MYTHS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
[Ontario Inland Bulletin, 7/6/2003]
Critics have been unusually harsh on the teaching of American history
lately. Diane Ravitch continues to make a living with her ranting on the
subject. James Loewen tours the lecture circuit denouncing American
history texts. Even the president has made it clear that he doesn't think
our kids are learning enough about the nation's history. Baloney!
The truth is that most critics, especially those on the right, are
perfectly happy to have grade schoolers taught the old myths their elders
grew up with: Washington and the cherry tree and similar canards. The
myths we all learned about today's holiday are a case in point. Here are
some of them:
* Independence was declared on July 4, 1776. Not so. The resolution
declaring the United Colonies free and independent states was adopted on
July 2. Jefferson's formal Declaration, stating the reasons for that
action, was approved on July 4.
* Members of the Continental Congress signed Jefferson's Declaration on
July 4. Wrong again. There was no signing until August, when the engrossed
copy was ready for signatures.
* The famous John Trumbull painting, reproduced during the Bicentennial on
the two dollar bill, depicts the signing of the document. Even though the
Treasury department claimed that when it issued upon the new bill, Trumbull
intended the painting to represent Congress adopting, not signing, the
Declaration.
* Following the signing, Ben Franklin turned to John Hancock and said: "We
must all hang together , or assuredly we shall all hang separately." For
years it appeared in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, but there is no
evidence that Franklin ever said that to anyone. Carter Braxton, another
signer, had said something similar to that several months earlier in
discussing independence, but even he took no credit for originating the
phrase.
* John Adams called for annual celebrations on July 4. Yes, he did write
in a letter to Abigail that this day "... will be the most memorable epoch
in the history of American. It will be celebrated by succeeding
generations as the great anniversary Festival.... It ought to be solemnized
with pomp and parades, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and
illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time
forward, forevermore." But Adams was writing about July 2, the adoption of
Lee's Resolution, not about July 4.
* Independence was unanimously adopted on July 2. Wrong again. The title
of the engrossed copy of Jefferson's Declaration reads "The unanimous
Declaration... " But it wasn't unanimous at all. Not all delegates to the
Congress voted for independence. Not all states supported Lee's resolution
on July 2 or Jefferson's Declaration on July 4. New York abstained and did
not give its consent to Lee's Resolution until July 9. Even among those
states that did give immediate support to the Resolution several delegates
were opposed to the action and some of them left the Congress.
* The Declaration created a new nation, the United States of America. The
other myths are harmless enough, but this one shows a gross
misunderstanding of the intent of the Continental Congress in July, 1776.
Actually, the Declaration refers not to a single national government but to
thirteen separate independent states united in a common cause to seek
independence from Britain. A careful reading of the closing section of
Jefferson's Declaration makes it very clear that each state was recognized
as holding the powers of a sovereign nation. It would be several more
years before a national government, in the form of the Articles of
Confederation, would be approved, leaving great power to the states.
These myths, however, are so ingrained that it is unlikely that an op-ed by
an obscure retired professor will have any impact in correcting the
nation's misinterpretation of today's significance.
- - -
[Ralph E. Shaffer, professor emeritus in history at Cal Poly Pomona, can be
reached at reshaffer@csupomona.edu]