Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor : The Forging of American Independence, 1774-1776

In 1774 American independence was hardly inevitable--indeed, most Americans found it neither desirable nor likely. When delegates from the thirteen colonies gathered in September 1774, they were, in the words of John Adams, "a gathering of strangers." With their differing interests and cultural perspectives, perhaps the only thing that bound them together was their common identity as subjects of the British Crown. But as they confronted the array of political, diplomatic, and military challenges facing them during the twenty-two months before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, they gradually shed both their provincial and their British identities and became leaders of an American cause. With narrative verve and deep historical understanding, Richard R. Beeman tells the remarkable story of how the delegates to the Continental Congress, through courage and compromise, came to dedicate their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to the forging of American independence. In 1768, Philadelphia physician Benjamin Rush stood before the empty throne of King George III, overcome with emotion as he gazed at the symbol of America's connection with England. Eight years later, he became one of the fifty-six men to sign the Declaration of Independence, severing America forever from its mother country. Rush was not alone in his radical decision — many of those casting their votes in favor of independence did so with a combination of fear, reluctance, and even sadness. In Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor , acclaimed historian Richard R. Beeman examines the grueling twenty-two-month period between the meeting of the Continental Congress on September 5, 1774 and the audacious decision for independence in July of 1776. As late as 1774, American independence was hardly inevitable — indeed, most Americans found it neither desirable nor likely. When delegates from the thirteen colonies gathered in September, they were, in the words of John Adams, "a gathering of strangers." Yet over the next two years, military, political, and diplomatic events catalyzed a change of unprecedented magnitude: the colonists' rejection of their British identities in favor of American ones. In arresting detail, Beeman brings to life a cast of characters, including the relentless and passionate John Adams, Adams' much-misunderstood foil John Dickinson, the fiery political activist Samuel Adams, and the relative political neophyte Thomas Jefferson, and with profound insight reveals their path from subjects of England to citizens of a new nation. A vibrant narrative, Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor tells the remarkable story of how the delegates to the Continental Congress, through courage and compromise, came to dedicate themselves to the forging of American independence. Contents Cast of Characters The Continental Congress: A Chronology Introduction 1. The Genesis of Revolution, 1763-1774 2. The Quest for a Unified American Resistance 3. The Delegates Gather in Philadelphia 4. Two Different Paths to Liberty: John Adams and John Dickinson 5. The Congress Organizes 6. "Fight Against Them That Fight Against Me" 7. Galloway's Last Stand 8. Getting Acquainted in the City of Brotherly Love 9. Power to the People 10. The First Congress Completes Its Business 11. Escalation 12. A New Congress, Changed Circumstances 13. John Hancock Enters the Drama 14. Congress Assumes Command of a War 15. Desperate Efforts at Reconciliation Amidst an Escalating War 16. Managing a War while Seeking Peace 17. Waiting for King George III 18. Small Steps Toward Independence 19. The Year 1776 Dawns 20. "The Scales Have Fallen From Our Eyes" 21. "The Child Independence Is Now Struggling for Birth" 22. Fourteen Paths to Independence 23. "The Greatest Debate of All" 24. Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence 25. America's Declaration of Independence Acknowledgments APPENDIX A: "Jefferson's Declaration of Independence": The Draft from Thomas Jefferson and the Committee of Five, with Editorial Changes from the Continental Congress APPENDIX B: America's Declaration of Independence: The Final Version Abbreviations of Frequently Cited Works Notes Index Acclaimed historian Richard R. Beeman examines the grueling 22-month period between the meeting of the Continental Congress on September 5, 1774, and the audacious decision for independence in July 1775.