A lot of Americans think that today our political divides have become too difficult to resolve and our politics so destructive that our democratic process is in danger. What they don’t recognize is that our differences in politics were never easy to overcome, and our democracy has never been effortless.

The tale of the birth of our nation with the Declaration in 1776, July is a tale of discord with debates, compromises and moral bravery. It’s a tale of the rebellious Englishmen who, despite their diverse opinions, were able to come to a common understanding that they wanted to be in freedom.

“The First Man in House”

If there was one defining character among the delegates of the 13 colonies who gathered in Philadelphia to attend the Continental Congress, it was John Adams from the Massachusetts delegation.

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

Adams who was a brilliant lawyer and debater on the floor Adams had the foresight and determination to realize that the only path forward was to allow Congress Continental Congress to declare its independence and free itself from the British crown completely and forever. Adams and other delegated from New England were for liberty at the outset since they were already in the front in war. “The “shot heard ’round the world” at Lexington and Concord was shot by patriots from New England who were bearing the weight of the British army occupation.

Massachusetts was in war prior to all the other colonies. Boston was under the control of British troops. When Adams was attending his participation in the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia Abigail, his wife Abigail was able to hear the sound of the bombardment Bunker Hill, from their home situated in Braintree, Massachusetts.

Therefore, the issue of liberty wasn’t a philosophical debate for the people from New England. It was an issue of life or death. As they saw it the only way to ensure their freedom was to declare their independence from the country of their birth and its army of occupation.

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

There was discussion about independence during the Continental Congress in 1775, however, it was just the word was spoken. Declaring independence was an enormous unimaginable, irrevocable, and unprecedented decision. High treason was which could be punished with death. The people who lived in New England, who were dying, knew this. However, how did they convince other colonies to come along?

If an independence vote was forced on the Continental Congress too soon, it could result in a disaster since it could be rejected. Adams was aware that any independence pledge needed to be ratified by a majority. The 13 colonies have to unite in order to gain independence in order to win as a new nation.

However, there was no consensus in 1775. In 1775, the Continental Congress was about equally divided into three distinct groups. There were first the Tories who were essentially against independence. There were others who were cautious about taking an stance in either direction. There were also those who were patriots, mostly New Englanders, and desired independence as quickly as was possible.

In 1775 the voices for independence were largely absent. In reality, the delegates of the six colonies – New York New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and South Carolina were given specific instructions not to support independence in any way.

The middle colonies as well as in some parts of the South there was a significant population had no desire at all to break away From Great Britain. It was the same in Philadelphia as a whole, which was home to an overwhelmingly Tory group and a lot of staunch Quaker peaceniks who sought to stay clear of war at all cost. They believed that George III was a good (though distant and sometimes inactive) King, while New Englanders were a gang of hotheads and rabble-rousers.

But the sentiments were slowly shifting. In Virginia the year 1776, on New Year’s Day 1776, the governor’s royal order was for the bombing of Norfolk. The delegates from Virginia were shifting to the side of independence. This was not a minor thing since Virginia was the most prosperous and longest-running colony.

Then There is Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania who was as well on Adams the side of Adams, but Franklin resigned from the debate to other participants, providing assistance behind the scenes.

In reality, it was an additional member of the Pennsylvania delegation, John Dickinson, who was the definite chief of the group against independence. He was the one who suggested that Dickinson present his King George III the “Olive Branch Petition” on the 8th of July 1775 in which he humbly pleaded with the King to reinstate peace.

This petition angered John Adams. The thought of sending this humble supplication to King George after the terrible things that the British did in Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill was disgusting and a mockery to the people from Massachusetts.

Adams was witness to the devastation that King’s soldiers caused. Adams was shocked that someone would think that a fool would believe it was possible that they could expect that the British army would return home and return in peace if they were asked. Adams wrote: “Powder and artillery are the most efficacious, sure and infallible conciliatory measures we can adopt.”

Yet the petition was delivered to King George III, but it was true that George III refused to even examine it. Instead, he declared the colonies to be in an insurrection and directed all of his “subjects” to assist his colonial officers in their efforts of “suppress” the rebellion and “bring the traitors to justice,” which included death as punishment.

By the Spring of 1776 the concept of independence was being discussed in public. It was aided in significant part by Thomas Paine’s revolutionary pamphlet Common Sense. According to John Adams would later write, “The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people.”

Three southern colonies -South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina received instructions to cast their votes for independence.

However, even within the opposing parties there was a growing consensus in the need for unity and unity, as Benjamin Franklin said, “We must hang together or separately.”

“Free and Independent States”

In May 1776 General George Washington arrived at the Continental Congress to report on the situation in New York, where a British attack was anticipated anytime soon. The delegates were informed The king George III had hired 17,000 German Hessian troops to fight in America. Also, their King sent foreign mercenaries to strike them.

Then it was reported that the Virginians had voted unanimously to tell their delegation in Philadelphia “to declare the United Colonies free and independent states.”

It was a pivotal moment. This was the moment New Englanders were waiting for. When Virginians were free and the war was in full swing.

On June 7, on a Friday, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia spoke and said:

“Resolved That these United Colonies are, and of a right ought to be, free and independent states, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.”

Adams immediately supported the motion. Then the actual debate started.

