The Day We Became Americans

 

     On this day 250 years ago, the Declaration of Independence was read to the American people for the first time. It took place at the old Philadelphia State House, now known as Independence Hall. As every schoolchild knows, the Declaration was signed on July 4th but the actual reading to the public took place four days later so they could coordinate readings in the other colonies and to prepare official, engrossed (handwritten) copies.

     The Continental Congress couldn't have picked a better man for the job. The honor of the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence fell to Colonel John Nixon, merchant, military officer and former sheriff of Philadelphia. He was one of the most respected men in the city and had a strong, authoritative voice.

     The Declaration was actually an evolution from the Remonstrances of the mid 1660s that were drafted and signed in most of the American colonies. These Resistance Petitions, as they came to be known, were respectful documents pleading with King Charles II to respect their autonomy. But they were nonbinding, ineffectual pleadings only and they certainly never came close to even threatening to wrest their independence by force. 

     Approximately 2000 Philadelphians crowded the square that day to hear for the first time what their representatives had hashed out behind closed doors that summer. One of the most explosive parts was the lengthy list of 27 grievances they had with the British Empire. Mostly written by Thomas Jefferson, they listed grievances such as King George III's refusal to allow the election of colonial officials, wearing them down through a process of attrition, etc.

     Essentially, it was the first moment the colonists realized they were no longer British subjects but Americans officially divorcing themselves from the authority of what was considered the mightiest nation on earth. It was at once exciting and frightening. Now that the second Continental Congress had announced independence, if the revolution failed, those who'd taken part in what was then a mere rebellion consisting of a piece of paper would've been hanged as traitors, including Jefferson.

     It was an incredibly fragile start to our independence and it's difficult to appreciate the guts that it took the Founding Fathers just to sign said declaration. When the Constitution was drafted in March of 1789, it took several years for everyone in the Continental Congress to actually sign it. Later on, John Adams would remind us that the entire Continental Congress was never under the same roof in Independence Hall at the same time because of British spies and the threat of arrest and execution.

     It's impossible to imagine such courage in our government today. The US Congress, in all its bicameral glory, is filled with dissembling, feckless characters. Indeed, our history and that of Congress is more than merely studded with convicted criminals. If Trump wrote the Declaration of Independence, there's no doubt that he would have made all 27 grievances detailing how he, and not the American people, were wronged.

      Perhaps it's unfair to compare our leaders of today to those of colonial America. The Founding Fathers were also vastly flawed, conflicted men. Some called for independence, others for conciliation and some wished to remain under the yoke of British tyranny. But in the end, they put their lives on the line and committed to a course of action where the preferred outcome was far from assured.

     And, again, it's impossible to imagine such courage from their latter-day descendants. In the 18th century, there was little room for "evolved thought" and no tolerance for dissembling. Hashing out the terms for independence was complex, sure, but their moral vision and impetus was clear.

      Our nation was created by brilliant and learned men who'd founded the greatest experiment in democracy that the world has ever seen and they'd done so in secrecy, by candlelight and on fragile pieces of parchment. They knew they were taking their lives in their own hands while they did so yet their mission was clear.

     Nowadays, we see Donald Trump bumbling his way through the G7 and the NATO summit in Ankara and, suddenly, King George III didn't look so mad, after all.