DEBATE ENSUED

John Dickinson argued for reconciliation. If the Congress passed Lee’s motion, he declared, it would be like braving a storm in a “skiff made of paper.”

John Adams rose to rebut. A summer storm broke. Adams argued that “Objects of the most stupendous magnitude, measures in which the lives and liberties of millions, born and unborn are most essentially interested, are now before us. We are in the very midst of revolution, the most complete, the most unexpected, and remarkable of any in the history of the world.”

MEMBERS VOTED ON JULY 2.

Two days later the Second Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence. It wasn’t until August 2 that the members actually signed the document.

Thirteen separate colonies became thirteen separate states united for the purpose of freeing themselves from Great Britain. Now the hard work began. Each state viewed itself as an independent nation participating in alliance. All major acts had to be be unanimous vote. In 1781 Congress adopted the official Articles of Confederation. The central Congress could conduct foreign affairs and wars. But it couldn’t compel any state to fulfill treaty obligations. This proved tricky after independence was granted in 1783.

CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

Four years later Congress authorized a Constitutional Convention to propose amendments to the Articles of Confederation. Delegates eventually concluded a new document was needed. One that began “We the People” to demonstrate that power was not held by individual states but within the central government of a nation. Delegates concluded their work in 1787; the ratifiction process took two years. And still, the Constitution’s interpretation changes to meet the constantly changing needs a vibrant society.

The enormity of this accomplishment is startlingly clear in the context of “Brexit,” a referendum on whether Great Britain should continue its membership in the European Union founded in 1993. The result was a vote for Britain’s exit from the EU. What that will mean for Britain remains unknown.

The European Union began its official life in 1993 with the motto “United in Diversity.” In this instance, unity did not hold.

In 1783 no nation expected American unity to last. People identified with their states, not the nation. But in their desire to crete a “more perfect union” Americans committed themselves to a great experiment that has stood the test of time. It is our unity and continual determination to live up to the ideals in the Declaraton of Independence that we celebrate on the Fourth of July.

John Adams observed to Abigail: “The second day of July 1776 will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the Day of Deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more.”

???

Quotations taken from David McCullough. John Adams. NY: Simon & Schuster. 2001.

Featured Image: John Trumbull. Declaration of Independence (c1818). Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons

Pictures:

Charles Wilson Peale. John Dickinson. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

John Trumbull. John Adams. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons

Junius Brutus Sterns. Washington at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

Fireworks at 4th of July Celebration. Whitman Air Force Base, 2013. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

A Capitol Fourth. PBS.

This Day in History, Aug 2. 1776 Delegates sign Declaration of Independence

Fascinating Facts about the Declaration of Independence.

The post Our Ongoing Accomplishment first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

The Declaration of Independence wasn’t just an internal document for advocates of separation from Britain. It was a public statement meant to persuade American colonists not yet committed to the struggle, British Whigs, and European leaders. America couldn’t win without foreign support, particularly from France. It was important for the French to see that revolution in America didn’t set a precedent that would reduce royal power, but was the only course for English subjects whose king had failed to follow those precepts first set out in Magna Carta. [Previous posts on Magna Carta are here and here.]

Revolutionary Americans went to great lengths to prove King George III had violated the rights of his subjects and turned a deaf ear to their demands for redress. Under the circumstances, Americans invoked the right of revolution and concluded that George III’s actions absolved them from all allegiance to England.

It was important to tell the world that these were not the actions of volatile riff raff, but of honorable men. More than life or wealth, the most important attribute of an eighteenth century gentleman was his Honor. The word conveyed everything about a man and his value to society. Honor could only occur among equals, a status held by independent men who didn’t depend on anyone else for their livelihood. An honorable man kept his word to other honorable men.

With this in mind, the signatories closed their Declaration in a way to prove their worthiness.

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.

Well aware that with their signatures they identified themselves as traitors against Great Britain, fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence. John Hancock, president of the Congress, signed boldly in the center, saying “There! His majesty can now read my name without glasses.”

Abraham Clark’s signature is on the bottom of the fifth column, legible but less than flamboyant.

Did the signatories have to make good on their mutual pledge?

Fourteen men sacrificed their lives:

• The British captured five of the signatories and tortured them before they died.
• Another nine men fought in the war and died from their wounds or other military hardship.

