There were 56 MEN who signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4Th 1776. The document was signed on a steamy and humid Thursday afternoon. The Delegates of The 2nd Continental Congress were locked in a room that had very poor ventilation in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania. By Today's standards, The First July 4th in the History of The United States of America would have qualified as the start of a FOUR Day Weekend.
The men in that room were all born and had lived every day of their life as British Citizens, as subjects of The British Kingdom. They viewed George the Third as their rightful and proper king. These men , and of course, many others, believed that the Government in London had been abusing their lawful and proper authority. They decried improper searches of homes, of seizing of property, of blockading and the shutting down of port cities. They bitterly objected to British soldier being forcibly provided lodging within their homes. They wanted to be granted the right to elect their own representatives to Parliament.
Some of the Men had wanted to remain loyal to England. They had long hoped that England would heed their pleas and allow them to resume their lives as loyal Englishmen.I am not seeking to be blind to human foibles and the fact that I do not believe that any human being is an angel. Some men had started off as smugglers who simply had for years tied to avoid proper and acceptable British taxes and custom duties for years.Duties that had been generally acknowledge by most to be fitting! Some were people who would have been malcontents seeking trouble in any society.
In The Still Early Summer of 1776,1/3 of The Citizens of the 13 Colonies wanted Independence, others wanted to stay tied to Britain and some of those fought along side the British against their fellow colonists. The other third were simply useful. The shooting war had started outside of Boston in April of 1775. Over the next 15 months, Bitterness had set in on both sides. The King and his advisers had , by July of 1776, really had no desire of creating a peaceful and agreeable to both sides reconciliation. They wanted the rebellion crushed and the American Congress forced to surrender and yield. They wanted the leaders of the Rebellion arrested, tortured, tried- with the result of the trials absolutely certain.
The men who signed the Declaration knew that losing the war would doom them! These men were all prominent in the colonies, they were viewed as the leaders- men to be followed! They were not ready to return to the old ways- They would not be willing to give up on this now WAR for Independence.
The Declaration of Independence is not a governing plan- it is proper to not see it as being one! The Second Continental Congress ran the war and led the nation as a co-operative effort between the 13 Colonies. All depended on the others and - For The Revolution to succeed Rhode Island mattered as much as Massachusetts and Delaware was needed as much as Pennsylvania!
Over the next 7 years from July 4th, 1776 to the signing of The Treaty Of Paris which recognized the Independence of The US, This country lived by a grim but vital truth, " We must all hang together or we will, most assuredly hang separately !"
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