July 2, 1776's Significance: The Contribution of John Adams

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JULY 3RD, 1776: JOHN ADAMS: Letters to his wife Abigail

Letter #1

"Yesterday the greatest Question was decided, which ever was debated in America, and a greater perhaps, never was or will be decided among Men. A Resolution was passed without one dissenting Colony 'that these United Colonies, are, and of right ought to be free and Independent States, and as such, they have, and of Right ought to have full Power to make War, conclude establish Commerce, and to do all the other Acts and Things, which other States may rightfully do.' You will see in a

few days a Declaration setting forth the Causes which have impell'd Us to this mighty Revolution, the Reasons which will justify it in the Sight of God and Man. A Plan of Confederation will be taken up in a few days."

Letter #2

In another letter dated July 3, 1776 from John Adams at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Abigail Smith Adams in Braintree, Massachusetts, John Adams wrote:

"But the Day is past. The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epoch 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 Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfire and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."

"You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. - I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. - Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will triumph in that Day's Transaction, even although We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not."

So John Adams, then American Statesman and future President, father of the later to be sixth President of the United States, John Quincy Adams, stated in his letters at the time that he felt that the "Second Day of July" would be the holiday which Americans would celebrate for centuries to come as the Independence Day of their country.

SO WHAT HAPPENED? WHY THE ECLIPSED INDEPENDENCE DAY OF JULY 2, 1776?

As related in my previous messages: On July 2, 1776, by a vote of 12 to 0, with New York abstaining as per prior, but outdated, instructions, the resolution on Independency, giving birth to the United States, was adopted:

After the vote on Independency passed that July 2nd, began the debate on the detail of the text of the written Declaration by Congress in a Committee of the Whole, and continued on throughout the 3rd and 4th . When Congress was finally satisfied with the several revisions of text of the Declaration, it was adopted by voice vote late in the day on the 4th; and WITHOUT SIGNATURES, ordered authenticated and printed for distribution to the 12 United States, the Colony of New York and the army, which was accomplished on July 5th.

TO SUMMARIZE: The important vote on Independency passed on July 2, 1776, whereupon right afterwards debate was begun on the revisions to the text of the Declaration, which was completed on July 4, 1776. Clearly, the more important issue was the vote on Independency, which Adams acknowledged in letters at the time, and in his subsequent writings. However, the Declaration being dated July 4, 1776, very early in its history Americans began celebrating Independence Day on July 4th, and great credit was generally given to Thomas Jefferson as author of the Declaration, with less credit was given to Adams, who was the true point man in Congress for the

Independency movement.

Now this lack of appreciation might be understandable if John Adams had received appropriate credit for his other great contributions to American history after his service in the fight for Independence in 1776. However, throughout American history, John Adams has generally received less credit for his great contributions than any other of the great Founding Fathers. There are a couple of reasons for this, and they require a little background into some later events in the political history of America in the early republic.

The XYZ Affair and other political events following on the birth of the United States led to the eventual split between Jefferson and Adams, a situation which thus invoked the criticism of the Republican camp, which criticism was sometimes unflattering to both sides. During the early 1800's, versions of Adams' letters of July 3, 1776, were reprinted and published in the news media of the time in a manner which combined the pertinent text of the two separate letters into what appeared to be only one letter, and which made alterations at critical points which led the reader to infer that the day in question was July 4th, rather than July 2nd. This occurred after the Adams camp had attempted to make the effort to present the actual events of July 2-4, 1776,

so to produce accurate versions of the Adams letters, and sometimes with John Adams himself contributing anonymous letters to the editor in the attempt to clear up the issue.

At first, in May of 1792, in the UNIVERSAL AND COLUMBIAN MAGAZINE, as part of a series on Adams' exploits during the Revolutionary period, published a relatively faithful rendering of the letters of the 3rd of July 1776, a rendering generally thought to have come from Adams himself (as by John Adams' in his letter to John Quincy Adams of September 19, 1795). On July 4, 1792, Adams' letters of the 3rd of July were reprinted again in their correct context in the PHILADELPHIA GAZETTE OF THE UNITED STATES, a Federalist publication. On July 1, 1795, the Federalist COLUMBIAN CENTINEL of Boston published a letter from "an American", in which was argued that Americans had

been following the wrong day as the anniversary of Independence, quoting the Adams letters of the 3rd of July 1776. In the same publication on June 23, 1804, an anonymous contributor, "Seventy-Six", cited the same passages from John Adams' letters of the 3rd of July in an attempt to make the argument that John Adams was the "efficient agent" while Jefferson was the "adventitious agent" in the fight for Independence. None of these arguments resulted in the changing of the date of the celebration of Independence Day in the United States.

