LA Learn Article 2

Laurel Anna Learn Article #2

Frenzied Philadelphia and the Continental Congress

Scull, Nicholas, and George Heap (engraved by William Faden). A Plan of the City and Environs of Philadelphia. London: W. Faden, 1777. Map. Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Washington, D.C., Call No. G3824.P5A1 1777 .S3. No known restrictions on publication. https://www.loc.gov/item/gm71005415/

The city of Philadelphia was the central meeting point for the 13 colonies, thus making it the perfect location to meet and discuss the war with Britain. The first Continental Congress had been held here and the second had been in near continuous session for months by January 1776. War with Britain had continued for the better part of a year, the weather was cold, tensions were high and the colonists were on the verge of a decisive break with Britain. The streets buzzed with political urgency. But again, one must wonder, how did we come to this?

1775

The events at Lexington and Concord in April of the previous year had put Britain on alert and sent the colonists into an all out rebellion. Reality struck for the colonists at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June of 1775. Over 1,000 British casualties, and 450 American casualties confirmed that this wasn’t just some dispute about taxes any longer. This was war. A low blow came on December 23, 1775 when the British Parliament banned trade with the colonists outright and authorized the seizure of colonial vessels. A sweeping economic attack that pushed Congress closer to a full break with Britain.

January 1776

New Year's brought more bad news for the colonists. On New Year's Day 1776, British naval forces sacked the town of Norfolk, Virginia, burning the city to the ground. One can imagine how Congress must have been weighing these events.

Reports had also reached the colonies that King George III, in a speech to Parliament the previous fall, had accused the colonists of open rebellion and called for “decisive exertions” to crush the “disorders”. Along with this came reports that thousands of additional British troops were being sent to the colonies. This greatly diminished any hope of a peaceful end to this conflict and gave Congress more reason to declare independence.

Independence or Common Sense?

And yet, surprisingly, Congress was still divided. On January 9, 1776, James Wilson of Pennsylvania introduced a measure that would have required Congress to deny and reject King George III’s accusations that the colonists were aiming at independence.

Paine, Thomas. Common Sense; Addressed to the Inhabitants of America (title page). 1776. Letterpress. Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Washington, D.C., Reproduction No. LC-USZ62-10658. No known restrictions on publication. https://www.loc.gov/item/2006681076/

The following day, Philadelphia printer Rob Bell published Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense”. A 47-page pamphlet that didn’t just add a voice to the independence debate, but flooded it. By the end of 1776, this little pamphlet “written by An Englishman” would sell an estimated 150,000 copies throughout America and Europe. Not every delegate welcomed it, however. John Adams described the pamphlet as a “disastrous meteor”, worried that it would risk undermining the careful, deliberative process Congress was trying to maintain.

The Continental Congress

The Continental Congress began as an emergency meeting of colonial delegates, not as a permanent government. In September of 1774, 56 delegates from 12 colonies gathered at Carpenters Hall in Philadelphia. The meeting was held in direct response to Britain's "Intolerable Acts” passed earlier that year; this was the first Continental Congress. Its mission: to draft a unified statement of grievances and coordinate an economic boycott of British goods.

Trumbull, John. Declaration of Independence. 1818 (placed 1826). Oil on canvas. United States Capitol Rotunda, Washington, D.C. Public domain — artist died 1843; work of the federal government of the United States. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Declaration_of_Independence_(1819),_by_John_Trumbull.jpg (mirrors https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/declaration-independence)

Reconvening in May of 1775, the Second Continental Congress met this time more as a wartime government rather than a protest committee. Meeting in the Pennsylvania State House, it elected John Hancock as its president, created the Continental Army, and appointed George Washington to command it. Congress also sent the Olive Branch Petition to King George III (a personal appeal to King George III, asking him to help the colonists resolve their differences with Britain) in July of 1775 as a final petition for peace.

