Independence Day
In celebration of the United States' Independence, we
bring you this true story of five men who broke through their terror
barrier and made a commitment to something huge.
The thirteen colonies (what would become the United
States) were being taxed unfairly under Great Britain's rule. Thomas
Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston and
Roger Sherman were the five men that stood up for the Colonist's
rights. They argued that Great Britain had no jurisdiction to tax the
Colonies.
While all of the other Colonists felt that they were
being treated unfairly, none of them were willing to say so, as their
allegiance was still with the King of Great Britain. It was up to these
five men to push for the rights of the Colonists. They met at the
Virginia Convention and then again in Williamsburg to declare the
Colonies independent. John Adams stood up for the resolution 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.
When these five men met to draft the Declaration of
Independence, there was no working process. They did not have someone
to lead the meeting, take minutes or even guide them as to how the
ideas should be presented. They were on their own to take control and
put all of their thoughts into an organized form that could be
presented to Congress. The committee decided on a general outline that
the document needed to follow, and then appointed Thomas Jefferson to
write the first draft. The weight of the 13 Colonies' independence now
rested on Jefferson's shoulders. Jefferson only had 17 days to finish
the first draft. He then got comments and revisions from the other
committee members and wrote a second draft. The document titled "A
Declaration by the Representatives of the United States of America, in
General Congress Assembled" was presented to Congress on June 28, 1776.
These men knew that what was put on this paper could
have cost them their lives, did they not receive backup from Congress
and the other Colonists. If the King of Great Britain wanted to, he
could have had these men executed for encouraging the Colonists to go
against his rule. They put themselves on the line in order to gain
freedom for the rest of the Colonies.
On July 2, 1776 Congress and 12 of the 13 colonies
approved General Lee's Resolution for Independence, severing ties
between the Colonies and Great Britain for good. The next day, John
Adams wrote a letter to his wife predicting that July 2nd
would soon become a great American holiday. Congress then began to look
at the Declaration of Independence. After several days of debating,
word changing, and some content adjustment, Congress approved the
document on July 4, 1776.
Today America celebrates 232 years of independence
and freedom. Because these men did not let fear stand in their way,
because they did not hesitate to make the right choice, American
Citizens now have the right to vote, the right to free speech, the
right to practice any religion, the right to a fair trial, just to name
a few.
-----Paul Martinelli
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