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The Daily Dose/July 3, 2011
By Gaylon Kent
The Writer's Shack
Notes from around The Human Experience...
BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED: Even those still drying themsevles off after crossing the river are aware tomorrow is Independence Day here in the United States, the day the Second Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence.
The Original Big Day: And some, though probably not most, of us are aware that yesterday, July 2, was the day the Continental Congress actually declared independence from Great Britain, passing the Lee Resolution, which declared, among other things:
…these United Colonies are, and, of right, ought to be, Free and Independent States…
and:
are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political connexion between them, and the state of Great Britain, is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.
USA! USA! There is evidence that some in the Congress felt the Lee Resolution to be their most significant work. In fact, in a letter to his beloved wife Abigail, John Adams wrote:
The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable… in the History of America. – I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival.
That's How We Roll: But what about July 3, the day in between? July 3, 1776 was a Wednesday, so Congress was certainly in session and a check of the journal of the Continental Congress shows that the glamour of the revolution and what had to be the excitement of the forthcoming Declaration of Independence, notwithstanding, Congress - acting on authority it claimed and had not been given - was occupied with the kind of dry, technical matter that sometimes makes being a legislator a pretty boring gig.
No time is given for the gathering being called to order, but the end of the July 2, 1776 entry shows they adjourned until "9 o'Clock to Morrow" so it's probably fairly reasonable to presume they began their day sometime near 9am.
Zzzzzzzz: They started off with a letter from the New Jersey delegation, though details of the letter weren't given, and they referred the matter of expenses incurred by the Department of Indian Affairs for the southern department to the board of treasury.
They then resolved to ask Pennsylvania to help out by sending any available troops to New Jersey and made provisions for their pay and rations.
Agreeable To The Order Of The Day: Congress then become the Committee of the Whole, to further consider what they always referred to as 'the Declaration'. They had done this, yesterday, too, after passing the Lee Resolution, and like yesterday, they couldn't come up with a final version, so the day ends with Congress agreeing to take up the matter of 'the Declaration' at '9 o'Clock to Morrow'.
In Retrospect: What we've always found fascinating, especially since we're sticklers for adhering to the Constitution here at the Writer's Shack, is the Second Continental Congress lacked the legal authority to do anything, yet there they were, prosecuting a war, conducting foreign affairs, disbursing funds and generally acting like a real government.
Dry, Technical Matter: The Second Continental Congress was more or less a reconvening of the First Continental Congress, which had adjourned in 1774, and both were nothing more than a group of delegates who had appointed by their legislatures to attend a convention.
Bottom Line: But events happen, and one of the lessons of leadership is not hesitating to take charge when required, and the colonies were hell bent on rebellion and even rebels need leadership.
TEN-HUT: General George Washington takes command of the Continental Army on this date in 1775. He would serve until the end of the American Revolution, without pay, though Congress would later express a high level of surprise at how detailed - and expensive - the general's expense reports were.
Now You Know: Idaho is admitted as the 43rd state on this date in 1890.
Can't Anybody Here Play This Game? The St. Louis Cardinals tie the major league record for most errors in a game (11) and doubleheader (17) while dropping a pair to Cincinnati 10-2 and 13-7 on this date in 1909.
The Cardinals have a long history of not being able to field the baseball. The eleven errors tie the modern big league record they had established in 1902, and they hold both the major league and modern National League records for most errors by both teams in a game (40, with Boston, in 1876 and 15, with Pittsburg, in 1902).
Uh, How About Some Props Here: In the interest of fairness it should also be noted the Cardinals also hold the major league record with 16 consecutive errorless games in 1992.
Put Me In Coach…Again: Mike Marshall of the Los Angeles Dodgers establishes a major league record by pitching in his 13th consecutive game in the first game of a doubleheader on this date in 1974. Marshall was 6-0 with two saves during the stretch.
Oh Yeah: The record would be equaled by Dale Mohorcic of Texas in 1986.
FunFact: Marshall would also establish a major league record with 106 appearances in 1974, a record that still stands.
Thought For The Day: If we would only give, just once, the same amount of reflection to what we want to get out of life that we give to the question of what t do with two weeks vacation, we would be startled at our false standards and the aimless procession of our busy days. - Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Answer To The Last Trivia Question: Charles Guiteau and Leon Czolgosz are the two US presidential assassins who were arrested, tried convicted and executed. The other two, John Wilkes Booth, and Lee Harvey Oswald, were shot by others before going to trial.
Today's Stumper: Idaho was one of two states admitted to the Union in 1890. Wyoming, on July 10, was the other. What year in the 1800's saw the most states admitted to the Union? - Answer next time!
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