In the BOSTON GAZETTE of July 4, 1805, the first surfacing of an attempt to adjust (read:"falsify") history with the political reality of the times manifested when an unsigned letter was published therein which combined the two Adams letters of July 3rd into one letter, changing the date of authorship from July 3 to July 5, substituting "To Mr. -" for the intended recipient: Mrs Abigail Smith Adams, and also substituting the 4h day of July, 1776" for the actual "Second Day of July, 1776." This, then, was how the issue was to be remembered by posterity, through the doctored letters of John Adams reprinted in a newspaper from his own State. Though the Adams camp made continued efforts over the years to clarify the situation, Independence Day has remained July 4th ever since.

So John Adams has apparently not received his fair share of credit, and glory, in the birth of the United States of America, in light of his contribution to the most important event in its history. This was mostly because he spent his political career situated precariously between two opposing factions represented by some of the greatest men in early American history, the Hamilton Arch-Federalists, and the Jefferson/Madison/Monroe Republicans. Because of this, he was slighted, criticized, insulted, and denied his rightful place and credit in American history, simply because he stood up for what he thought was right for the people

of the American nation and the precepts and ideals which that nation has stood for, a nation which he helped create. The result has been that Independence Day in the United States is celebrated on July 4th, instead of July 2nd.

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Dear

John,

 

Thanks again for another great

contribution to clarify this subject.

 

Best wishes,

 

Jorge

 

 

 

 

John T W B

[jtwbjakarta]

quarta-feira, 16 de

Fevereiro de 2005 10:48

samva

July 2, 1776's

Significance: The Contribution of John Adams

 

 

 

 

 

 

JULY 3RD, 1776: JOHN

ADAMS: Letters to his wife Abigail

Letter #1

" Yesterday the greatest Question was decided,

which ever was debated in America,

and a greater perhaps, never was or will be decided among Men. A Resolution was

passed without one dissenting Colony 'that these United Colonies, are, and of

right ought to be free and Independent States, and as such, they have, and of

Right ought to have full Power to make War, conclude establish Commerce,

and to do all the other Acts and Things, which other States may rightfully do.'

You will see in a few days a Declaration setting forth the Causes which

have impell'd Us to this mighty Revolution, the Reasons which will justify

it in the Sight of God and Man. A

Plan of Confederation will be taken up in a few days. "

Letter #2

In another letter dated July

3, 1776 from John Adams at the Second Continental Congress

in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Abigail Smith Adams in Braintree,

Massachusetts, John Adams wrote:

" But the Day is past. The Second Day of July

1776, will be the most memorable Epoch 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 Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfire and Illuminations

from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. "

" You will think me transported with Enthusiasm

but I am not. - I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it

will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States.

- Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and I

can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will

triumph in that Day's Transaction, even although We should rue it, which I

trust in God We shall not. "

So John Adams, then American Statesman and future President,

father of the later to be sixth President of the United States, John Quincy

Adams, stated in his letters at the time that he felt that the

" Second Day of July " would be the holiday which Americans would

celebrate for centuries to come as the Independence Day of their country.

SO WHAT HAPPENED? WHY THE ECLIPSED INDEPENDENCE DAY OF

JULY 2, 1776?

As related in my previous messages: On July

2, 1776, by a vote of 12 to 0, with New York

abstaining as per prior, but outdated, instructions, the resolution on

Independency, giving birth to the United States, was adopted:

After the vote on Independency passed that July 2nd,

began the debate on the detail of the text of the written Declaration by

Congress in a Committee of the Whole, and continued on throughout the 3rd

and 4th . When Congress was finally satisfied with the several revisions of

text of the Declaration, it was adopted by voice vote late in the day on

the 4th; and WITHOUT SIGNATURES, ordered authenticated and printed for

distribution to the 12 United States,

the Colony of New York and the army, which was accomplished on July 5th.

