After
Concord, events moved quickly.
The Second Continental Congress first met in May 1775. There had
been no response to the Declaration
and Resolves
sent to King George III by the
First
Continental Congress.
The
Congress began to act as a national government, in their first year
establishing the Continental Army (Commission
to General Washington),
a Colonial
Currency,
and a post office for the "United Colonies."
George
Washington, Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry were all part of this
Congress. Benjamin Franklin was in England at the time and presented
the colonists' demands in person to the British Parliament.
On
July 13, 1775, the Congress appealed to the native americans (Speech
to the Six Nations) to stand by the colonies
and not assist the British. It became clear that Britain was prepared
to fight against colonial independence. A royal proclamation declared
that the King's American subjects were "engaged in open and
avowed rebellion," and Parliament passed the American Prohibitory
Act, which made all American vessels and cargoes forfeit to the
Crown. In May 1776 the Congress learned that the King had hired
German mercenaries to fight in America. The Congress continued to
cut the colonies' ties to Britain.
By the middle of May 1776, eight colonies
had decided that they would support independence. On May 15, 1776,
the Virginia Convention passed a resolution that "the delegates
appointed to represent this colony in General Congress be instructed
to propose to that respectable body to declare the United Colonies
free and independent states."
Richard Henry Lee, on June 7, 1776, presented
a Resolution
for Independence.
There were still some delegates, however, including those bound
by earlier instructions, who wanted to work for a peaceful resolution
to the difficulties that the colonies had with Britain. On June
11, after a hot debate which indicated that eventually the resolution
would pass, Congress then recessed for 3 weeks. Before Congress
recessed, a Committee of Five, the Declaration Committee, was appointed
to draft a statement presenting to the world the colonies' case
for independence.
Part
of These United Colonies: The American
War for Independence exhibit |