What began as a coordinating body for protest became the national government for the United Colonies. It raised and financed an army, opened diplomatic channels abroad, issued currency, and managed Native American and frontier relations. Congress did all this without any formal constitutional authority to do so. Delegates simply acted, and the colonies accepted their actions. Among those delegates are some of the most influential people in American history.

Notable Political Actors

Copley, John Singleton. John Hancock. 1765. Oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Deposited by the City of Boston, Accession No. L-R 30.76d. Public domain — artist died 1815. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Hancock_painting.jpg

John Hancock – Massachusetts. Born and raised in Massachusetts, he was a wealthy Boston merchant who made his money importing British goods. He was esteemed as one of the wealthiest men in the colonies. John Hancock’s aversion towards unfair British rule only grew after they impounded his ship on charges of smuggling in 1768. As President of the Second Continental Congress, he presided over the debates that created the Continental Army and appointed George Washington as commander in chief, though he had hoped to preserve that position for himself. Hancock proved to be a constant influence on politics during the Revolutionary War.

Duplessis, Joseph Siffred. Benjamin Franklin. c. 1785. Oil on canvas. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Gift of the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Accession No. NPG.87.43. CC0 — public domain, per Smithsonian Open Access. https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.87.43

Benjamin Franklin – Pennsylvania. Also born in Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin was a man of many words. After learning the art of printing, he established himself in Pennsylvania as a printer and publisher. In May 1775, he returned to Pennsylvania, after a decade abroad as a colonial agent. Upon his return, Franklin was immediately chosen as one of Pennsylvania’s delegates to the Second Continental Congress. Congress named him as the first Postmaster General of the United Colonies in July 1775, and he brought unmatched international prestige and diplomatic experience to the body, later serving on the Committee of Secret Correspondence that opened contact with sympathetic Europeans.

Stuart, Gilbert. John Adams. 1793. Oil on canvas. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Accession No. NPG.75.52. CC0 — public domain, per Smithsonian Open Access. https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.75.52

John Adams – Massachusetts. Born in Massachusetts, John Adams gained the nickname “the Atlas of Independence” during his time as a public servant. He was a lawyer by trade, and while being a devout advocate for independence, he defended the British soldiers who were involved in the Boston Massacre in court. The most relentless committeeman in the Continental Congress, serving on roughly 90 committees.. His most consequential act on said committees may very well have been nominating George Washington of Virginia, rather than a New Englander, to command the new Continental Army in June 1775. The reasoning behind this decision was an act to unite the colonies against Britain. He was also influential in selecting and consulting with Thomas Jefferson as the primary author of the Declaration of Independence.

Copley, John Singleton. Samuel Adams. About 1772. Oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Deposited by the City of Boston, Accession No. L-R 30.76c. Public domain — artist died in 1815. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Samuel_Adams_by_John_Singleton_Copley.jpg

Samuel Adams – Massachusetts. A veteran organizer of the Sons of Liberty, the Boston Tea Party, and a Massachusetts native. He used propaganda effectively to rally support for the revolution. He brought a radical, pro-independence voice to Congress from the moment the First Continental Congress convened in 1774. Alongside his cousin John Adams, he seconded the notion to make Washington commander in chief of the Continental Army. He remained one of the earliest and most constant advocates for Independence in Congress.

Peale, Rembrandt. Thomas Jefferson. 1800. Oil on canvas. White House Historical Association, Washington, D.C., Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon. Public domain — artist died 1860. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_Jefferson_by_Rembrandt_Peale,_1800.jpg

Thomas Jefferson – Virginia. Jefferson graduated from college in 1762 and went on to become a lawyer. He later joined the Second Continental Congress in June of 1775. The Virginian quickly earned a reputation as a skilled writer. Within days of his arrival, Congress placed him on the committee that produced the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms. He ultimately became the primary author to draft the Declaration of Independence.

Peale, Charles Willson. John Dickinson. 1782. Oil on canvas. Independence National Historical Park Collection, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Public domain — artist died 1827. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Dickinson_portrait.jpg

John Dickinson – Pennsylvania. Known as the “Penman of the Revolution” for his earlier Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, Dickinson was a significantly influential figure. He wrote the 1775 Olive Branch Petition and reworked Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms. Conversely, however, he consistently led the moderate faction that still hoped for reconciliation with Britain.

