Independence Day

On rereading your earlier post, and the Declaration itself, I’m struck by how little suited the document is, really, as the charter of a “proposition nation.”

The Declaration is intensely practical, and rooted in the particular, both of the English political tradition and the issues of its day. Although it uses the word “equality,” and justifies régime change if things get really bad, it’s not a democratic document, nor does it easily translate into, say, 21st Century Baghdadi Arabic, or Farsi.

A Glorious Forth to you and to y’all.

Question: If the U.N. had been around back in 1776, what would the reaction of the “international community” have been?

We have the example in more recent times of a white settler class unilaterally (and much, much more reluctantly) declaring independence from Great Britain for the sake of preserving “responsible government”; that is Rhodesia. Economic sanctions and diplomatic ostracization were the result. Not even the much-maligned South Africa could afford politically to recognize the de fact independence of Rhodesia. Pity.

The analogy does not hold much depth however. Rhodesia was certainly pushed into unilateral independence because to submit to London would have meant the utter ruin of their country and everything they stood for. For the American rebels, it was much different; a petulant spat over taxation and a refusal to maintain the obligations to the Sovereign to whom they had sworn allegiance.

Well, that’s my two cents anyhow.

“231 years ago today the Declaration of Independence (which had already been signed on July 2)”

It was actually even more complicated than that. What was approved on July 2 were the resolutions proposed in early June by Richard Henry Lee (http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/lee.htm), one of which was a one-sentence proclamation “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.” This, then, is the true Independence Day, and John Adams mistakenly wrote to his wife that it would be regarded as such. Congress then spent two days debating and (to Jefferson’s disgust) editing and re-writing the Declaration, which was approved on July 4. A printed version was made and signed by John Hancock, President of the Congress, and secretary Charles Thomson. This bore the famous headline “IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776,” which helped mislead those not privy to Congress’s deliberations to assume that the actual vote for independence had been taken on that day. It took almost a month for a fancy “engrossed” version to be made, which was signed on August 2 by the delegates present on that day, which included some people who had not even been members of Congress on July 2 or July 4. Some important delegates, including Richard Henry Lee himself, were not present on August 2 and signed later. Matthew Thornton, a delegate from New Hampshire, did not even enter Congress until November but signed the document anyway. Finally, Thomas McKean, who had been a member on July 2 and 4 and played a key role in ensuring that Delaware voted “aye,” was absent from Congress for the rest of the year, serving in the militia, and was allowed to sign by special permission at some subsequent time, probably in 1777. Several others who were members in July (including Robert Livingston, a member of the committee appointed to write the declaration) were also gone by August and, unlike McLean, never made an effort to get their names on the document.

Considering that by signing they increased their chances of a date with the hangman if things didn’t go well, as they didn’t, for a long time, they were quite brave.