Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1919-07-04
FRIDAY. JULY 4, 1919
How The important Document Was Drawn

The Fourth of July represents to the average Ameri-
can boy a great victory won som 40 years ago against
overwhelming odds. He dimly remembers from his his
tory lesson that something or other, called the Declare
tion of Independence, signed that day In l776. some
times he is not quite so sure of the date as that and he
knows very little concerning the original document IT.
self.
The original of the Declaration, written by hand on
parchment, and now much worn and faded, is carefully
preserved in alright and light.proof case in the library
of the department of state. Only facsimiles are exhibit
ted today, the original being too precious a document 10
risk in the light and air.
A facsimile of the Declaration is on exhibition IN the
division of history in the older building OF the National
museum at Washington, where are also preserved person
al relics and mementoes of several of the members Of the
second continental congress who signed this great reso-
luton.
The history of the origin and drafting Of the Decla-
ration is of considerable interest. In the second contl-
mental congress, which was meeting in Philadelphia,
Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, on June 7, 1776, intro
duced the following resolution, which was seconded by
John Adams.
ssResolyed, That these united colonies are, and of
right ought to be, free and independent states; that Jhey
are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, and
that all political connection between them and Che
state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dis
solved.
THAT it is expedient forthwith to take the most ef-
fectual measures for forming foreign alliances.
'That a plan of confederation be prepared and trans
mitted to the respective colonies for their appreciation
Consideration of this resolution was postponed, and
on June Ii, Thomas Jefferson, john ADAMS. Benjamin
Franklin, Roger Sherman and Il. Il, Livingston were ap-
pointed a committee to prepare a Declaration to serve as
a preamble to this Independence resolution. This COM
mittee, known as the Jefferson committee, submitted a
draft of the Declaration on June %, which was lalG on
the table for later consideration. On July ], congress,
sitting as a committee of the whole to consider the reso-
luton respecting Independence. agreed thereto, and re-
ported it to congress.
On July 2, the resolution itself was adopted by con-
gress, and the Declaration was considered by the COM
rnitfno If the whole. being taken up the next QaY. July ).
On July 4 the Declaration, which included the first
paragraph of the resolution, was agreed to by the COM
mittee of the whole, reported to congress, and adopted.
The independence of the united colonies was thus de-
clared. and thereupon, congress Immediately ordered that
the Declaration be authenticated and printed under the
supervision of the committee previously appointed to
prepare it, and that copies thereof be distributed to all
state assemblies and to the commanding officers OF the
army.
In accordance with the above order, the Declaration
was issued as a printed broadsde on July 5, with the
heading: "In Congress, July 4, l776. A Declaration by
the Representatives of the United States of America in
General Congress assembled It bore the name in
print of John Hancock, president of the congress. and
was attested by Secretary Cnas. Thomson, but bore no
other names.
On Julyl9 it was resolved in congress:
'"That the Declaration passed on. the fourth be fairly
engrossed on parchment, with the title and stile Style of
"The unanimous declaration of the thirteen United
States of America, and that the same, when engrossed,
be signed by every member Of congress-
1t could not have been headed "Unanimous" on July 4,
for the New York delegates had not then been author
lied to agree to it, and it was not until July 10 that it
was announced in the continental congress that the as
sembly of New York had approved the Declaration, and
thus made it unanimous.
On August q 1876, the Declaration of Independence,
being engrossed and compared, was signed by the mem
bers; those who were not present on August 2 afixing
their signatures at later dates, all but one signing before
January Is, TIT.
1t has been a~scertained that of the ifty-six signers,
more than one-fourth were not present on July 4, l776,
and seven of them-Thornton, Williams, Rush, Clymer,
Smith, Taylor, and Ross we're not members on that date.
On the other hand, seven members on that ~daLe-George
Clinton, John Alsop, r. R. Livingston, Henry Wisner,
Thomas Willing, Charles Humphreys and John Rogers
had not the privilege of becoming "slgners," for the mem
bership of all but one had ceased prior to August 2.
The first official issue of the Declaration bearing the
names of the signers was printed as a broadside in Baltl-
more under the resolution of January is, TIT, ordering
that copies be sent to each of the United States. There
are only four copies of this issue now known to exist, one
of which is in the library of congress at Washington. 1t is
authenticated in writing by john Hancock, as president
of congress and attested by Secretary Thompson.
Contrary to popular opinion, therefore, it is seen that
the Declaration was not signed on July 4, the day it passed
but between August 2, 1776, and January Is, TIT, after it
had been engrossed and compared, and then only by IS
MEMBERS, all of whom were ordered to do SO by the reso-
luton passed July 10, 1776. The name of Thomas Mexican,
which does not appear among the signers in the printed
copy, was added later-possiblyn not until ISL, making the
ffty-sixth signer.
But little has ever been done to perpetuate the memory
of those Sc early Americans, only a few of whom are we'll
known, but it is interesting to know that the National
Society of the Sons of American Revolution, In co-opera-
tion with the Society of Descendants OF the slgners, Is
locating the graves of those patriots, and preparing a
memorial volume to include a biography of each one.
49,
4s