self-evident, We hold these truths to bed & condos bandonad &,, that all men are they are endowed by their creator with good created equal, donde prendront: that [ from that equal creation they dema rights that certain These rights [ inherent Ginalienable, among which are life, liberty, & the pursuit of happiness, that to secure these withers, go -vernments are inshhited among men до deriving their just pourers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government doubt becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, & to institute new on shall government, laying it's foundation such principles Gorganising it's powers in such form, as to them likely to effect their safety & happiness. predence indeed will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for seem most The Declaration of Independence Facsimile of Jefferson's original draft 1776] The Declaration of Independence 205 to be memorized. Guide, § 47 h. in the minds of the radicals. Without reference "to book Portions or pamphlet," he wrote out the rough draft of the Declaration. "I did not consider it as any part of my charge to invent new ideas altogether, and to offer no sentiment which had never been expressed before." In point of fact, there are no ideas in the Declaration which had not long been in print. The first part of it is an exposition of the political theories which underlie the American system of government; these were gathered by the men of the Revolution, from Otis to Jefferson, mainly from John Locke's immortal Essay on Government. Jefferson was so familiar with Locke's essay, that in some cases he repeated the actual words of the great philosopher, as, for example, in the sentence, "But when a long train of abuses." The idea of the natural equality of man was taken directly from Locke and has no relation to the French school of philosophy. The student should be especially careful to guard against one of the common errors in American history, that the Declaration declares men to be free and equal, as there is no such statement in the document; the words are: "All men are created equal." The rough draft, as it came from Jefferson's pen, contained a strong statement against the slave trade. The phraseology was carefully revised by Franklin and Adams and the other members of the committee, and reported to Congress on June 28. On July 1, Lee's first resolution was taken from the table and debated at length. In the discussion which followed, it was defended by John Adams, while the arguments on the other side were ably stated by John Dickinson, who, sturdy patriot that he was, could not bring himself to acquiesce in independence. On July 2 the resolution was adopted, all the states voting in the affirmative save New York, and within a couple of weeks her delegates were instructed to assent to it. The Declaration, as reported by the committee, was then taken. up, carefully considered, and greatly improved in many respects; but the clause denouncing the slave trade was struck out; notwithstanding all these alterations, the Decla Debate on Lee's first resolution. Adoption Signing of the Declaration, August 2, 1776. *Winsor's America, VI, 268. ration as adopted on July 4 was substantially, with the exception above noted, as it was written by Jefferson. It was then referred back to the committee, that the language of the amendments and of the original might be made harmonious. A few copies were printed and published on July 5, authenticated with the signatures of the president and secretary of Congress. Subsequently (August 2, 1776), the Declaration, engrossed on parchment, was signed by the members of Congress present at the time of the signing, and two signatures were added later. The story of the document has been related at length because there is no more curious misconception in American history than the one which attributes the signing of the Declaration of Independence to July 4 the way in which the error arose can be discovered by reading Judge *Massa- Chamberlain's scholarly essay upon the subject. The chusetts greater part of the Declaration is taken up with the enumerHistorical Society ation of a "long train of abuses," which justified the coloProceedings, nists in renouncing allegiance to the British crown; a careful study of that portion of the document would in itself give an insight into the history of America during the first three quarters of the eighteenth century. 1884, p. 273. Struggle for the Hudson. Winsor's America, VI, 275-291; Fiske's 149. Campaign of 1776. — The scene of conflict was now transferred to New York. Sir William Howe, the new British commander, was able to bring into the field about twice as many men as Washington could muster for the defense of that important seaport. The Americans were gradually forced backward until they were divided into two bodies, one in the Hudson valley, north of New York, barring the further progress of the British up the river, the other on the western side of the Delaware, guarding the crossings of that important stream. The British army occupied the intervening region. This was the darkest hour of the Revolution: the American army was rapidly dwindling away; poverty was staring Congress in the face, and the forces of the king, abundantly supplied with all that was necessary for their comfort, were flushed with victory. 1777] Campaign of 1777 207 I, 229-238. In these circumstances, Washington conceived and exe- Trenton. cuted a movement which in its conception and in its exe- Winsor's cution evinced the highest military skill. At Trenton, on VI, 370-379; America, the eastern bank of the Delaware, was a British outpost of Fiske's about one thousand men, mostly Hessians. Crossing the Revolution, Delaware on Christmas night (1776), Washington surprised and captured nearly the whole detachment. Cornwallis, with a strong force, was immediately sent against him; but Washington gained his rear, and, after a sharp engagement at Princeton, went into camp on the hills of New Jersey. His presence there compelled the British to abandon nearly all their outposts in that state, and to concentrate their forces within reach of support from New York. 1777. Winsor's 150. Campaign of 1777. — The British plan of campaign Plan of for 1777 included two separate movements, the capture campaign, of Philadelphia and the isolation of New England by the 1777. occupation of the line of the Hudson River and Lake Champlain. The first part of this plan, which was entirely unjustifiable from a military point of view, was successfully accomplished: Howe, with the greater part of the main Capture of British army, sailed from New York to the Chesapeake, Philadelphia, marched overland to the Delaware, and, after an action at Brandywine Creek, compelled Washington to retire up the Schuylkill. The British then occupied Philadelphia and captured the forts below the city. Washington, on his part, attacked a portion of the British army at Germantown, I, 299-308, near Philadelphia, but was compelled to retire. The with- 312-324. drawal of so many soldiers from New York left Clinton, who commanded there, too weak to afford effective assistance in the operations intended to separate New England from the rest of the continent. The command of the army which was designed to accomplish this task was intrusted to Burgoyne. The attempt was probably foredoomed to failure: the weakness of the British force at New York enabled the Americans to concentrate their strength against Burgoyne, and Sir Guy America, VI, 380-393; Fiske's Burgoyne's campaign. Winsor's America, VI, 291-314: Fiske's Revolution, I, 260-298, 308-311, 324-337. Carleton, the British governor in Canada, nettled at not having the command of this expedition, did not give Burgoyne the effective assistance he might have afforded. At first, however, Burgoyne enjoyed a gleam of success: he met with slight opposition from the Americans on Lake Champlain, as they abandoned Ticonderoga without striking a blow. When he began his march across the portage between Lakes Champlain and George and the Hudson General Stark River, his misfortunes began: General Schuyler had done everything in his power to delay the British advance by felling trees across the paths and filling up the creeks; it took Burgoyne fifty days to march seventy-five miles; the delay was of the utmost importance to the Americans, as it gave the New England militiamen time to leave their homes and gather on the line of the British advance. Schuyler was then dismissed for political reasons, and the command given to Horatio Gates. Disasters now crowded fast on Burgoyne: Stark with men from western Massachusetts and New Hampshire overwhelmed a detachment sent to seize supplies at Bennington; and St. Leger, marching to Burgoyne's aid from Canada by the line of the Mohawk, was obliged to turn back. On September 19 the British army, advancing southward on the west bank of the Hudson, encountered a strong force of Americans under Arnold and Morgan at a clearing in the forest known as Freeman's Farm. After a fierce encounter, Arnold retired to the main body of the American |