The Coolidge examiner., 1934-06-29


the document In which they held certain truths
20 be self-evident." IN which they Did ''solemniy
publish and declare that these united colonies
are. and of right ought 90 te. free and inde-
pendent states and In which "for the support of
this declaration. with a firm reliance on the
protection of Divine Providence they dld -mu-
tuAlly pledge 20 each other our lives. our for
tunes and our sacred honor
We know the names OF most og them-the men
who took the arst decisive step toward winning
Independence and forming a new nation. But
how many Americans know the names OF other
men who. many years before. had sowed the
seeds Of that liberty and OF that new nationl
How many Of Us know OF Robert Livingston
who. as early as 1901. was proposing colonial
cooperation and n colonial unionf And 20 how
many OF does the name OF TeonIahag agarRwe.
or King Hendrick chief Of the Mohawk In
dians have any significance In the struggle for
nhcrty7 IL IL with these two men, but more
particularly with King Hendrick. and with the
events which foreshadowed the Declaration that
this article deals.
Although the British Crown encouraged the
Idea % a colonial union 10 aid In It's struggle
with France for mastery OF North America. the
colonies paid little heed 10 such an idea coming
from the Mother country and either disregaried
or evaded directly her appeals TO them TO con-
tribute TO the conduct OF the wars So II seemed
that the only possibility for cooperative effort
lay In voluntary action on the part OF the colo
nleS Sensing this fact. Robert Livingston. n
leading merchant of New York who was much
interested In opening up the rich resources OF
the hack country. came forward with a plan OF
colonial union In iTol.
Livingston realized that the colony OF New
York alone could not carry out his ambitious
scheme Of development so In a long letter. dated
May n. lT0l. be laid before the British Council
of Trade and Plantations his scheme FOR uniting
the colonies In zone form OF government
divided into three groups. a southern. n central
and northern. Each year there was to be
raised from this government a certain sum OF
money which would be administered from Albany
by n board Of commissioners selected from eacn
OF the groups
The Crown was 10 send troops and equipment
and the three groups were TO supply labor.
under a quota arrangement for building and
garrIsonlng forts which were To be built In the
wilderness 10 protect settlers who were 10 be
encouraged 10 take up lands In the West Every
two years the British government 10 send
out two hundred youths" as requirements for
30 OF the soldiers who were 10 be mustered ont
OF service but who. II they would remain In
the country. were TO receive free land.
II was an excellent scheme and the British
as usual. lack OF cooperation among the colo
nies prevailed and nothing came OF Livingston's
plan. For another half century they went their
separate ways. BY the middle OF the Eighteenth
century the menace OF French expansion In the
West and the tightening OF their alliance with
the Indians began TO alarm the colonies seri-
ously. In 1883 young George Washington. sent
BY Virginia 10 the Ohio country TO warn the
French away from this region claimed By the
British, returned with their fat refusal TO go
Then Governor DInwIddIe OF Virginia sent
Captain Trent and his backwoodsmen TO build
a fort at the forks OF the Mononyahela, but
before they could finish their work the French
drove Trent away.
on May 9. 1854. the Pennsylvania Gazette OF
Philadelphia contained an account OF Trents
surrender OF the fort and predicted that unless
something done. the French would kill
selze and imprison our Traders and confscate
their Effects at Pleasure Gas they have done for
several Years past), murder and scalp our
Farmers with their Wives and Children. and
take an easy Possession OF such parts OF the
British Territory as they find most convenient
for them: which II they are permitted to do
must end In the Destruction OF the British In
terest Trade and Plantations In America"
Along with this appeal for concerted action
there appeared In the Gazette the first rea
cartoon. drawn by the publisher OF the Gazette
BENJAMIN Franklin. II showed a disjoInted snake
each part labeled with the initials Of one OF the
colonies and under II the motto Join, or Die
Later Franklin's graphic portrayal Of the
urgent necessity for colonial union was reprinted