Independence?
18 July, 1776
July ye 18th Seventeen Hundred and Seventy-Six. Such news! Word has come from the government in Philadelphia of a declaration of Independence! Rhode Island's General Assembly must discuss this at length.
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| The Rhode Island General Assembly 18 July 1776 discussing independence |
Should they agree to sign it, we American colonies would henceforth be free and independent states. There was a great battle not far from here in Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. Our militia men are already fighting. The men say it is too late to go back and discuss terms agreeably. Other men fear what might happen if they agree to ... they used a word I do not understand... ratify... this declaration?
The General Assembly discusses how the new STATE would be run. They finally agree it Deputy Governor Cooke will be the governor. (Gov. Wanton is a Loyalist! Boo hiss!) The Governor and General Assembly will rule and men will be sent to Philadelphia to the government to represent the interests of the state.
The new state will henceforth be known as The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. (Plantation is our word for large farm but yes Gov. Cooke and Mr. John Brown and many others are involved in the slave trade and own slaves). They conclude the meeting with "God save the United States!"
Business being thus concluded, Gov. Cooke declares the session adjourned. He reads the Declaration of Independence out loud to the citizens of Providence.
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| "Wherein the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another..." |
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| ....We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal..." |
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| "... that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..." |
We toast to independence, General Washington and other important men. Thirteen toasts in all "Hip Hip Huzzah!" ('Tis warm here in July. I toast with lemonade to keep me cool.)
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| Three cheers for General Washington! Three cheers for Richard Henry Lee! |
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| Hip Hip Huzzah! Three cheers for the Committee of Five (John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman) |
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| "Hip Hip Huzzah!" Three cheers for Independence! I join the toast with Governor and Madam Cooke. |
Copies of the Declaration of Independence have been made and distributed.
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| The Declaration of Independence printed by Solomon Southwick in Newport, Rhode Island |
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I sign my full name. I take a big risk signing my name. This is an act of treason!
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| Signer of the Declaration of Independence: Susanna Mary Allin |
My Felicity doll signs her name too! (She will return in a moment to share more about the Declaration of Independence).
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| Mini Felicity, signer of the Declaration of Independence |
The full text of the Declaration of Independence from the National Archives (WELL worth reading in full.)
Rhode Island in the American Revolution, EnCompass textbook
"the right to the pursuit of happiness. In terms we would understand today, 'pursuing happiness' simply meant the opportunity to earn a living or as much work and income as you could achieve without being burdened by tariffs and taxes imposed upon the colonies by the British government.
Such burdens imposed by the British meant that it was not only the merchants who owned the shipping vessels who suffered the loss of income but also the farmers whose goods were shipped on those vessels, the proprietors of stores and warehouses who sold the goods shipped at a profit, as well as the sail makers, rope makers, caulkers, coopers, carpenters, mariners and dockworkers upon whom merchant shipping depended. Most importantly, stricter enforcement of trade regulations and the prospect of added taxes affected those young men of the colony who were just getting their start in commerce or those myriad businesses associated with such commerce...
For these and other reasons, Rhode Islanders responded to the call for rebellion."
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