#537 The Lee Resolution
Fun Fact #537
The Lee Resolution
In early June 1776 Richard Henry Lee was sent by the government of the Virginia Colony to the 2nd Continental Congress. Like everyone else sent to the Congress, he had one Goal: To get recognition and representation in the British Parliament –despite Parliament or The King’s acknowledgement of their previous requests. Lee took a rather unusual approach to this task.
On June 6th he submitted “The Lee Resolution” which had 3 primary parts to it:
A Confederation of The United States to better work together effectively.
The Creation of Foreign Alliances and recognition.
And lastly, A declaration of Independence
Congress erupted into an uproar.
Most of the delegates just wanted things to become better for their representatives, not a War with the greatest Naval power in the world! Thus they broke the resolution up and decided each part separately, coming to the Declaration almost a full month later. Thus on July 2nd, The resolution passed (4/5th support), and on July 4th 1776; 12 out of 13 states of The Continental Congress agreed to accept the flushed out reasoning gathered into a document now remembered as The Declaration of Independence.
Although the Declaration would take until August 3rd to start its journey to The King (Ship actually set sail on August 10th), the Gears of Revolution began turning almost immediately with Washington forming an army in New York, and others already well on their way to other countries to gather support resulting in many delegates not being able to sign the Declaration on August 2nd.
