Ultimately the Second Continental Congress would establish a Continental Army, debate and adopt the Declaration of Independence, draft and adopt the Articles of Confederation, secure an alliance with France, begin the process of printing money, and conduct diplomacy with foreign governments. What did King George III refuse of? The Olive Branch Petition. He then prepared for war What did the second congress form? A committee to draft the Declaration of Independence What occurred on July 2, 1776? 12 colonies voted for the resolution regarding independence What occurred on July 4, 1776? 13a. The Declaration of Independence and Its Legacy "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that A fair copy of the committee draft of the Declaration of Independence is read in Congress. Congress debates and revises the Declaration of Independence. (Pictured: Jefferson's "rough Draught" of the Declaration) The Committee of Five was appointed by the Continental Congress in 1776 to draft the Declaration of Independence. This committee consisted of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. On June 11, 1776, Congress appointed a "Committee of Five", consisting of John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut, to draft a declaration. The debates were intense, but by late June enough progress had been made towards securing the votes that Congress created a “Committee of Five” to draft a resolution declaring independence. This committee which included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman, and Thomas Jefferson, wanted Adams to draft the document. On June 11, 1776, the Second Continental Congress entrusted a committee of five delegates (Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston and Roger Sherman) with composing the Declaration of Independence. The committee chose thirty-three year old Thomas Jefferson to draft what he called an expression of “the American mind.” Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston appointed to a committee to draft a declaration of independence. American army retreats to Lake Champlain from Canada. At the request of the committee, Jefferson drafts a declaration that is the basic text of his “original Rough draught.” Humanities in Class: Webinar Series Debating the Declaration of Independence Holly Brewer (Fellow, 2009–10) October 27, 2015 When the delegates to the Continental Congress assembled in June of 1776, they faced a deepening dilemma. Fighting between colonists and British troops had been going on for more than a year. A timeline of the events leading up to the Declaration of Independence, with links to detailed information about these events, and the people, places and things surrounding the Declaration and the Revolutionary War The Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence—written largely by Jefferson—in Philadelphia on July 4, a date now celebrated as the birth of American independence. Declaring Independence On July 2, 1776, Congress voted to declare independence. Two days later, it ratified the text of the Declaration. John Dunlap, official printer to Congress, worked through the night to set the Declaration in type and print approximately 200 copies. June 10: Congress appoints a committee of five to draft a statement of independence for the colonies: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman, with the actual writing delegated to Jefferson. Note: The following text is a transcription of the Stone Engraving of the parchment Declaration of Independence (the document on display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum.) The spelling and punctuation reflects the original. The Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America in the original printing, is the founding document of the United States. On July 4, 1776, it was adopted unanimously by the Second Continental Congress, who convened at Pennsylvania State House, later renamed Independence Hall, in the colonial capital of Philadelphia. These delegates Met in 1775. They organized the continental Army, called on the colonies to send troops, selected George Washington to lead the army, and appointed the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence When Jefferson had finished his draft, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Jefferson met to make changes. This version was sent to the Second Continental Congress on July 2, and after two days of debate and revisions, the final draft of the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. The committee chosen to draft a declaration of independence for the 13 North American British colonies is shown at work in this 19th century engraving. Between July 2 and July 4, Congress argued over every word in Jefferson’s draft of the declaration, making numerous changes. On July 4, Congress voted again – this time to approve the wording of the Declaration of Independence. They didn’t actually sign the document that day.
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