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The Lee Resolution and Independence

The Lee Resolution, passed on July 2nd 1776, declared the 13 colonies to be free and independent states separate from British rule, establishing the United States. It was proposed by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia and followed instructions from the Fifth Virginia Convention. Congress approved the resolution on July 2nd but celebrations have traditionally been held on July 4th, when the formal Declaration of Independence was signed. The resolution called for foreign alliances and a plan of confederation, with the latter being approved in November 1777 after much debate.

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42 views7 pages

The Lee Resolution and Independence

The Lee Resolution, passed on July 2nd 1776, declared the 13 colonies to be free and independent states separate from British rule, establishing the United States. It was proposed by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia and followed instructions from the Fifth Virginia Convention. Congress approved the resolution on July 2nd but celebrations have traditionally been held on July 4th, when the formal Declaration of Independence was signed. The resolution called for foreign alliances and a plan of confederation, with the latter being approved in November 1777 after much debate.

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ecaterina
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

The Lee Resolution, also known as "The Resolution for Independence", was the formal

assertion passed by the Second Continental Congress on July 2, 1776, which resolved that the
Thirteen Colonies, then referred to as the United Colonies, were "free and independent States"
and separate from the British Empire, which created what became the United States of
America. News of this act was published that evening in The Pennsylvania Evening Post and
the next day in The Pennsylvania Gazette. The Declaration of Independence officially
announced and explained the case for independence and was approved two days later, on July
4, 1776.

The resolution is named for Richard Henry Lee of Virginia who proposed it to Congress
after receiving instructions and wording from the Fifth Virginia Convention and its President
Edmund Pendleton. Lee's full resolution had three parts which were considered by Congress
on June 7, 1776. Along with the independence issue, it also proposed to establish a plan for
ensuing American foreign relations, and to prepare a plan of a confederation for the states to
consider. Congress decided to address each of these three parts separately.

Some sources indicate that Lee used the language from the Virginia Convention's
instructions almost verbatim. Voting was delayed for several weeks on the first part of the
resolution while state support and legislative instruction for independence were consolidated,
but the press of events forced the other less-discussed parts to proceed immediately. On June
10, Congress decided to form a committee to draft a declaration of independence in case the
resolution should pass; the following day, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin
Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston were appointed as the Committee of Five
to accomplish this. That same day, Congress decided to establish two other committees to
develop the resolution's last two parts. The following day, another committee of five (John
Dickinson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Benjamin Harrison V, and Robert Morris) was
established to prepare a plan of treaties to be proposed to foreign powers; a third committee
was created, consisting of one member from each colony, to prepare a draft of a constitution
for confederation of the states.

The committee appointed to prepare a plan of treaties made its first report on July 18,
largely in the writing of John Adams. A limited printing of the document was authorized, and
it was reviewed and amended by Congress over the next five weeks. On August 27, the
amended plan of treaties was referred back to the committee to develop instructions
concerning the amendments, and Richard Henry Lee and James Wilson were added to the
committee. Two days later, the committee was empowered to prepare further instructions and
report back to Congress. The formal version of the plan of treaties was adopted on September
17. On September 24, Congress approved negotiating instructions for commissioners to obtain
a treaty with France, based on the template provided in the plan of treaties; the next day,
Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane, and Thomas Jefferson were elected commissioners to the
court of France.[1] Alliance with France was considered vital if the war with Britain was to be
won and the newly declared country was to survive.

The committee drafting a plan of confederation was chaired by John Dickinson; they
presented their initial results to Congress on July 12, 1776. Long debates followed on such
issues as sovereignty, the exact powers to be given the confederate government, whether to
have a judiciary, and voting procedures.[2] The final draft of the Articles of Confederation
was prepared during the summer of 1777 and approved by Congress for ratification by the
individual states on November 15, 1777, after a year of debate.[3] It continued in use from
that time onward, although it was not ratified by all states until almost four years later on
March 1, 1781.

