JULY 2, 1776
by Sharon Rondeau
(Jul. 2, 2018) — The Twitter account of The Columbia Bugle has posted a short video of a reenactment of the Second Continental Congress’s meeting in Philadelphia on July 2, 1776 wherein members voted on whether or not to remain subjects of the British Crown or declare national independence.
The proposal, known as the “Lee Resolution” after Virginia’s Richard Henry Lee, was introduced to the Congress on June 7, 1776, after which a committee of five was formed to compose an independence declaration.
As is depicted in the video, the State of New York abstained during the vote pending the receipt of “new instructions from its constituent assembly.”
One week later, New York approved the Lee Resolution.
On July 4, 1776, final wording for the Declaration of Independence was approved and sent out for publication.
The Second Continental Congress produced the Declaration of Independence, convened an army to fight the British, and governed the fledgling nation during the American Revolution without a president.
The video can be viewed in TCB’s Twitter feed here: https://twitter.com/ColumbiaBugle
A history of the resolution and the Lee family of Virginia is here.