Archives for June 2015

Birthing of the Declaration of Independence: Part Seven, Quill is Set to Parchment

The celebration of American Independence Day on the Fourth of July has come to include parades, barbecues and fireworks.  The celebrations should include discussions of how the Declaration of Independence came to be. In Part One. The Committee of Five appointed to draft a declaration of independence had dwindled in reality to just Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. In […]

Birthing of the Declaration of Independence: Part Six, Defining the American Mind

The celebration of American Independence Day on the Fourth of July has come to include parades, barbecues and fireworks.  The celebrations should include discussions of how the Declaration of Independence came to be. In Part One. The Committee of Five appointed to draft a declaration of independence had dwindled in reality to just Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. In […]

Birthing of the Declaration of Independence: Part Five, Historical Precedents

The celebration of American Independence Day on the Fourth of July has come to include parades, barbecues and fireworks.  The celebrations should include discussions of how the Declaration of Independence came to be. The story began in Part One as The Committee of Five appointed to draft a declaration of independence had dwindled in reality to just Thomas Jefferson […]

Birthing the Declaration of Independence: Part Four, Jefferson’s Selection

The celebration of American Independence Day on the Fourth of July has come to include parades, barbecues and fireworks.  The celebrations should include discussions of how the Declaration of Independence came to be. The story began in Part One as The Committee of Five appointed to draft a declaration of independence had dwindled in reality […]

New Hampshire Ratifies June 21, 1788 and Constitution Becomes Effective

On June 21, 1788. New Hampshire was the ninth state to ratify the United States Constitution. Pursuant to the Constitution’s Article VII New Hampshire’s ratification put the Constitution officially in effect. Although New Hampshire ratified, the delegates to its ratification convention clearly had reservations. The ratification message included a dozen suggestions for constitutional amendments pursuant to Article […]

Birthing the Declaration of Independence: Part Three, Virginia Comes First

The celebration of American Independence Day on the Fourth of July has come to include parades, barbecues and fireworks.  The celebrations would do well to include discussions of how the Declaration of Independence came to be. Part Three of the Birthing of the Declaration of Independence looks at Jefferson’s state of mind following a meeting […]

Birthing the Declaration of Independence: Part Two, The Format

The celebration of American Independence Day on the Fourth of July has come to include parades, barbecues and fireworks.  The celebrations would do well to include discussions of how the Declaration of Independence came to be. Part Two of the Birthing of the Declaration of Independence takes place over an ale and a meal in […]

Birthing the Declaration of Independence: Part One

This is an excerpt from the new book: Creating the Declaration of Independence, available on Amazon in print and Kindle editions. by David J. Shestokas Thomas Jefferson left the June 12, 1776 meeting of the Second Continental Congress with mixed emotions.   His walk from the Pennsylvania State House took him east on Chestnut Street toward the […]

The Resolution for American Independence: Part Three

When Americans celebrate publication of the Declaration of Independence on the Fourth of July, there is seldom reflection upon the many dramas preceding that fateful day. This is the third of a three part series focused on Richard Henry Lee, who placed the question of independence before the Continental Congress in June, 1776. Take a […]

The Resolution for American Independence: Part Two

When Americans celebrate publication of the Declaration of Independence on the Fourth of July, there is seldom reflection upon the many dramas preceding that fateful day. This is the second of a three part series focused on Richard Henry Lee, who placed the question of independence before the Continental Congress in June, 1776. Take a […]