Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1906-07-13
JULY SECOND The DAY
GOVERNMENT HISTORIAN SAYS
REAL INDEPENDENCE rs NOT
THE FOURTH.

torical Paper Final Signing ,oi
Document on August Second.
According to the opinions Of the
latest historical authorities both the
school children of by.gone days and
those of the present time have been
taught incorrectly as to the proper In
dependence day of the nation. No one
date seems to develop such excitable
emotions as does the mention of the
Fourth Of July, but how unattractive
would IL seem If we were to state that
the second of July is the day of fire
crackers, bombs and Roman candles.
And yet, according TO Mr.. William H.
Michael, Chief Clerk and Historian of |
the Department of State, THE real In
dependence Day is the second of July"
> Since we bent over our childhood |
histories we have always had an idea /
that our fathers severed the ties with |
! Great Britain on the Fourth of July, |
l776, and we have had word Of no less |
an authority than Thomas jefferson,
author of that hallowed instrument, |
that the Declaration was signed on |
that date, on whose anniversary the |
;, great father of democracy died. But |
Mr. Michael says no, and for years he |
has toiled for his country beneath the
same roof which shelters the sacred
document has had the nations arch |
ives at his fingers ends.
: INDEPENDENCE ON JULY 2.
e "The independence of the United
l. States was declared by resolution on
e the I'd of July, and the adoption of the
Il form nf ~. IS I'll,
was a secondary matter" says Mr.
4 Michael. ut is a little strange that
= more Importance was not attached to
: the I'd of July in connection with the
n Declaration Of Independence. The res
n olution introduced by Richard Henry
h Lee, was passed on shat day July 2,
1870. This was really the vital point
20 the crucial juncture."
.. The real act of independence, which
Mr.. Michael has had reproduced in fac
10 smile, was then the Lee resolution
9 declaring:
10 "That these United colonies are, and
10 Of right ought to be, free and indie
pendent states; that they are absolved
from all allegiance to the British
q Grown, and that all political connection
ie between them and the State of Great
Ie Britain is, and ought to be. totally
ed dissolved"
~ SIGNED AUGUST 2.
Concerning the actual date of the
Declarations signing, Mr.. Michael
says "Mr. Jefferson in his account
y states that all the members present
except Mr.. Dickinson, signed the Dec
laration in the evening of the Fourth
of July. The journal shows that M
one signed it that evening except Mr.
4 Hancock and Mr.. Thomson. Tn
journal entry is: Signed, John Han
cock, President, Attest, Charles Thorn
son, Secretary On Angus
2, the Declaration. as engrossed unde
the order of Congress, was signed b
all of the members of Congress
present"
What really did happen on July
of that year of years was the fins
adoption of draft of the form @
announcing the fact to the world
that independence had been decree
two days before. Jefferson had writ
ten this draft in his Philadelphi
apartments, consisting of ready-fu
nished parlor and bedroom in the ne
brick house of Hyman GratZ, at tn
southwest corner of 7th and Markt
streets, ION the outskirts of the city
The Penn National Bank now occup,
ing the site of this dwelling, is in tt
very business heart of Philadelphia.
WRITTEN LATE IN JULY.
But the Original Declaration" whiC
all pilgrims to Washington former
gazed upon in awe and reverence, W;
not ordered written for more than tv
weeks after that long but unjust
hallowed July 4. On July 10, Co
gress ordered that the Declaration
fairly .engrossed on parchment" al
that "the same, when engrossed,
signed by every member of Congress
Some time within the next two wee
the beautiful pen work which thou
ands of Americans have since me-
veled at and admired was execut
upon the great strip of sheepskin nc
locked away in the Department
State at Washington.
On August 2, 1916, just a mon
after the real stroke of Independent
this great sheepskin was unrolled
the presence of the Continental Co
gress, in Independence Hall, with t
ling wording of the corrected draft it W
ter carefully compared at the table
bro This formality gone through wit
,ker it was spread out upon a desk al
inc. signed by all of the members of ca
ton gress present Fifty of these fathe
ore of the republic signed on that ds
lat Six of the revered "signers,, did n
res, affx their signatures until later dat
lies, George Wythe of Virginia sign
to about August q. Richard Henry l.
Virginia; Eldridge Gerry, Massact
blue sets, and Oliver Wolcott, Conneeticr
lery did not sign until some time in 81
luty TENDER Matthy Thornton, of NJ
s in Hampshire, did not add his name IN
be November, and Thomas Mexican
the Delaware, probably did not afix h
tas- the final signature, until FIVE yes
IT Of later. or 1881. Matthew Thornt,
by the way, was not appointed to G,
out gress until September. and did I
ided take his seat until N0vember-fc
lded months after the adoption of the d
and laration Other signers who WI
worm not members of Congress on July
4 III - "a, k-n