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Page 31 text:
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, ,.,,, I . :,-ssas-g::ne-ymna-.- - v V44 . 1.1! IA .f ix .Lu-f , I HQ- Bl ills I Wal . ' . . Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death! Patrick Henrjv I!! Following the victory at Yorktown, Washington refused the offer of his troops to become king and returned to Philadelphia to aid with the establishment of a permanent government for the new republic-a loose alliance ot' sovereign states held together by the Articles of Confederation. An envoy composed of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and John -lay was sent to negotiate with the British. It was not until 1783 that the peace agreement, known as the Treaty of Paris. was signed, guaranteeing the sovereignty ofthe United States ot'America. The Articles ot' Confederation, despite many weaknesses, served to un- ity the states until 1787 when a special convention was held at Independence Hall in Philadelphia to revise them. The meeting was attended by titty-five ot' the most-prominent men ofthe day. Twenty- nine ot' the delegates representing a majority ofthe states met on May 125 and decided to draft an entirely new constitution rather than am- mend the Articles o1iCont'ederation. The meeting then became known as the Constitutional Convention. 4! The men who assembled for the Constitutional Convention were an illustrious group with nearly every delegate a person ot' prominence in his home state. A large majority favored a strong central government. Alter four months ot' debate, on September 17. 1787, the new constitu- tion was completed. In a little more than tour months, six states had ratified the new constitution. Despite the good beginning, the tight for ratification was bitter and it was not until September 13, 1788, that the necessary two-thirds majority ol' the states had approved the docu- ment and Congress could call 1'or states to choose their electors and congressmen. Several ot' the states had ratified the constitution with the provision that it would be amended. Thus, as one ofits first official acts under the new constitution, the Congress added the tirst ten amendments known as the Bill of Rights. Washington was un- animously elected President and a new nation was launched on a course ot' democracy. 4- up
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Page 30 text:
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Stand Your Ground . If They Mean to Hcwe o War, Let It Begin Here. U Vfzpf, John l'f1rl:4'r lf Capt. John Parker uttered those words as the colonial militia under he Command Prepared to meet the British troops at Lexington. Those words and the painting-Spirit of '76-exemplify the dedication and determination ofthe American patriots in their fight for independence. The colonies had organized to express their grievances in an effort to resolve the differences within the framework of the Empire. Several of the colonial legislatures had instructed their delegates to the Con- tinental Congress in Philadelphia to oppose any move toward iri- dependence. The movement for independence was gaining strength and following the publication of Thomas Paine's Common Sense, which argued for colonial sovereignty, a resolution was adopted and a committee of five appointed to draft a declaration of independence. 2! General Washington, who had been appointed commander-in-chief of American forces by the Second Continental Congress, was a brilliant military strategist. It was his decision to take his Continentals across the Delaware River on Christmas night which resulted in the first ma- jor colonial victory. That victory at Trenton over Hessian mercenaries gave the ragged army renewed vigor. Supported chiefly through the printing of Continental currency, the colonial army also went through the personal fortunes of many American patriots-among them Washington, Jefferson, Richard Henry Lee and John Adams. These fortunes were donated to the cause of liberty-a cause supported by about one-third of the American population which was near 2,000,000 Another one-third remained loyal to the English crown and the remainder were apathetic. Despite many defeats, the colonies managed to keep an army in the field as a symbol of American resistance, to guarantee a negotiated rather than dictated peace.
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