By March of 1776 the breach between England and her thirteen American colonies had become an irreconcilable chasm. Parliament claimed the right to govern the colonies “in all cases whatsoever.” It asserted that its authority was superior to all colonial rights, whether under their original charters, the English Constitution, or the laws of nature. As Parliament imposed its will with increasing severity, colonial push back escalated both in rhetoric and mob violence.
When Thomas Jefferson arrived in Philadelphia in May, 1776 to take his seat in the Continental Congress, George III had already declared the colonies in “open and avowed rebellion.” Blood had been shed at Lexington, Concord, Bunker Hill, and Great Bridge, Virginia. George Washington had been appointed commander of the newly formed Continental Army, and more than 30,000 British troops were in route to attack New York.
Although the armed conflict had been ongoing for more than a year, the colonies had not yet dissolved their connection with the Mother Country. They had not declared their independence. Finally, on June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee, acting on instructions from the Virginia Convention, introduced a resolution calling for the dissolution of all ties with England. But even then, four colonies, South Carolina, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York would not approve, and Lee’s motion was tabled until July 1st.