Many lost their fortunes, among them:

• Twelve signers had their homes burned.
• Carter Braxton of Virginia was a wealthy planter and trader when the war started. The British navy destroyed his ships at sea. After paying his debts, Braxton died penniless.
• Thomas McKean, delegate from Delaware, lost his possessions and died in poverty.
• When General Cornwallis took over his home near Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr. urged American forces to fire on it. Nelson died bankrupt.
• John Hart fled his dying wife’s bedside.

But what about their Honor?

Did they retain their reputations and mutual respect?

 Abraham Clark 1725-1794

Consider the story of Abraham Clark, an ordinary farmer and lawyer from Elizabethtown, New Jersey. A married man with ten children. A professional man known as the “Poor Man’s Counselor” for his willingness to assist poor farmers with titles to their land. A politician who served at the local level before being appointed to New Jersey’s delegation to the Continental Congress.

Writing from Philadelphia, Clark informed his constituents: “Our Congress has resolved to declare the United Colonies Free and Independent States.” Aware of what he was risking and the seriousness of the delegates’ mutual pledge, Clark noted “We can die but once.”

There are events worse than death. Two of Clark’s sons, Aaron and Thomas, were officers with the Continental Army. They became prisoners of war. As officers they might have been eligible for parole, but when the British discovered who they were, both men were placed on the prison ship Jersey where they received brutal treatment.

The British informed Abraham Clark of his sons’ condition, and said the men wouldn’t be fed until Clark renounced his signature on the traitorous Declaration of Independence.

Clark responded he would give the British everything he had, but as a man of honor, he couldn’t renounce his signature.

Not good enough.

Clark offered to exchange his life for that of his sons.

No.

Clark held fast to his signature and his conviction that if he denounced his honor to save the lives of his sons, he would be leaving them a legacy of dishonor far more painful than death.

This is a difficult concept for modern Americans to understand. Most parents will do anything to save the lives of their children and are expected to do so. But in the eighteenth century, honor was more important than life because without honor, life had no value.

When American patriots signed the Declaration of Independence they pledged everything that made their lives worthwhile, not just life itself but the means by which they held their place in society. When a gentleman gave his word, there was no going back.

Epilogue: As things turned out, both Clark’s sons were released in a prisoner exchange. Clark continued to serve the new United States as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and a member of the House of Representatives. He died in 1794 from what was diagnosed as sunstroke.

Epitaph:

 In memory of

Abraham Clark, Esq.

Who died

Sept. 15, 1794

In the 69 year of his age

Firme and decided as a patriot

Zealous and faithful as a servant of the public

He loved his country and adhered to her

In the darkest hours of her struggles

Against oppression.

 Acknowledgements:

Featured Image: Signing of the Declaration of Independence by John Trumbell. US Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

Portrait of Abraham Clark. US Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

____. Abraham Clark. Here.

____. The Price They Paid. Snopes.com

Ann Clark Hart. Abraham Clark. SF: The Pioneer Press. 1923. Classic Apologetics.

Shalin Punn. “The Meaning of Honor.” New York Sun. June 12, 2006. Here.

Christy Watterson. “Are You Ready to Pledge Your Life, Fortune, Sacred Honor?” Star Forum. June 26, 2009. Here.

Gordon S. Wood. The Radicalism of the American Revolution. NY: Alfred A. Knopf. 1992.

The post ABRAHAM CLARK’S ‘SACRED HONOR’ first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Many of John’s abuses were due to his need for money. The last king, his brother Richard, had emptied the royal treasury for his crusading expenses, and John needed to pay for his wars against France. The king raised funds in a way that made him unpopular to all levels of society.

KING JOHN’S CRIMES

John
• charged high reliefs [an inheritance tax],
• abused his authority over wardships [administering the estates of minor and/or female heirs and keeping the money]
• abused his authority over marriages [royal approval of marriages for a fee],
• increased levies of scutage [taxes so John could hire soldiers instead of recruiting knights,]
• raised rents.

John even turned the pope’s interdict to his advantage by collecting church fees that would have gone to Rome. John didn’t negotiate with the pope until the Church endorsed the French king’s plans to invade England. John didn’t have the resources or support to refute an invasion, so he accepted the pope’s authority.

The barons revolted in May 1215. By early summer the barons had taken London and cornered the king at Windsor Castle. They refused to withdraw until the king signed a document guaranteeing their rights. On June 15, 1215 the parties met at Runnymede, a meadow by the Thames River. Reluctantly, the king placed his seal on what became known as Magna Carta.