TO SUMMARIZE: The important vote on

Independency passed on July 2, 1776,

whereupon right afterwards debate was begun on the revisions to the text

of the Declaration, which was completed on July

4, 1776. Clearly, the more important issue was the vote on

Independency, which Adams acknowledged in letters

at the time, and in his subsequent writings. However, the Declaration

being dated July 4, 1776, very early in its history Americans began

celebrating Independence Day on July 4th, and great credit was generally

given to Thomas Jefferson as author of the Declaration, with less

credit was given to Adams, who was the true point man in Congress for the

Independency movement.

Now this lack of appreciation might be understandable

if John Adams had received appropriate credit for his other great

contributions to American history after his service in the fight for Independence

in 1776. However, throughout American history, John Adams has

generally received less credit for his great contributions than

any other of the great Founding Fathers. There are a couple of reasons for

this, and they require a little background into some later events in the

political history of America

in the early republic.

The XYZ Affair and other political events

following on the birth of the United States led to the eventual split

between Jefferson and Adams, a situation which thus

invoked the criticism of the Republican camp, which criticism was

sometimes unflattering to both sides. During the early 1800's, versions of

Adams' letters of July 3, 1776, were reprinted and published in the

news media of the time in a manner which combined the pertinent text of

the two separate letters into what appeared to be only one letter, and

which made alterations at critical points which led the reader to infer

that the day in question was July 4th, rather than July 2nd. This occurred

after the Adams camp had attempted to make the effort to present

the actual events of July 2-4, 1776, so to produce accurate versions of

the Adams letters, and sometimes with John Adams himself contributing

anonymous letters to the editor in the attempt to clear up the issue.

At first, in May of 1792, in the UNIVERSAL AND

COLUMBIAN MAGAZINE, as part of a series on Adams' exploits during the

Revolutionary period, published a relatively faithful rendering of the

letters of the 3rd of July 1776, a rendering generally thought to

have come from Adams himself (as by John Adams' in his letter to John Quincy

Adams of September 19, 1795). On July

4, 1792, Adams' letters of the 3rd of

July were reprinted again in their correct context in the

PHILADELPHIA GAZETTE OF THE UNITED STATES, a Federalist publication.

On July 1, 1795, the Federalist COLUMBIAN CENTINEL of Boston published a

letter from " an American " , in which was argued that Americans

had been following the wrong day as the anniversary of Independence,

quoting the Adams letters of the 3rd of July 1776. In the same

publication on June 23, 1804, an anonymous contributor,

" Seventy-Six " , cited the same passages from John Adams' letters of

the 3rd of July in an attempt to make the argument that John Adams was the

" efficient agent " while Jefferson was the " adventitious

agent " in the fight for Independence. None of these arguments

resulted in the changing of the date of the celebration

of Independence Day in the United States.

In the BOSTON GAZETTE of July 4, 1805, the first

surfacing of an attempt to adjust

(read: " falsify " ) history with the political reality of the

times manifested when an unsigned letter was published therein which

combined the two Adams letters of July 3rd into one letter, changing the

date of authorship from July 3 to July 5, substituting " To Mr.

- " for the intended recipient: Mrs Abigail Smith Adams, and also

substituting the 4h day of July, 1776 " for the actual " Second

Day of July, 1776. " This, then, was how the issue was to

be remembered by posterity, through the doctored letters of John

Adams reprinted in a newspaper from his own State. Though the Adams camp

made continued efforts over the years to clarify the situation,

Independence Day has remained July 4th ever since.

So John Adams has apparently not received his fair

share of credit, and glory, in the birth of the United

States of America, in light of his

contribution to the most important event in its history. This was mostly

because he spent his political career situated precariously between

two opposing factions represented by some of the greatest men in

early American history, the Hamilton Arch-Federalists, and the

Jefferson/Madison/Monroe Republicans. Because of this, he was slighted,

criticized, insulted, and denied his rightful place and credit

in American history, simply because he stood up for what he thought was

right for the people of the American nation and the precepts and

ideals which that nation has stood for, a nation which he helped create.

The result has been that Independence Day in the United

States is celebrated on July 4th, instead

of July 2nd.

 

 

 

 

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features - even more fun!

 

 

 

 

 

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features - even more fun!

 

 

 

 

 

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features - even more fun!