The Declaration of Independence: Its Debt to History
In his book, “Inventing America,” the liberal scholar Garry Wills argued that the Declaration owed much to previous Anglo-American history. This is correct. English parliamentary bills originated as petitions by the people’s representatives to the king. These...
The Men Who Wrote the Declaration of Independence
In June 1776, Great Britain and its North American colonies had been fighting for over a year. The Americans desperately needed foreign help, particularly from Great Britain’s principal rival, France. Many members of the Second Continental Congress—the assembly the...
John Dickinson and the Case Against Independence
July 1, 1776, witnessed one of the most consequential debates in American history. The venue was the floor of the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. The topic was whether America should declare independence. The principal participants were the passionate...