ing that this was the first time of my Life that I had ever wished for the Talents and Eloquence of the ancient orators of Greece and Rome, for I was very sure that none of them ever had before him a question of more Importance to his Country and to the World. They would probably upon less Occasions that [than] this would have begun by solemn Invocations to their Divinities for Assistance but the Question before me appeared so simple, that I had confidence enough in the plain Understanding and common Sense that had been given me, to believe that I could answer to the Satisfaction of the House all the Arguments which had been produced, notwithstanding the Abilities which had been displayed and the Eloquence with which they had been enforced." Mr Dickinson, some Years afterwards published his Speech. I had made no Preparation beforehand and never committed any minutes of mine to writing. But if I had a Copy of Mr Dickinsons before me I would now after eight and nine and Twenty Years have elapsed endeavour to recollect mine. Before the final Question was put the new Delegates from New Jersey came in 10, and Mr Stockton, one of them a very respectable Characters expressed a great desire to hear the ArguAll was Silence: No one would speak: all Eyes were turned upon me. Mr Edward Rutledge 11 came to me and said, Nobody will speak but you, upon this Subject. You have all the Topicks so ready, that you must satisfy the Gentlemen from New Jersey. I answered him laughing, that it had so much the Air of exhibiting like an Actor or Gladiator for the Entertainment of the Audience, that I was ashamed to repeat what I had said Twenty times before, and I thought nothing new could be advanced by me. The New Jersey Gentlemen however still insisting on hearing at least a Recapitulation of the Arguments and no other Gentleman being willing to speak, I summed up the Reasons Objections and Answers, in as concise a manner, as I could, till at length the Jersey ments. Dr Witherspoon and M' Hopkinson laughing Gentlemen said they were fully satisfied and ready for the Question, which was then put and determined in the Affirmative Mr Jay Mr Duane and Mr William Livingston of New Jersey were not present. But they all acquiesced in the Declaration and steadily supported it ever afterwards, 12 In a letter to Mercy Warren, written at Quincy, August 7, 1807, he tells us: [QyC] In the previous multiplied debates which we had upon the subject of Independence, the Delegates from New Jersey had voted against us, their Constituents were informed of it and recalled them and sent us a new sett on purpose to vote for Independence. Among those were Chief Justice Stockton and D! Witherspoon. In a [the] morning when Congress met we expected the question would be put and carried without any further Debate; because we knew we had a Majority and thought that argument had been exhausted on both sides as indeed it was, for nothing new was ever afterwards advanced on either side. But the Jersey Delegates appearing for the first time, desired that the question might be discussed. We observed to them that the Question was so public and had been so long disputed in Pamphlets News Papers and every Fireside, that they could not be uninformed and must have made up their minds. They said it was true they had not been inattentive to what had been passing abroad, but they had not heard the arguments in Congress, and did not incline to give their opinions untill they should hear the sentiments of Members there. Judge Stockton was most particularly importunate, till the members began to say let the Gentlemen be gratifi'd and the Eyes of the assembly were turned upon me and several other of them said come M! Adams you have had the subject at heart longer than any of us, and you must recapitulate the arguments. I was somewhat confused at this personal application to me and would have been very glad to be excused; but as no other person arose after some time I said. "This is the first time of my life when I seriously wished for the genius and Eloquence of the celebrated Orators of Athens & Rome. Called in this unexpected and unprepared manner, to exhibit all the arguments in favour of a measure the most important, in my judgment, that ever had been discussed in civil or political society, I had no art or Oratory to exhibit, and could produce nothing but simple reason and plain Common sence. I felt myself oppressed by the weight of the subject: and I believed if Demosthenes or Cicero had ever been called to deliberate on so great a question, neither would have relied on his own Talents without a supplication to Minerva and a Sacrifice to Mercury or the God of Eloquence." All this to be sure was but a flourish; and not as I conceive a very bright Exordium: but I felt awkwardly, but nothing that I said had the most remote resemblance to an "invocation of the God of Eloquence" I wish someone had remembered the speech, for it is almost the only one I ever made that I wish was literally preserved. The Delegates of New Jersey declared themselves perfectly satisfied "Que n'ai je recu le Genie et L'Eloquence des celebres orateurs d'Athens et de Rome " 13. . . are all the true words of my speech that have ever appeared in Print. are His words written on the very day of the debate 14 still more interesting. In a letter to Bullock, penned evidently before Congress met, he says: "[QyC] This Morning is assigned for the greatest Debate of all"; and, after he has spoken and the vote has been taken in the committee of the whole, he thus answers a letter 15 of Chase: [QyC] Your favour by the Post this morning gave me much pleasure, but the generous and unanimous vote of your Convention, gave me much more. It was brought into Congress this morning just as we were entering on the great debate. That debate took up most of the day, but it was an idle mispence of time, for nothing was said, but what had been repeated and hackneyed in that Room before an hundred times for six months past. In the Committee of the whole the question was carried in the affirmative, and reported to the House. -A Collony desired it to be postponed until tomorrow, then it will pass by a great Majority, perhaps with almost unanimity; Yet I cannot promise this 16, because one or two Gentlemen may possibly be found who will vote point blank against the known and declared sense of their Constituents. Maryland however, I have the pleasure to inform you, behaved well. - Paca, generously and nobly If you imagine that I expect this Declaration will ward off calamities from this Country, you are much mistaken. A Bloody conflict we are destined to endure. This has been my opinion from the beginning. - If you imagine that I flatter myself with happiness and Halcyon days after a separation . . . you are mistaken again . . . But Freedom is a Counter ballance for poverty, discord, and war, and more.17 It is of John Adams' speech upon this day that Richard Stockton, a son of the Delegate 18, writes (to John Adams), in a letter from Princeton of September 12, 1821: "[Qy] I have just alluded to my Father and shall take leave to mention an anecdote . . . I well remember that on his first return home from Congress in the summer of 1776 after the 4th of July he was immediately surrounded by his anxious political Friends who were eager for minute information in respect of the great event which had just taken place Being then a Boy of some observation and of very retentive memory I remember these words addressed to his Friends-The Man to whom the Country is most indebted for the great meas ure of Independence is Mr John Adams of Boston''I call him the Atlas of American independence'. it was who sustained the debate, and by the force of his reasonings demonstrated not only the justice but the expediency of the measure'! This I have often spoken of to others and distinctly remember the very language which he used." Walton 19, also in a letter to Adams, written at Augusta, Ga., November 7, 1789, says: "[Qy] I can truly assure you, that, since the 1 day of July, 1776, my conduct, in every station in life, has corresponded with the result of that great question which you so ably and faithfully developed on that day a scene which has ever been present to my mind. It was then that I felt the strongest attachments; and they have never departed from me." Jefferson, writing, February 19, 1813, to William P. Gardner, tells us: "[P] no man better merited, than mr John Adams to hold a most conspicuous place in the design 20. he was the pillar of it's support on the floor of Congress, it's ablest advocate and defender against the multifarious assaults it encountered." He is re ported 21 to have expressed similar views in 1824: "John Adams was our Colossus on the floor. He was not graceful nor elegant, nor remarkably fluent, but he came out occasionally with a power of thought and expression, that moved us from our seats.' 23 >> 22 Wilson and Witherspoon 2 also are said to have spoken. As to what took place following the debate, Jefferson, however, is even more specific than either the Journal or Adams. |