only thing the clones have in common with those men is the fact that they still have genitalia...but even that is changing with the times." We live in a nation ruled by corporations, and government doesn't even exist. It's all a farce, to keep you imprisoned, falsely believing you are still free. The noose tightens a little bit each day until the life is choked out of you all. Nothing says "being a little bitch" more than dying from suffocation. I mean, even drowning can be understood. Wake up, world --you're suffocating! (One thing the Founders didn't have: ROCK MUSIC!
I don't think we're any smarter than the average American which is why I'm always astounded that these simple facts are not seen by everyone. Maybe its just that we put more importance on the fundamentals than most people.
Probably a good thing that communications were not as instant as today. I somehow think that the US revolution might not have gotten off the ground if the mothers and daughters of the revolution weren't in the kitchen keeping the founding fathers fed, instead of being glued to Pinterest!
Mostly people are blinded by what they want to believe not what is actually happening. Its similar to when you have sunglasses on everything looks one color and when you change to lens to a rose colored lens everything looks a different color. We all have these beliefs which color the world as we see it. We all have lots of beliefs and thus lots of different lens. The trick is to know yourself well enough to know what your lenses are and be aware of those potential blind spots.
And an even simpler analogy is thinking you are hot stuff until you get kicked squarely in the balls. Reality is like that, but it only rests on the minds of those who first lose their comfort. Typically, it is the unemployed, self employed or others who have had tough lives and been reminded how screwed up the world is who end up catching a glimpse of reality. Those who are still spoiled and comfortable have no freaking clue. And by 'unemployed' I do not mean welfare.