Dickinson and his gang called for a cooling-off. They were seeking “the voice of the people” to be heard prior to proceeding with any decision. Naturally, Adams claimed that people already supported independence, and they were simply looking forward to Congress to take over.

They continued cautiously. Therefore, on June 10 it was decided to postpone the vote until July 1st to allow all the delegated from middle colonies could submit to home for a new set of instructions on how to vote in favor of independence.

In the in the meantime, a committee set up with the mission of preparing a document which would serve as an declaration of independence which was Thomas Jefferson of Virginia was appointed to draft the document.

“Objects of the Most Stupendous Magnitude”

The Congress was re-convened on July 1 1776. It was humid and hot in Philadelphia on that day. A massive summer storm was on the way.

At ten o’clock, and with the doors shut, John Hancock sounded the gavel. Richard Henry Lee’s previous motion for independence was read out loud.

Then, John Dickinson stood to be heard. He once more advised about his “premature” separation from Britain. He spoke with eloquence and passion. He said that declaring independence was “to brave the storm in a skiff made of paper.”

As he sat down there was a silence, with the exception of the drizzle that was splashing across the windows. There was no one to speak, and nobody stepped up to speak to him, but everyone felt the gravity of the moment as well as that decision.

Then Adams stood up to present the argument for liberty.

He began by stating that he would like to have the wisdom of the great orators from Greece and Rome since he was sure they faced a problem with greater significance to the development of humanity.

Outside there, the winds intensified. The storm was beginning to hit lightning and thunder, with rain hitting the windows.

In the room, Adams spoke logically and enthusiastically. He gave a positive vision of the future that lay ahead–of the creation of a grand new nation. He emphasized that this was a significant time in the history of mankind, where, for first time that a people of liberty had decided to have their own government.

We don’t have the exact words, as there was no pre-planned remarks. We do know his thoughts from the letters he wrote to a friend around that time:

“Objects of the most astonishing size, measures where the lives and freedoms of a vast majority of the born and unborn, are important, are currently in front of us. We are at the in the midst of a revolution that is most profound, shocking and extraordinary of any time in the history of humanity.”

While we do not have any record of his remarks but we do have the memories of the people present. There was no doubt of any kind that Adams his words on during that time were the most powerful and significant speech he ever gave at the history of the Continental Congress.

Jefferson wrote the following: Adams was speaking “with a power of thought and expression that moved us from our seats.”

In the years following, Adams would say he was “‘carried out in spirit,’ as enthusiastic preachers sometimes express themselves.”

Richard Stockton, the delegate from New Jersey, said that Adams was “the Atlas” of the time, “the man to whom our nation is the most indebted for its immense independence. …. He was the one who carried the discussion, and through the power of his reasoning showed not only the rightness however, but also the efficacy of the procedure.”

The debate continued throughout the day. A lot of people were convinced. In the end, the vote was rescheduled for the following day, July 2 to ensure unity, since they tried to convince those who were the last holdouts in South Carolina, and they were waiting for Caesar Rodney of Delaware to arrive.

“The Most Memorable Epocha in the History of America”

On July 2 they gathered again to discuss the question of independence.

As the doors of Congress were set to close early in the morning to begin sessions, Caesar Rodney made his spectacular entry. He travelled 80 miles in the dark to arrive at the right the time to vote. vote in favor of independence.

John Dickinson and Robert Morris of the Pennsylvania delegation had absented themselves on the day, since, despite the fact that they were not willing to support independence, they were aware of the necessity of unanimity. They stayed clear which permitted the remaining Pennsylvania delegate to cast their votes for independence.

New York continued to abstain However, South Carolina finally joined the majority to vote unanimous, in the sense that there was no colony that was opposed to it.

Then, it was over. The break was created. The 2nd of July, 1776 in Philadelphia The American colonies declared their independence.

In the evening, John Adams would write to his wife Abigail:

“The Second day of the July, 1776 is going to be one of the most memorable epochs that has ever occurred in America. I think this will also be commemorated by the generations to come as a major anniversary celebration. It should be celebrated in”the Day of Deliverance by solemn actions of worship towards God the Almighty. The day should be commemorated with pomp and fervor along with games, shows and sports, guns and bonfires, as well as bells and light-ups from one side of this continent to next from now on forever.”

“We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident”

The following day, they gathered again to discuss the language in the Declaration of Independence.

Thomas Jefferson sat silently while the writers changed his style and cut out around one quarter of the things Jefferson wrote.

Despite the changes, a passage resonated like poetry and ignited the hearts of men all over the world, and to the present day. It was a phrase that contained the basic principles that Jefferson later referred to in the context of “the Spirit of ’76”:

“We believe these truths as self-evident that all people are created equal and that they are blessed by God with certain inalienable rights and among them are liberty, life as well as seeking happiness. To secure these rights, government is established by men, and derive their legitimate powers from the agreement of the people they govern.”

One last thing they reached an agreement on was adding an important phrase to Jefferson’s final line of speech that would praise their entire work to the protection of God.

It would then read:

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”

Our nation was founded through the Declaration in Philadelphia in July 1776.

Each Generation of Americans who are bound by the ideals expressed in the document is component of the Spirit of 1776.