Toward independence
When the American Revolutionary War began in 1775, few colonists in British North
America openly advocated independence from Great Britain. Support for independence grew
steadily in 1776, especially after the publication of Thomas Paine's pamphlet Common Sense
in January of that year. In the Second Continental Congress, the movement towards
independence was guided principally by an informal alliance of delegates eventually known
as the "Adams-Lee Junto", after Samuel Adams and John Adams of Massachusetts and
Richard Henry Lee of Virginia.

On May 15, 1776, the revolutionary Virginia Convention, then meeting in


Williamsburg, passed a resolution instructing Virginia's delegates in the Continental Congress
"to propose to that respectable body to declare the United Colonies free and independent
States, absolved from all allegiance to, or dependence upon, the Crown or Parliament of Great
Britain".[4] In accordance with those instructions, on June 7, Richard Henry Lee proposed the
resolution to Congress and it was seconded by John Adams.
Resolved, 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.

That it is expedient forthwith to take the most effectual measures for forming foreign
Alliances.

That a plan of confederation be prepared and transmitted to the respective Colonies for
their consideration and approbation.

Congress as a whole was not yet ready to declare independence at that moment, because
the delegates from some of the colonies, including Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New
Jersey, and New York, had not yet been authorized to vote for independence.[5] Voting on the
first clause of Lee's resolution was therefore postponed for three weeks while advocates of
independence worked to build support in the colonial governments for the resolution.[6]
Meanwhile, a Committee of Five was appointed to prepare a formal declaration so that it
would be ready when independence, which almost everyone recognized was now inevitable,
was approved. The committee prepared a declaration of independence, written primarily by
Thomas Jefferson, and presented it to Congress on June 28, 1776.

Approval and declaration


The declaration was set aside while the resolution of independence was debated for
several days. The vote on the independence section of the Lee resolution had been postponed
until Monday, July 1, when it was taken up by the Committee of the Whole. At the request of
South Carolina, the resolution was not acted upon until the following day in the hope of
securing unanimity. A trial vote had been tested where it was found that South Carolina and
Pennsylvania were in the negative, with Delaware split in a tie between its two delegates. The
vote was held on July 2, with critical changes happening between Monday and Tuesday.
Edward Rutledge was able to persuade South Carolina delegates to vote yes, two
Pennsylvania delegates were persuaded to be absent, and Caesar Rodney had been sent for
through the night to break Delaware's tie,[7] so Lee's resolution of independence was
approved by 12 of the 13 colonies. Delegates from the Colony of New York still lacked
instructions to vote for independence, so they abstained on this vote, although the New York
Provincial Congress voted on July 9 to "join with the other colonies in supporting"
independence.[8]

The Lee Resolution's passage was reported at the time as the colonies' definitive
declaration of independence from Great Britain. The Pennsylvania Evening Post reported on
July 2:

This day the CONTINENTAL CONGRESS declared the UNITED COLONIES FREE
and INDEPENDENT STATES.[9]

The Pennsylvania Gazette followed suit the next day with its own brief report:

Yesterday, the CONTINENTAL CONGRESS declared the UNITED COLONIES


FREE and INDEPENDENT STATES.[10]

After passing the resolution of independence on July 2, Congress turned its attention to
the text of the declaration. Over several days of debate, Congress made a number of
alterations to the text, including adding the wording of Lee's resolution of independence to the
conclusion. The final text of the declaration was approved by Congress on July 4 and sent off
to be printed.

John Adams wrote his wife Abigail on July 3 about the resolution of independence:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of
America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great
anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts
of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows,
games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the
other, from this time forward forever more.[11]

Adams's prediction was off by two days. From the outset, Americans celebrated
Independence Day on July 4, the date when the Declaration of Independence was approved,
rather than on July 2, the date when the resolution of independence was adopted.
The two latter parts of the Lee Resolution were not passed until months later. The
second part regarding the formation of foreign alliances was approved in September 1776,
and the third part regarding a plan of confederation was approved in November 1777 and
finally ratified in 1781.

