Were there multiple declarations of independence?

To Begin the World Over Again 9.1 – Declarations of Independence Were there multiple declarations of independence?

The year before (1774), an Englishman named Thomas Paine, having met Benjamin Franklin and received letters of introduction from him, immigrated to Pennsylvania and got into the print media industry, quickly becoming the editor of the Pennsylvania Magazine and turning it into the most widely-read such publication in all of the colonies. Paine’s ties to Franklin thrust him into revolutionary circles almost immediately, and, at his American friends’ urging, in early January 1776 he published an essay he’d written under the title Common Sense. Paine’s tract became a best-seller virtually overnight, arguably the most popular printed work ever produced in America right up to the present. Within ninety days of its release, it had been purchased by roughly one out of every eight adult colonists; most Americans read Common Sense, and if they couldn’t read it, someone else read it to them.

In true Enlightenment fashion, Paine’s essay used reason (or “common sense”) to excoriate the very notion of monarchy—and the men and women who wore the crown.

Men who look upon themselves born to reign, and others to obey, soon grow insolent; selected from the rest of mankind their minds are early poisoned by importance; and the world they act in differs so materially from the world at large, that they have but little opportunity of knowing its true interests, and when they succeed to the government are frequently the most ignorant and unfit of any throughout the dominions.

Or:

But where says some is the King of America? I’ll tell you Friend, he reigns above, and doth not make havoc of mankind like the Royal Brute of Britain.

All the old religious arguments in support of kings and queens, all historical justifications for monarchical rule, every oft-pronounced attempt at legitimizing the Crown—Paine seemed to rip the foundations out from under them all. Monarchs ruled by coercion, not divine sanction. They made serious (and often criminal) mistakes all the time, even if their advisors were the ones to always take the blame. Monarchs were often stupid, or brutish, or unprepared, and their rule was arbitrary anyway.

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense may have been as important as the bloody events unfolding in Massachusetts at the time in convincing Americans of the need for secession. Though an irreligious man of the Enlightenment, Paine knew his essay’s audience—and often quoted the Bible to make his point.

In addition to questioning monarchy in general, Common Sense introduced ideas of independence from Britain. This was important, since most Americans with revolutionary leanings nevertheless felt apprehensive about actual secession from the empire. There were economic incentives for preserving a connection; for example, leaving Britain meant that American merchants would find themselves outside of the British tariff wall. There were liberty-based arguments for preserving a connection, too; colonists with a propensity for “republicanism” feared that, even should they win and British authority be ejected, the standing American army (and conquering American general) inevitably left behind could pose an even greater threat to freedom than far-away King George. Paine cut through such misgivings by an appeal to “common sense.”

Small islands, not capable of protecting themselves, are the proper objects for kingdoms to take under their care; but there is something absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island.

“Europe, and not England, is the parent country of America,” Paine argued. “This new world hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe.” It was time, Common Sense urged, to stop considering England the “mother country.”

Many of these ideas had certainly been quietly uttered during private conversations all over the colonies for months, perhaps years, but Thomas Paine seemed to put them all into words, distilling the thoughts, ideas, observations, and frustrations of Americans into an easily digestible format. These ideas were, it now appeared, simply common sense. Something about Common Sense, too, captured the hearts and minds of hundreds of thousands of Americans—as if they might be part of something historically unique, hugely important, and potentially earth-shaking.

We have it in our power to begin the world over again. A situation, similar to the present, hath not happened since the days of Noah until now. The birthday of a new world is at hand, and a race of men, perhaps as numerous as all Europe contains, are to receive their portion of freedom from the events of a few months.

Paine’s call was for “The Free and Independent States of America.” Thousands began reading as agitators for their rights as freeborn Englishmen; thousands finished reading as agitators for independence. (It should be noted, however, that while a third—possibly half—of American colonials strongly supported independence throughout the war, another third remained somewhat non-committal to either side, while a final third maintained loyalty to the British throughout).

From May through July 1776, Virginia—the largest, most powerful, and most populous of the colonies—held its fifth revolutionary, or “Patriot,” convention (the Fifth Virginia Convention, sometimes referred to as the May Convention) at Williamsburg. Virginia had already seen action in the unfolding Revolutionary War. Its colonial militia had defeated the governor’s forces and effectively driven him and his troops out of the colony altogether with victory at the Battle of Great Bridge; Virginia’s militia commander described the engagement as “a second Bunker’s Hill affair.” Now, on 15 May, the convention adopted three resolutions: one declaring that Virginia must have a declaration of rights, one declaring that Virginia must be a republic, and one declaring that Virginia desired to form federal ties with like-minded colonies. The government of Virginia as formerly constituted was “totally dissolved” as a result of King George III’s having “abandoned the helm of government and [declared] us out of his allegiance and protection…”

This was a declaration of independence—Virginia’s independence! Lest there be any confusion on the matter, the convention additionally instructed its delegates to the Continental Congress to support a joint declaration of independence. That night, the residents of Williamsburg took down the Union Jack flying in front of the capitol, replacing it instead with a new flag: that of the Continental Union.

A month-and-a-half later, on 2 July, 1776, the Continental Congress finally agreed to follow Virginia’s lead. Take a look:

Independence Hall, Pennsylvania: Lee Resolution

The Declaration of Independence declared that the colonies were independent states. This is important language, since the word “state” refers to a sovereign polity—i.e. one which answers to no higher political authority. Today, Germany is a state, since the German government doesn’t answer to any higher, political authority with the power of coercion (unless one counts the European Union, but that’s another conversation). Japan is a state. Canada is a state. When the Declaration of Independence was passed, Virginia was a state. So was Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, and every other colony declaring its independence and separate statehood. (Americans today still use the term “state” to refer to the various United States, though they aren’t truly states anymore.) Note the use, too, of the term “Congress”—i.e. “a meeting of ambassadors” (in the words of John Adams). As such, “Congress” was not analogous with “Parliament.” Parliament was the legislative body made up of representatives of a single unitary state. The Congress never saw itself that way. Rather, Congress was made up of ambassadors (or delegates) from thirteen colonies—now thirteen independent states. This will become vitally important later as Americans debate the nature of the original “Union.”

The Declaration of Independence – Notice the “Committee of Five” in this Trumbull painting.

The first three sections of the Declaration had virtually no legal effect, instead (1) laying out the states’ ideas about natural rights and the origin and power of government, then (2) justifying separation by listing all of the ways that King and Parliament had transgressed their powers and purpose. Note Locke’s influence.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.—Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

The fourth, or last, section of the Declaration was the effective section—i.e. the part with legal effect. Again, notice who is declaring independence. Take note of capital letters, plurals, and pronouns. What do the independent states now claim to be able to do?

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, 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; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

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To Begin the World Over Again

Were there multiple declarations of independence?

Independence Hall, Pennsylvania: Lee Resolution

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