Monday, May 31, 2010
Declaring Indepencence
By the Spring of 1776, Piane's ideas had built a great momentum for the American Independence.
Noting this shift of opinion in the people, the Congress selected a committee to draft a document for America's independence and the reasons for it's declaration.
On July 1776, the 2nd Continental Congress declared that America was now independent. Two days laters they all signed the decleration. Thomas Jefferson was chosen to draft the declaration and for it he used Paine's ideas and denounced the king as a tyrant.
"All men are created equal", was a phrase on the declaration that later on led to the civil war.
The declaration had many powerful ideas. One of it's most powerful ones was "People have unalienable rights", rights that could not be taken away. These rights were: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
After this came to the ears of the king, the colonists had to go through many complications. They went through 5 years of war because the British didn't accept their declaration.
Thomas Paine and Common Sense
In January 1776 a small book called, Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine became quite powerful in the role of independence.
This book which many american read, expressed clearly what they thought. Many if the ideas expressed in this book would later on be written in the decleration of indepencence.
In simple, direct language, Paine proposed his radical ideas of how the colonies should take action. One of his proposals was the independence from Britain, the second was the creation of a republican state government, and last but most important, the union of the new states.
In Common Sense, Paine denounces the king and British aristocrates as frauds and parasites. He wanted the common people to be able to elect their own government. He blaimed the king, rather then Parliament, as the greatest enemy of America.
He claimed that a republic would reward people for their hard work and not for tittles. He said that, free from the empire, America would be able to trade with the whole world.
"The cause of America, is the cause for all man kind".
Loyalits and Patriots
Although most of the colonists suppported the idea of an independence, there was still a minority that prefered the British rule. These people were called the loyalists.
These loyalists feared the patriots and thought they were brutal. One of them even declared: "If I must be a slave, let it be by the king and not by vermins". Obiously vermins refering to the Patriots. They feared that the Patriots' resistance would cause war with Britain and doubted they could defeat them.
In Summer of 1774, John Adams(patriot) and Jonathan Sewell(loyalist) walked together and disscused the crisis. Sewell warned Adams that the British army was quite powerful, but Adams didn't let that stop him.
People thought the loyalists were rich people who sold their fellow colonists just to gain a position in government, but that was all a stereotype. They were really just normal folk, farmers, part of the minority.
To support the war, the Patriots had to place taxes and create and oath of alligence. They also shut down the newspapers of the loyalists. Because of all of this the loyalists began to think that the Patriots were worse than the British. The native american and the slaves also started to side with the loyalists.
Thousands of enslaved people in the South escaped and joined the British army.
Continental Congress Video
This video doesn't really show what actually happened during the congress....but it a fun way to find out what the congress was about.... Enjoy
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