Congressional journal entries


The following are entries relating to the resolution of independence and the Declaration
of Independence in the Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789, from American
Memory, published by the Library of Congress:

Friday, June 7, "certain resolutions respecting independency" are moved and seconded;
discussion set for Saturday
Saturday, June 8, Congress considers the resolutions but postpones a decision
Monday, June 10, Congress postpones the first part of Lee's resolution for three weeks,
and also decides to appoint "a committee to prepare a declaration to the effect of the said first
resolution".
Tuesday, June 11, Congress establishes three committees to pursue the three part
resolution, and names five members of the first "to prepare the declaration".
Wednesday, June 12, Congress appointments members of the other two committees.
One of 13 members to "prepare and digest the form of a confederation", and the other of five
members to "prepare a plan of treaties to be proposed to foreign powers".
Friday, June 28, the committee reports its draft of the declaration, which is ordered "To
lie on the table."
Monday, July 1, Congress begins "to take into consideration the resolution respecting
independency"
Tuesday, July 2, Congress agrees to the resolution, begins to consider the declaration
Wednesday, July 3, further consideration of the declaration
Thursday, July 4, the Declaration of Independence is approved. The text of the
Declaration on this day's entry of the published Journal, as well as the list of signatures, is
copied from the engrossed version of the Declaration.
Friday, July 12, The committee appointed to prepare articles of confederation delivered
their draft, which was read.
Monday, July 15, Congress learns that New York now supports independence
Thursday, July 18, The committee appointed to prepare a plan of treaties to be entered
into with foreign states or kingdoms delivered their draft, which was read.
Friday, July 19, Congress orders that the Declaration "be fairly engrossed on
parchment"
Friday, August 2, the Declaration of Independence is signed by members of Congress
Tuesday, August 27, The amended plan of treaties was referred back to the committee
to develop instructions regarding the amendments made by Congress. The committee size was
increased by two members.
Thursday, August 29, the committee for the plan of treaties was empowered to prepare
further appropriate instructions, and report back to Congress.
Tuesday, September 17, Congress discussed the amended plan of treaties to be proposed
to foreign nations, and [secretly] passed the plan of a treaty be proposed to His Most Christian
Majesty.
Tuesday, September 24, Congress resumed consideration of the instructions to the agent
[commissioner] regarding the pursuit of the plan of treaty with France, debated it by
paragraph, amended it, and approved it.
Thursday, September 26, 1776 Congress elects three commissioners to the court of
France, Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane, and Thomas Jefferson. They also resolve "That
secresy shall be observed until the farther Order of Congress; and that until permission be
obtained from Congress to disclose the particulars of this business, no member be permitted to
say any thing more upon this subject, than that Congress have taken such steps as they judged
necessary for the purpose of obtaining foreign Alliance."
Saturday, November 15, 1777, Congress approves the Articles of Confederation and
Perpetual Union for ratification by the individual States.
See also
Halifax Resolves, the first colonial government resolution calling for the nation's
independence from England, passed by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on April 12,
1776 in Halifax, North Carolina
Citations
Milestones: 1776–1783: The Model Treaty, 1776, Department of State, Office of the
Historian. Via the Internet Archive.
Jensen, Merrill (1959). The Articles of Confederation: An Interpretation of the Social-
Constitutional History of the American Revolution, 1774–1781. University of Wisconsin
Press. pp. 127–84. ISBN 978-0-299-00204-6.
Schwarz, Frederic D. (February–March 2006). "225 Years Ago". American Heritage.
Archived from the original on 2009-06-01.
Boyd, Evolution of the Text, 18; Maier, American Scripture, 63. For text of the May 15
Virginia resolution, see [Link] Archived 2008-06-20 at the Wayback Machine.
Maier, American Scripture, 42.

Common questions

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The Continental Congress's use of specialized committees was crucial for efficiently managing the complex tasks associated with drafting foundational documents. The Committee of Five, appointed to draft the Declaration of Independence, combined varied expertise and perspectives, facilitating the creation of a document that articulated the colonies' grievances and aspirations effectively . Similarly, the committee chaired by John Dickinson for drafting the Articles of Confederation enabled focused discussion on sovereignty and governance, resulting in a cohesive framework for the newly independent states . This structure allowed for thorough debate and collaborative input, ensuring documents were well-considered and reflective of collective colonial interests .

