August 2, 1776: The Other Independence Day and the Signing of the Declaration
Alexandria, VA – “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
~ Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
Independence Day 250 is passed and in the books. Independence Day? July 4?
“In Congress, July 4, 1776.” That’s the first line of the Declaration of Independence.
The document we know as the “Declaration of Independence” was actually voted on by a Congress of leaders of the thirteen American Colonies on July 2, 1776 – a full two days earlier than what appears on the parchment. Why? Like America, it’s a chaotic story.
It was in June of 1776 that delegate Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed a resolution stating we “are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States” from Great Britain. That pushed the assembled delegates from all thirteen colonies to quit quibbling and, after nearly two years, get down to business.
What followed was a month-long series of debates, arguments, arm-twisting, and compromise. Tempers rose to a fever pitch, so a committee of drafters was created to provide a document for the members of Congress to ultimately sign. Thomas Jefferson was appointed to be the “Author” of the Declaration[i] with Benjamin Franklin (PA), John Adams (MA), Roger Sherman (CT), and Robert Livingston (NY). These four edited Jefferson’s declaration taking out a condemnation of Great Britain’s involvement in the slave trade. When it was finally ready for Primetime, it was presented before the assembled Congressmen and the vote passed. That was July 2.
There is a wonderful scene in the musical play 1776 by Sherma Edwards (music) and Peter Stone (book) that captures the spirit of the moment of the vote and, although fiction, helps explain the delay from the 2nd to the 4th of July.
Hancock: Gentlemen, are there any objections to the declaration being approved as it now stands?
Adams: I have one, Mr. Hancock.
Hancock: You, Mr. Adams?
Adams: Yes, sir. Mr. Jefferson, it so happens that the word is ‘unalienable’ not ‘inalienable.’
Jefferson: I’m sorry, Mr. Adams, ‘inalienable’ is correct.
Adams: I happen to be a Harvard graduate.
Jefferson: And I attended William and Mary.
Hancock: Gentlemen, please. Mr. Jefferson, will you yield to Mr. Adams’ request?
Jefferson: No, sir. I will not.
(Pause)
Adams: Oh, very well. I’ll withdraw it.
Hancock: Good for you, John!
Adams: I’ll speak to the printer about it later.
The text of the final July 2 document was sent to Philadelphia printer John Dunlap.[ii] Two hundred copies of what were called the “Dunlap Broadsides” were sent to General George Washington and to cities and towns across the colonies where they were read in public and posted. This version only held the names of John Hancock, President of the Second Continental Congress, and Charles Thomson, the Secretary of the Congress.
Timothy Matlack, assistant to Thomson, was tasked with creating the final parchment for signatures because of his masterful calligraphy. It was this version that was signed on August 2, 1776, by 56 members of Congress, many of whom were present for the vote on July 2. And the Matlack copy is the one on display at the National Archives.
So, we now have a reason to celebrate August 2, too. To quote from the Broadway show 1776 again, “Is anybody there? Does anybody care? Does anybody see what I see?”
[i] His epitaph reads, “Father of the Declaration of American Independence of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom and Father of the University of Virginia.” Kudos for not indicating he was the 3rd President of the U.S. but humility wasn’t his long suit. Clearly, he and Adams apparently shared the same humility traits.
[ii] A Philadelphia printer? How about that? Wasn’t Franklin the author, editor, and printer of the Poor Richard’s Almanac and other frothy publications who netted a pretty penny during his career? You think they might have bent a few elbows together at a local tavern or two over the years?