The document has sixty-three clauses, most of which confirmed the barons in their feudal contractual rights. But there are glimmers of modern liberal thoughts. The king’s rights were limited by custom in his relations with all levels of society, and the term “Englishmen” occasionally included women.

• A widow would not be compelled to marry against her wishes. The king could, however, forbid a match. Though not exactly granting women their choice of marriage partner, the clause was a radical concept when marriage was about property, not personal preference.
• No free man could be arrested, imprisoned, or have his property confiscated without the legal judgment of his peers or the law of the land.
• The king could not claim feudal scutage, aids, or reliefs unless in keeping with common counsel.

Bottom Line – The law no longer came out of the “king’s mouth.” Instead, the king for the first time was placed under the law. And to keep the king honest, the barons appointed a watch-dog committee of twenty-five barons. If the king violated his agreement, they would inform him of the breach. If he continued the behavior, the committee would summon the people to “distrain and distress him in every way possible” except killing him.

It was and is a great document. But John had no intention of keeping his word. He immediately complained to the pope that he had signed under duress. The pope was quick to recognize the potential threat to all rulers “appointed by God,” and issued a bull absolving John from his oath. The barons went back to war. The French king invaded England, and by the time John died in 1216, the French held London.

After John’s death, the barons ended their rebellion to support young Henry III. The French were drive out. Henry III and his advisors reissued Magna Carta, and English government began its evolution to Parliamentary rule.

Fast-forward five hundred years to 1776 British America. The colonists believed King George III had overstepped his authority by levying taxes and controlling commerce. When Thomas Jefferson sat down to compose a document outlining the American case against Britain, the longest section outlined the king’s crimes against his American subjects. Such being the case, they had no choice but to invoke the right of rebellion first set out in Magna Carta.

Next Saturday Americans celebrate the Declaration of Independence first proclaimed on July 4, 1776. In so doing, we also declare the continued relevance of Magna Carta.

Acknowledgements:

Featured Image: John and Barons. 1868. By Joseph Martin Kronheim. US Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

Image of Magna Carta, 1297 version. Owned by David M. Rubinstein and on public display in the West Rotunda Gallery of National Archives Building. US Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

The post MAGNA CARTA – A STILL LIVING DOCUMENT first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

In 1988, Bobby McFerrin recorded Don’t Worry, Be Happy and won Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance. [McFerrin made all the sounds himself.] Robin Williams and Bill Irwin joined McFerrin on the YouTube video.[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65scQU] Crazy, gleeful, unrealistic – but, aside from a warm puppy, isn’t that what happiness is?

Next to articles about making and keeping resolutions, January lifestyle reports emphasize the traits of happy people. Americans believe in “happiness.” Our Declaration of Independence from Great Britain states very clearly that everyone has certain unalienable rights, among them “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Though as Benjamin Franklin later pointed out, the Pursuit of Happiness does not necessarily mean it can be caught.

Despite Jane Austin’s pithy observation that “a large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of,” experts inform us that happiness is not a monetary experience.  In fact, one is happier giving money away than acquiring it, and the best way to acquire money is not by pursuing it, but by following your passion.

How happy are you?  Professor Martin Seligman contends that authentic happiness is not a social event, nor even a pleasurable pastime. The greatest happiness comes from engaging in an activity so intensely we become unconscious of time – we are in a state of flow. This is further enhanced if the activity is meaningful – if it relates to something greater than ourselves.

Huh?

Kate Bratskeir’s article on the Habits of Supremely Happy People is more direct. She advises us to

• Surround ourselves with happy people.
• Decide  to cultivate happiness.
• Laugh
• Be Resilient
• And Look on the Bright Side of Life

Thinking about the bright side of life brings to mind another quirky, strange, and yet cheerful song from Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979) No matter what life throws at you, keep looking at the bright side, and, if you can, whistle. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHPOzQzk9Qo

For more information:

Martin Seligman is Director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. For more insight into Seligman’s research into authentic happiness, view his 2004 TED Talk on You Tube.  http://www.ted.com/talks/martin_seligman_on_the_state_of_psychology.html 

Kate Bratskeir’s Huffington Post article on the Habits of Supremely Happy People is at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/16/happiness-habits-of-exuberant-human-beings_n_3909772.html#slide=2706913

Don’t Worry Be Happy button courtesy of Krol111 – May 28, 2013. Commons Attribution, Wikimedia Commons

The post PURSUING HAPPINESS first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.