Drafting the Articles of Confederation presented numerous challenges, mainly centered around issues of state sovereignty, the scope of powers to be granted to a central government, the necessity of a judiciary, and the procedures for voting across states . Key points of contention included balancing power between large and small states, the representation within Congress, and how to manage collective governance while respecting state independence. These debates extended over a year, leading to a compromise and approval for ratification by the individual states, showcasing the complexity of forming a unified national government .

The postponement of Lee's resolution to declare independence allowed time to consolidate support among the colonies that were not initially authorized to vote for independence, such as Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York . This period was crucial for political maneuvering, which eventually led to a unanimous decision among the colonies willing to vote. The delay also provided the necessary time to appoint a Committee of Five, primarily responsible for drafting the Declaration of Independence, ensuring it would be ready for presentation by July 4, 1776 .

John Adams viewed July 2, 1776, the date the Continental Congress agreed to the Lee Resolution of independence, as the pivotal moment for American independence, believing it would be celebrated as a significant national holiday . However, the day commonly celebrated as Independence Day in the United States is July 4, the date when the Declaration of Independence was officially approved and announced . This divergence illustrates how historical events are often commemorated based on their documentation and public promulgation rather than the actions that initiated them.

Richard Henry Lee proposed the Lee Resolution to the Continental Congress, which declared that the United Colonies should be free and independent from Great Britain. This resolution laid the groundwork for formal independence by mandating the preparation of a declaration of independence and plans for establishing foreign alliances and a confederation of states . Lee's resolution was pivotal, as it expressed formal intent for independence, which was essential in consolidating colonial support for the cause and setting in motion the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and subsequent treaties .

The instructions given to commissioners to forge alliances with foreign powers, especially France, were pivotal for the American Revolution's success. Securing French support was crucial due to their military and financial aid, which significantly bolstered American forces against the British . The alliance, formalized through secret negotiations and the Model Treaty drafted in secrecy, meant that Americans had a formidable ally that disrupted British naval operations and provided essential resources. The alliance shifted the balance of power, providing vital support that was instrumental in the eventual American victory .

The delay in the New York Provincial Congress's decision meant that New York's delegates abstained from the initial vote on July 2 for independence due to lack of authorization . This abstention emphasized the need for unanimity and prompted further negotiation and the necessity of securing votes from other colonies to ensure the resolution's passage. The Provincial Congress later voted to support independence, ensuring alignment with the collective colonial stance and bolstering the legitimacy and unity of the independence declaration among the states, which was achieved by July 9 .

Congress took strategic steps to ensure the successful passage of the Lee Resolution by delaying the vote and amassing necessary support from hesitant colonies like Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York . The postponement allowed delegates to engage in negotiations and political maneuvering, enabling changes such as securing Delaware’s support and persuading South Carolinian delegates. Pennsylvania delegates' absences were orchestrated to reduce negative votes, and New York later received instructions to support independence .

The Adams-Lee Junto, an informal alliance led by Samuel Adams, John Adams, and Richard Henry Lee, played a critical role in propelling the independence movement by advocating for independence within the Second Continental Congress. Their leadership and strategic political organizing significantly influenced the push towards formal independence, resulting in the proposal of the Lee Resolution and subsequently the drafting and adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Their influence was pivotal in breaking the initial hesitance of some colonies and aligning the collective agenda towards independence .

Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense' played a significant role in galvanizing public and political support for American independence with its persuasive arguments against British rule and advocating for a republic. Published in January 1776, it significantly shifted colonial sentiment towards independence by articulating clear and accessible arguments that resonated with the general populace. Paine's work helped to solidify the resolve of colonies and influenced the formal presentation of the Lee Resolution, marking a definitive shift towards republicanism in political discourse and actions .

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