How Did The Second Continental Congress Observe The Fourth Of July

Today most people think of the Fourth of July as a holiday to celebrate freedom. However, in

On June 7,1776 delegates (members) from the thirteen American colonies came together and met at the Pennsylvania State House that is now called Independence Hall. The men that joined in this undertaking were the men that formed the Second Continental Congress. The American people were already rebelling against King George the Third. This forced the hand of the Congress to decide whether or not the people of America should be a new country by declaring independence. This decision may have been debatably the most important in the world’s history or at least in the Revolution.

On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee introduced into Congress a resolution,(adopted on July 2) which asserted that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, fee and independent States. While this resolution was being discussed,on June 11 a committee, consisting of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston , and Roger Sherman was appointed to draft a Declaration of Independence. In his Autobiography written in 1805, Adams states that the committee of five decided upon "which the declaration was to consist", and it then appointed Jefferson and himself to form a subcommittee to really write them down. Now Jefferson and Adams have two completely different versions of what happened then. Adams says:

This was a meeting of delegates from colonies to discuss what to do about the British. This first congress, decided on two actions. The adoption of: Declaration and Resolves: expressing their discontent. The second action was to stop trading with the British. As this was going on, the British heard that John Hancock and Samuel Adams were both hiding in Lexington and they were also hiding lots of gunpowder in Concord. The British sent troops which led to the battle of Lexington and Concord. This was a turning point. Hundreds of soldiers died on both sides. The reality of the battle sent a message that there was no going back and in 1775, the Second Continental Congress presided by John Hancock declared war against Britain. John Hancock named George Washington Supreme Commander and as Washington fought on the battlefield Hancock worked on creating the vision for a new country. As president of the Second Congress Hancock asked some of the members to write the, soon to be, Declaration of Independence which was finalized and adopted on July 4, 1776. Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence and his signature is by far the

Thomas Jefferson and other intellectual thinkers gathered together in the Second Continental Congress meeting at the Pennsylvania State House to write the Declaration of Independence. This document was published on July 4, 1776 stating that the colonies were independent from Great Britain, and mentioned the basic rights and liberties for Americans. In The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson’s purpose is to announce the separation of the thirteen colonies from Great Britain. Jefferson’s use of different rhetorical strategies such as ethos, logos, and diction to help him to develop his argument by providing facts about Great Britain’s actions and showing empathy for the colonists. Thomas Jefferson’s use of ethos helps him develop his argument about the thirteen colonies separating from Great Britain and also gives the audience a sense of trust in him.

Representatives from the 13 colonies on July 4, 1776 signed the Declaration of Independence. They signed the document to gain their freedom from Great Britain.

They called it, The Declaration of Independence. They sent it to the king, and that really got him angry. The declaration of Independence was carefully drafted and planned by a man named Thomas Jefferson. The first part he wrote, is called the Preamble. It stated why the Declaration of Independence is needed. Jefferson wrote that events sometimes leave groups of people no choice but to form a new nation. The second part of the Declaration describes the colonists main ideas about a good government. The Declaration argues for equality and liberty. The longest part of the paper lists all the Colonists complaints against Parliament and the King. When the draft was finished, Thomas Jefferson submitted it to Congress. On June 28, it was read aloud to the representatives. It was discussed for several days and the changes were made. On July 2, the Congress voted to approve resolutions to cut tie with Britain. The colonies had stated that they were free and independent. On July 4, 1776, the Congress voted to accept the Declaration's final

On the same day that Congress passed Adams's radical preamble, the Virginia Convention set the stage for a formal Congressional declaration of independence. On May 15, the Convention instructed Virginia's congressional delegation "to propose to that respectable body to declare the United Colonies free and independent States, absolved from all allegiance to, or dependence upon, the Crown or Parliament of Great Britain".[50] In accordance with those instructions, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia presented a three-part resolution to Congress on June 7.[51] The motion was seconded by John Adams, calling on Congress to declare independence, form foreign alliances, and prepare a plan of colonial confederation.

In April 1775, Americans were at war with Great Britain to gain our independence from them. The following summer, the revolutionary war was upon us, and the delegates of the Continental Congress were forced to take a vote about the matter. In June 1776, Congress had made a group of five men also known as, the “Committee of Five” to make a declaration. The five men that had made the draft were John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman though the primary author was Thomas Jefferson. The Congress had than adopted the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified July 4, 1776. To date, people still remember the most famous passage on the document:” We hold these truths to be self-evident; that

On May of 1776 at the Virginia Convention the Founding Fathers passed a resolution that asked for the thirteen colonies to be independent and free states. At the second continental congress on June 11, 1776 a group of men that was led by Thomas Jefferson were assigned to write the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson uses the document structure, diction, and patriotism to have the most impact on the audience.

July 1, and the next day 12 of the 13 colonies adopted Lee’s resolution for independence. The process of consideration and revision of Jefferson’s declaration (including Adams’ and Franklin’s corrections) continued on July 3 and into the late morning of July 4, during which Congress deleted and revised some one-fifth of its

On July 4,1776 Second Continental Congress adopted a statement to fight against the unfair British Monarchy and promote the People’s Law and Republicanism by forming their own country. This statement is called “Declaration of Independence”. It was originally composed by Thomas Jefferson and later updated by the Congress.The declaration explains the reasons for thirteen states to seek republicanism and be independent themselves to be a separate nation “United States of America”. After the Seven Year War, British began charging high taxes to the American Colonist and treated them unfairly, resulting in American Revolution and passing of Declaration of Independence.

Open combat with Great Britain had begun a year earlier and the future was filled with uncertainty political and military nonsense. In the hot escalating climate, the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia with the idea of getting independence from England. In this act, the Congress picked a committee to draft a declaration of independence. The committee has included Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Robert Livingston. After the group was formed, Thomas Jefferson embarked on to write the declaration. Jefferson began his goal on June 11 and strived writing a number of drafts. After showing his final draft to the committee, they further revised the document and submitted it to the Continental Congress on June 28. On July 2, the Continental Congress debated for independence and changed it's Declaration of Independence before revealing it to the public eye on July 4th,

While Franklin was still lying sick in his bed, he was appointed as chairman of a committee whose purpose was to draft a declaration of America's independence. The committee also included Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman. Jefferson composed the core of the document. When he had finished his first draft, he asked Franklin to make any alterations that he felt necessary. Franklin made a few changes, such as "We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable" to "We hold these truths to be self-evident". On July 2, the Continental Congress voted for independence. The declaration was passed two days later on July 4. A month later on August 2, the official signing took place. John

Just like many other politically based holidays such Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, or Labor Day, the American people don’t really understand as a whole what the 4th of July really means or why the Declaration of Independence was adopted. There were true struggles that occurred during these times of oppression that jolted the revolution of America. Today’s America focuses on the liberties gained from it and the sole fact that the Declaration was signed on July 4th by future presidents, but do not know what caused it to be written or what was to be accomplished.