Congress Votes For .....

.... Independence

On this day (July 2) in 1776, the 2d Continental Congress, assembled in Philadelphia, formally adopted Richard Henry Lee's resolution for independence resolution from Great Britain. The vote is unanimous, with only NY abstaining.

The resolution had originally been presented to Congress on June 7, but it soon became clear that NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, & SC were as yet unwilling to declare independence, though they would likely be ready to vote in favor of a break with England in due course.

Thus, Congress agreed to delay the vote on Lee's Resolution until July 1.

In the intervening period, Congress appointed a committee to draft a formal declaration of independence. Its members were John Adams of MA, Benjamin Franklin of PA, Roger Sherman of CT, Robert R. Livingston of NY,& Thomas Jefferson of VA (well-known to be the best writer of the group), was selected to be the primary author of the document, which was present to Congress for review on June 28, 1776.

On July 1, 1776, debate on the Lee Resolution resumed as planned, with a majority of the delegates favoring the resolution. Congress thought it of the utmost importance that independence be unanimously proclaimed. To ensure this, they delayed the final vote until July 2, when 12 colonial delegations voted in favor of it, with the NY delegates abstaining, unsure of how their constituents would wish them to vote.

John Adams wrote that "July 2 would be celebrated as the most memorable epoch in the history of America."

Instead, the day has been largely forgotten in favor of July 4, when Jefferson's edited Declaration of Independence was adopted.

SOURCE: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/congress-votes-for-independence