For its final presentation of its 2024/2025 program series the Bridgeville Area Historical Society invited Tom McMillan to discuss “The Year That Made America: From Rebellion to Independence, 1775-1776”, which just happens to be the title of a book he recently published. Mr. McMillan is an old friend of the Historical Society. A few years ago he visited the History Center seeking information on his family (his mother was a Murray) and was rewarded by learning that his grandmother (daughter of William Webb Murray) is actually pictured in our book Bridgeville. Mr. McMillan recently retired after an impressive career as a sports journalist with The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and as Vice President Communications for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Following his retirement he has focused on his second love, American history. His presentation dealt primarily on the convoluted process that ultimately led to the signing and dissemination of the Declaration of Independence.
It immediately made me realize how little I know about the specifics of that process and of the overall environment in the colonies at that time. Following the end of the Seven Years War in 1763, the British Empire found itself in complete control of all of North America east of the Mississippi River. To pay off debts incurred during the war, Parliament placed that burden on the colonies two years later by passing the Stamp Act. Reaction to this led to the convening of the Stamp Act Congress in New York the next year and the initiation of the “No taxation without representation” concept. Parliament responded with the five Townshend Acts and more onerous restrictions. British troops were sent to Boston to enforce the acts, resulting in the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770.
Next came the Tea Act of 1773, followed by the December 16, 1773, Boston Tea Party. Parliament responded by passing the five Intolerable Acts, which effectively put the Massachusetts Colony under martial law. The First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774, elected to boycott British goods, and agreed to reconvene a year later. Resistance to martial law in Massachusetts escalated to open rebellion on April 19, 1775.
The Second Continental Congress was convened on May 10, 1775, in support of the Massachusetts rebels and immediately began to function as the de facto government of the thirteen colonies. By early 1776 many of its delegates were beginning to consider independence. On June 7 Richard Henry Lee (Virginia) proposed a resolution that “these united colonies are … free and independent states … absolved of all allegiance to the British crown”. On June 11 a committee of five – John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson – was formed with the objective of producing a document suitable for debate by the full Congress. Following a heated discussion of the issue, Jefferson was assigned the task of producing a first draft. After minor modifications by the committee, it was submitted to the Congress on June 28 for review.
Satisfied with the document, on July 1 Congress began to debate Lee’s Resolution. John Dickinson (Pennsylvania) opposed its passage, preferring to wait until the Articles of Confederation had been finalized. To the accompaniment of thunder and lightning outside the State House, John Adams eloquently presented the case for independence, a speech that was positively received by all. Just as he finished, the (absent) New Jersey delegation arrived and requested he repeat his plea. This he did reluctantly and equally eloquently. A vote was taken late in the day. Nine colonies were in favor. Pennsylvania and South Carolina were opposed. The Delaware delegation was evenly split. The New York delegation abstained; they were awaiting instructions from their legislature.
The next day, July 2, Congress convened for the formal vote on the Lee Resolution. South Carolina reversed its position. Dickinson and Robert Morris abstained, to give the Pennsylvania delegation a favorable majority. Caesar Rodney arrived, muddy boots and all, to swing Delaware onto the Independence side. New York continued to abstain, but the twelve positive votes were enough to achieve passage. John Adams was so thrilled that he wrote to Abigail that this date “… will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great Anniversary Festival”. A perceptive observation, with the wrong date.
After two more days of debate by the Congress and extensive editing, the Declaration of Independence was formally approved on July 4, 1776. A copy was delivered to printer John Dunlap, who printed one hundred poster size copies. The Pennsylvania Evening Post published it in English on July 6; a German version was published a day later. It was read publicly on July 8 at noon, simultaneously in Easton and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and in Trenton, New Jersey. General Washington read it to his troops in New York City the next day as they awaited the arrival of the British invasion fleet.
On July 9 the New York legislature authorized its representatives to approve the Lee Resolution and the Declaration of Independence. Accordingly, the Congress, on July 19 passed a resolution adding the word “Unanimous” to its title. A third version was published in December, 1776, which included each delegate’s state along with his signature. There is controversy regarding the actual date when the delegates formally signed an original; it may have been sometime in August.
Reviewing the evolution of this classic document is indeed interesting. Perhaps more important is the understanding of the process that led to the final resolution of the schism between the Patriots and the Loyalists. Our nation has been plagued by disagreements since its inception. Eighteen years later our region was torn apart by the Whiskey Rebellion. “Four score and seven years” later we were in the midst of the Civil War. Even today we are cursed by the contradiction of two drastically different social/economic concepts. We can learn from history, but only if we choose to.