Monday, February 21, 2005
- The John Adams Year UvA lecture series. FIRST LECTURE SERIES: John Adams and the Early Republic
Pauline Maier (*), Massachusetts Institute of Technology: The Founding Fathers' development of independence and drafting of the Declaration.
In the third lecture of the John Adams Year 2005 Celebration Series, Pauline Maier emphasized the role played by John Adams in the preparation of the Declaration of Independence. In a memorial delivered in Leyden on April 19, 1781 --that is, exactly five years after the start of the war against Britain-- Adams wrote:
"That memorable act ... immortal declaration ... not the effect of any passion ... maturely discussed ... adopted by Congress with the unanimous consent of the whole people ... never a law, edict, placard, or constitution was adopted with more thoughtfulness than the Declaration of Independence."
John Adams --who in the first part of his public career had defended the British soldiers who took part in the Boston Massacre (**)-- was the most vocal member of the Second Continental Congress in matters related to American independence. In early 1776, he drew up an agenda for Congress which included: the forming of alliances, the negotiation of commercial treaties, the issuance of coin and currency and ... the declaration of independence.
The problem was that several colonies --including Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Delaware and New York-- had given their delegates instructions precluding anything but reconciliation with Britain. Nevertheless, in the early spring Congress took several drastic steps. Silas Deane was sent on a mission to France, and envoys were sent to Canada. Congress also authorized privateers to attack British ships.
These measures involved many hours of intense negotiations. Adams had to be there, talking, arguing, persuading. This came naturally to him, says Pauline Maier, because as a lawyer he was used to speak to juries. She adds, however, that Adams found it very difficult to moderate himself. He was passionately involved with the American cause, and he had little patience with members of Congress who wanted to proceed more slowly.
An important breakthrough came when Adams and the Virginian Richard Henry Lee managed to get a unanimous assignment calling for all colonies to set up their own governments. On June 7, 1776, Congress adopted a resolution declaring that:
"These united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states; that they 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."
Although Prof. Maier says she cannot prove it, she thinks that John Adams was happy about the fact that Thomas Jefferson was appointed to write the Declaration of Independence, even though his own name would not be directly linked to that venerable document. With Jefferson busy at his desk, Adams had more time to work behind the scenes, rallying public opinion to the cause of American independence.
Jefferson and Trial by Jury in the Declaration
I asked Prof. Maier (during the break) why Congress edited the reference to trial by jury. In Jefferson's original draft, one reads: "... for depriving us of the benefits of trial by jury." But Congress changed that passage to: "... for depriving us in many cases of the benefits of trial by jury."
Prof. Maier answered very simply: Jefferson wanted everything to look "universal"; besides, trials by jury were taking place all the time. (The original draft and Congress' changes can be seen here.)
(*) Her book on the Declaration is American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence. New York: Knopf, 1997. You can read a review here.
(**) Maier thinks that the decision to represent the British soldiers was taken with the consent of the "radicals", which included Adams' cousin Samuel Adams. They wanted to make the point that, in America, anybody could get a fair trial.
Pauline Maier (*), Massachusetts Institute of Technology: The Founding Fathers' development of independence and drafting of the Declaration.
In the third lecture of the John Adams Year 2005 Celebration Series, Pauline Maier emphasized the role played by John Adams in the preparation of the Declaration of Independence. In a memorial delivered in Leyden on April 19, 1781 --that is, exactly five years after the start of the war against Britain-- Adams wrote:
"That memorable act ... immortal declaration ... not the effect of any passion ... maturely discussed ... adopted by Congress with the unanimous consent of the whole people ... never a law, edict, placard, or constitution was adopted with more thoughtfulness than the Declaration of Independence."
John Adams --who in the first part of his public career had defended the British soldiers who took part in the Boston Massacre (**)-- was the most vocal member of the Second Continental Congress in matters related to American independence. In early 1776, he drew up an agenda for Congress which included: the forming of alliances, the negotiation of commercial treaties, the issuance of coin and currency and ... the declaration of independence.
The problem was that several colonies --including Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Delaware and New York-- had given their delegates instructions precluding anything but reconciliation with Britain. Nevertheless, in the early spring Congress took several drastic steps. Silas Deane was sent on a mission to France, and envoys were sent to Canada. Congress also authorized privateers to attack British ships.
These measures involved many hours of intense negotiations. Adams had to be there, talking, arguing, persuading. This came naturally to him, says Pauline Maier, because as a lawyer he was used to speak to juries. She adds, however, that Adams found it very difficult to moderate himself. He was passionately involved with the American cause, and he had little patience with members of Congress who wanted to proceed more slowly.
An important breakthrough came when Adams and the Virginian Richard Henry Lee managed to get a unanimous assignment calling for all colonies to set up their own governments. On June 7, 1776, Congress adopted a resolution declaring that:
"These united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states; that they 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."
Although Prof. Maier says she cannot prove it, she thinks that John Adams was happy about the fact that Thomas Jefferson was appointed to write the Declaration of Independence, even though his own name would not be directly linked to that venerable document. With Jefferson busy at his desk, Adams had more time to work behind the scenes, rallying public opinion to the cause of American independence.
Jefferson and Trial by Jury in the Declaration
I asked Prof. Maier (during the break) why Congress edited the reference to trial by jury. In Jefferson's original draft, one reads: "... for depriving us of the benefits of trial by jury." But Congress changed that passage to: "... for depriving us in many cases of the benefits of trial by jury."
Prof. Maier answered very simply: Jefferson wanted everything to look "universal"; besides, trials by jury were taking place all the time. (The original draft and Congress' changes can be seen here.)
(*) Her book on the Declaration is American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence. New York: Knopf, 1997. You can read a review here.
(**) Maier thinks that the decision to represent the British soldiers was taken with the consent of the "radicals", which included Adams' cousin Samuel Adams. They wanted to make the point that, in America, anybody could get a fair trial.
# posted by Agustin @ 9:55 PM 
