The Arvada enterprise., 1919-07-03

On July 2 the resolution itself was
adopted by congress, and the Declara-
ton was considered BY the committee
Of the whole, being taken up the next
day, July 8.
On July the Declaration, which
included the first paragraph Of the
resolution, was agreed to by the com.
mittee Of the whole. reported to con-
gresA and adopted. The independ.
ence Of the united colonies was thus
declared. and thereupon congress i'm
mediately ordered that the Declara-
tion be authenticated and printed un.
der the supervision Of the committee
previously appointed to prepare 1t, and
that copies thereof be distributed to
all state assemblies and to the com.
manding on,cers Of the army.
In accordance with the above q.
der, the Declaration was issued % Q
printed broadside on July s, with the
heading: "In Congress. July 4, 1776
A Declaration BY the Representatives
Of the United States Of America In
General Congress assembled" 1t
bore the name in print Of John Han.
cock. president Of the congress, and
was attested BY Secretary Charles
Thomson, but bote no other names.
On July 10 It WAS resolved In con-
gress:
''That the Declaration passed on the
fourth be fairly engrossed on parch.
ment, with the title and stile (styls)
Of The unanimous declaration Of the
thirteen United States Of America,
and that the same, when engrossed,
be signed BY every member Of con.
gress."
It could not have been headed
"Unanimous" on July 4. for the New
York delegates had not then been au.
thorixed to agree to 1t, and II was not
until July 16 that It was announced
In the continental congress that the
assembly Of New York had approved
the Declaration. and thus made II
unanimous.
On August 2. 1776. the Declaration
Of Independence. being engrossed and
compared. was signed BY the mem.
bers; those who were not present o.
August 2 afixing their signatures at
later dates. all but one signing before
January 18. It'll.
1t has been ascertainetl that Of the
dfty-six signers, more than one-fourth
were not present on July 4, 1776, and
seven Of them-Thornton, Williams.
Rush. Clymer. Smith. Taylor and Ross
were not members on that date. On
the other hand. seven members on
that date-George Clinton. John A.
sop. r. R. Livingston. Henry Wisner.
Thomas Willing, Charles Humphreys
and John RoKers-had not the privi.
lege Of becoming ''signers," for the
membership Of all but one had ceased
prior TO August z
The FIRST ohicial Issue Of he Dec.
laration bearing the names Of the
signers was printed % . broadsids In
Baltimore under the resolution Of
January 10, 17T. ordering that copies
be sent to each Of the United States.
There are only four copies Of this u
sue now known to exist, one Of which
10 In the library Of congress at Wash.
ington. II IL suthenticated In writing
By John Hancock - president Of coo.
gress and attested by Secretary Thon.
son.
Contrary TO popular opinion, there
fore. Il 10 seen that the Declasation
was not sisned on July 4. the day Il
passed, hut between August 2. l776
and January 10. It'll. after Il had
been engroAsed and compared, and
then only by 66 members. all of whom
were ordered 10 do ~ BY the resols-
ton parsed July 10. l776. The name
Of Thomas Mexican. which doss not
appear smons the RixnesS II thS
printed copy. wss added later-pos
sibiy not until l7el. making the AftY
sixth sisner.
But little has ever been done Il
perpetunte the memory Of these 30
early Americans, only . few Of whom
are weil.known. but II IN interesting
70 know that the Nationai Society Of
the Sons of American Revolution. h
cooperation with the Society u D.
scendsnu Of the siEnerS. u loeatias
the graves Of those patriots. and pre-
paring . memorial volume 10 inclu6s
Q biography Of each indlvidual