Earl, Ralph. Roger Sherman. c. 1775. Oil on canvas. Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut, Gift of Roger Sherman White, B.A. 1859, LL.B. 1862, 1918. Public domain — artist died 1801. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RogerShermanPortrait.jpg

Roger Sherman – Connecticut. A self-taught lawyer and judge, Sherman served on the First and Second Continental Congress beginning in 1774. He served on multiple committees that dealt with finance, Native American affairs, and military matters. This earned him a reputation as one of the most industrious members in Congress.

Matthews, George Bagby (after Thomas Sully). Patrick Henry. c. 1891. Oil on canvas. U.S. Senate Collection, Washington, D.C., Accession No. 31.00011.000. Public domain — work of a federal government employee; published before 1923. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Patrick_henry.JPG

Patrick Henry – Virginia. Born in 1736 in Virginia, Henry taught himself law and opened a law practice in 1760. He was known for his passionate speeches, and is famous for his “Give me liberty or give me death” speech he gave to the Virginia Convention in March 1775. Henry had a fiery presence at the First and Second Continental Congresses. By August 1775, however, Henry left his congressional seat to take command of Virginia’s military forces.

Stuart, Gilbert. George Washington (The Lansdowne Portrait). 1796. Oil on canvas, 243.8 x 152.4 cm (96 x 60 in.). National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Gift of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, Accession No. NPG.2001.13. Public domain — artist died 1828. https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.2001.13

George Washington – Virginia. A man who needs no introduction. Delegate to both the First Continental Congress in 1774 and the opening weeks of the Second in 1775, before he was unanimously elected to be the commander in chief of the newly created Continental Army. He left his seat in Congress immediately afterward to take command outside Boston.

The Committee of Five (June 1776)

On June 11, 1775, Congress appointed a five-member committee to draft a formal declaration of independence. This committee included Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston, a lawyer and political leader from New York. These five men would make up the most famous committee to come out of the Continental Congress, and would draft the most pivotal political document in American history–perhaps even the entire world, as over 100 countries have used the American Declaration of Independence as a guide for drafting their own.

Definitions:

“From the Kennebec to the Savannah” - From Maine to Georgia.

Redcoat - Nickname for British soldiers.

Lord Dunmore - the commander of British forces at the burning of Norfolk.

Gout - A buildup of a uric acid crystals in the joints that causes a type of arthritis.

The Bard’s Rosalind - Shakespeare's character Rosalind from the play As You Like It.

Mr. Joseph Galloway - a member of the First Continental Congress and an attorney.

Reverend Mr. Duché - a Philadelphia Anglican clergyman and the first Chaplain of the Continental Congress.

City of Brotherly Love - The nickname for the city of Philadelphia. Philadelphia in Greek literally means The City of Brotherly love. Given by the cities founder William Penn, he wanted the name to reflect a peaceful society with religious freedom for all.

Agibail Adams - Known for her documentation of the Revolutionary War through letters.

Works Cited
https://www.history.com/articles/the-continental-congress https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Continental_Congresshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Continental_Congress https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/continental-congresshttps://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Hancock https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/franklin/franklin-congress.htmlhttps://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Adams-president-of-United-States/Continental-Congresshttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Samuel-Adams https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/lee-richard-henry-1732-1794/ https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/john-dickinson https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/jefferson-thomas-1743-1826/ https://constitutioncenter.org/signers/roger-shermanhttps://www.americanrevolutioninstitute.org/george-washingtons-appointment-as-commander-in-chief-of-the-continental-army/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Nelson_Jr.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Hancock https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Dickinson https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/first-continental-congress
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1776-1783/continental-congress
https://www.masshist.org/revolution/congress2.php
https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/common-sense/ https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/john-dickinson
https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/themes/city-of-brotherly-love/

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