Mansour: The Spirit of 1776—How 13 Rebellious Colonies Declared Their Independence

As Americans gather to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding, we should pause to appreciate how difficult it was to get 13 rebellious colonies to agree on anything—let alone on founding a nation.

Too many Americans today believe that our political differences have become so intractable and our discourse so toxic that our very democracy is at risk. What they fail to realize is that our political differences have always seemed insurmountable, and our democracy was never easy.

The story of the birth of our nation 250 years ago is a story of disagreements, debates, compromises, and moral courage. It’s a story of a group of rebellious Englishmen who—despite their many differences—could agree on one thing: they wanted to live free.

“The First Man in House”

If there was one quintessential figure among the delegates from the 13 colonies assembled in Philadelphia for the Continental Congress, it was John Adams from the Massachusetts delegation.

Benjamin Rush of Philadelphia would later say that “every member of Congress in 1776 acknowledged Adams to be the first man in the House.” Thomas Jefferson called Adams “our colossus on the floor.”

Adams, a gifted lawyer and floor debater, had the foresight and courage to see that the only way forward was for the Continental Congress to declare its independence and break free from the British crown once and for all. He and the other delegates from New England were for liberty from the start because they were already at war. The “shot heard ‘round the world” at Lexington and Concord was fired by the patriots of New England who were bearing the brunt of British military occupation.

Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775, painting by William Barnes Wollen (National Army Museum)

Massachusetts was at war before all of the other colonies. Boston was occupied by British troops. While Adams was at the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia, his wife, Abigail, could hear the thunder of the bombardment of Bunker Hill from their farm in Braintree, Massachusetts.

So, the question of liberty wasn’t an intellectual discussion for the men of New England. It was a matter of life and death. And, as they saw it, the only way they could guarantee their liberty was by declaring their independence from the mother country and its occupying army.

Portraits of John and Abigail Adams in 1766 by Benjamin Blyth. (Wikimedia Commons)

“The Revolution Was in the Minds and Hearts of the People”

There was talk of independence at the Continental Congress in 1775, but only talk. Declaring independence was a massive, unprecedented, and irrevocable act. It was high treason punishable by death. The men of New England, who were dying already, understood this. But how could they convince the other colonies to join them?

If a vote on independence were forced on the Continental Congress too soon, the result could be disastrous because it would be voted down. Adams knew that any declaration of independence had to be made unanimously. All 13 colonies must unite to break free together for any hope of victory as a new nation.

But there was no unanimity in 1775. The Continental Congress was about equally divided into three groups. First, there were the Tory loyalists who opposed severing the relationship with Great Britain. Then there were those who were wary of taking a position either way. And finally, there were the patriots—mostly New Englanders—who wanted independence from Britain as soon as possible.

In 1775, the voices for independence were in the minority. In fact, the delegates of six colonies—New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and South Carolina—were under specific instructions not to vote for independence under any circumstances.

In the middle colonies and in parts of the South, a large number of people had no wish at all to separate from Great Britain. That was also the attitude in Philadelphia itself, which had a strong Tory contingent and many staunch Quaker pacifists who wanted to avoid war at all costs. In their eyes, George III was a good (though remote and often unresponsive) king and the New Englanders were hotheads and rabble-rousers.

John Dickinson of Pennsylvania. (Getty Images)

But these sentiments were gradually changing. In Virginia, on New Year’s Day 1776, the royal governor ordered the bombardment of Norfolk. Now the delegates from Virginia were moving to the side of independence—and that was no small thing because Virginia was the wealthiest and oldest of the colonies.

And then there was Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania who was also on Adams’ side, but he left the floor debate to others, offering advice behind the scenes instead.

In fact, it was another member of the Pennsylvania delegation—John Dickinson—who was the clear leader of the faction against independence. It was Dickinson’s idea to send King George III the “Olive Branch Petition” of July 8, 1775, which humbly beseeched the King to restore peace.

The Fitzwilliam copy of the Olive…