Happy Independence Day!

[vienna]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Same thing every year, reminding people that the Continental Congress voted for Independence from Britain on July 2nd, not July 4th.

On June 7th Richard Henry Lee proposed a formal Declaration of Independence.

On June 11th Congress appointed the committee to write the document.

Thomas Jefferson wrote the actual draft and presented it to Benjamin Franklin and John Adams on June 21st.

The Committee presented their revised draft to Congress on July 2nd. Congress voted for independence and then settled down to revise the document further. That night John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail:


On July 4th Congress read their final draft and voted to send that version to the printers. The printed version was released to the public on July 5th. At the top of the paper it said "In Congress, July 4, 1776". Not one delegate wrote anything about it in diaries or letters.

So yes, The vote for Independence took place on July 2nd, not the 4th.

God, I wish Congress acted that quickly nowadays...




<O>