Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1841-12-30


widely circulated, and read with avitity.' In
them he urged the necessity of declaration
oi independence; and none, said Mr.. SPARKS.
dare deny him the honor which is due him
Tor these powerful efforts, in one of which he
held the following language: "The present
estate o! America is truly alarming to every
''man capable of reflection. Without law.
without government, without any other kind
"oi power than is granted by cour,esv-legis-
''iasicl without lava constitution without n
''namc-and what is truly astonishing, pey-
fleet indcpcndcnce struggling for depen-
'dcncew
The first legislative movement for ipdenen-
dcnce was on the 7ih of April. 1776, i'm the
Legislature of North Carolina About n
month afterwards Virginia backed the meas
ure, n, more tangible shape; and to her
properly belongs the immortal honor of hay
ing made the first decisive step towards free
dom III IFS most extensive sense
In Congress, i'm June following. RIcu,pn
HENRY LEE moved that Congress do declare
the Colonies free and independent The mat
ter was postponed but in the meantime a
committee was appointed to draft a tlcclara-
ton, of which Mr.. JEFFERSON was Chairman.
On the Sth and 10Th of June. the subject WAS
again taken up and again dropped On the
18Th oiJune, Mr.. JEFFERSON reported his
draft, and on the LIST of July the celebrated
Virginia resolutions were passed About one
fourth OF the original draft was stricken out.
and as amended, 1t was passed by an unanimous
vote, with the exception of Mr. DICKINSON, of
Pennsylvania, who had perhaps contributed,
Strange as 1t may appear,) as much to the
declaration as any man, and was ever after
wards warm and efficient advocate of the i'm.
lerests of his country. On the 4th of July.
100, the Colonies were solcmnlv declared
free and independent The delegation from
New ork signed the Declaration on the 18th
OF July. Among the paragraphs stricken out
from the original draft, was one censuring the
importation OF Slaves, which was done to ac-
commoda;e the delegates from South Carolina
and Georgia
Alter the Declaration was signed, a copy
was sent 10 each of the Colonies, to be read
PUBLICLY to the people. The reading was gen.
orally accompanied with the ringing of bells
and the firing Of cannon. The Continental
army was then in New Y DIRK, and Washington
ordered The Declaration 10 be read on parade.
where ii was received with marked demon
sirations OF appreciation.
On the "a OF August the Declaration was
engroascd on parchment and signed, which is
the copy IN the Department of State. and
from which the common fac SMILES are tax
en-.
In concluding his lecture, ofwhich we have
merely skctcl,ed the outlines, MI SPARES
said that 1t seemed to be specially ordered by
Providence that the Declaration should be
made just at the time it was A few DAVIS
after, the British Commissioners arrived with
offers OF reconciliation, and had the measure
been delayed, it is impossible to tell what
might have been the result. When we con-
slider too the series of disasters which for n
long time clouded our prospects, the thousand
obstacles which presented themselves on eve
ry side, and the natural feelings which arose
at being placed in deadly conflict with their
once beloved iathcg-land, it will be readily
seen how important was the fact that by The
act OF declaring their independence the states
had gone too far to retract, if they had been
disposed so 10 do. The declaration had al
SO an important influence by inducing the
States TO fill up their quotas of the army, and
IN healing the jealouses and divisions which
had crepIin among them.
The talented lecturer concluded with = few
remarks upon the spirit with which the De-
claration was received by the phianthrop:sts
OF Europc.-EaH. ,Rmcrjcaa