On July 2, 1776, Richard Henry Lee’s bold resolution forced the Continental Congress to choose independence over tyranny—shaking an empire and setting America’s destiny in motion.
America’s future hung in the balance as weak-kneed politicians debated half-measures.
Then one fearless delegate stood up and forced everyone to choose between freedom and slavery.
And it was the decisive action on this date that brought an empire to its knees and changed history forever.
Lee blindsided Congress with the independence bombshell King George never saw coming
The year 1776 was a turning point that would determine whether America remained under British rule or forged its own destiny as a free nation.
The Continental Congress had been meeting in Philadelphia for over a year, wrestling with how to respond to King George III’s tyrannical policies.
But no one had yet been bold enough to formally propose what many colonists were thinking – complete independence from Great Britain.
That changed on when Richard Henry Lee of Virginia stood before his fellow delegates and made a motion that would shake the foundations of the British Empire.
Lee’s resolution was crystal clear and didn’t mince words: "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 connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."⁴
The Virginia delegate, from one of the most prominent political families in America, didn’t stop there.
He also called for taking "the most effectual measures for forming foreign Alliances" and that "a plan of confederation be prepared and transmitted to the respective Colonies for their consideration and approbation."
John Adams of Massachusetts immediately stepped forward to second Lee’s motion, showing that support for independence wasn’t limited to one region.
Terrified delegates got cold feet when they realized what independence really meant
Lee’s bold proposal threw the Continental Congress into chaos.
The heated arguments that followed showed just how scared some delegates were about breaking with Britain.
Half a dozen colonies – New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and South Carolina – got cold feet about declaring independence.
But these nervous delegates hinted they might grow a backbone if given more time to convince their people back home.
Congress decided to wait until July 1, rather than force an immediate vote on the resolution that might split the colonies apart which Lee had introduced on June 7, 1776.
Everyone knew that voting for independence meant King George would send his army to crush them.
The delegates understood they had to be completely united before poking the British lion.
Jefferson and his committee scrambled to finalize document that would change history
While the Continental Congress waited for the July vote, they formed a five-man committee to craft a formal declaration explaining why America deserved independence.
This committee assembled some of the brightest political minds in the colonies: John Adams representing Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin from Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman from Connecticut, Robert R. Livingston from New York and Thomas Jefferson from Virginia.
Jefferson got picked to write the first draft, which relied heavily on the text of Lee’s resolution, because everyone knew he had the best way with words.
What Jefferson produced would become the most important document in American history.
Congress got their first look at Jefferson’s draft on June 28, 1776.
The nail-biting vote that created America happened on this forgotten date
By July 1, 1776, most delegates were finally ready to back Lee’s independence resolution.
But Congress waited another day to make sure they could get every colony on board for such a monumental decision.
On July 2, 1776, twelve colonial delegations said yes to independence, while New York sat out because they hadn’t gotten the green light from home yet.
South Carolina and Pennsylvania had actually voted against independence on July 1, but they flipped and voted yes the next day.¹ Caesar Rodney made an epic 80-mile ride from Delaware through a thunderstorm to cast the deciding vote for his delegation.²
John Adams was pumped about the historic vote and predicted July 2 would be celebrated as America’s birthday forever.³
Adams nailed the importance of what they’d accomplished, but he was dead wrong about which date would stick.
We celebrate July 4 as Independence Day because that’s when Congress put their stamp of approval on Jefferson’s polished version of the Declaration of Independence.
But it was July 2 that the real earth-shattering act of voting to cast off allegiance to the British Crown took place.
Had George Washington and the Continental Army failed, it would have been their votes on July 2 not their signatures on July 4 that the founder would have ended up swinging from the gallows – if they were lucky – for.
Lee’s genius move launched the greatest freedom experiment in human history
Richard Henry Lee’s bold resolution set in motion the events that would create the United States of America.
Without Lee’s willingness to formally propose independence and push it to a vote, the Continental Congress might have continued debating half-measures while the British tightened their grip on the colonies.
Lee understood that freedom isn’t given – it has to be declared and then defended.
His resolution forced his fellow delegates to choose between continued submission to British tyranny or the risks that came with self-government.
But Lee’s contributions to American liberty didn’t end with his famous resolution for independence. He went on to serve as President of the Continental Congress and later became one of Virginia’s first U.S. Senators.
Even though Lee had helped create the new nation, he opposed ratifying the Constitution because he believed it gave the federal government too much power without sufficient protections for individual rights.
Lee believed the Constitution needed what he called "bottoming the new constitution on a better bill of rights."
Lee saw through the Constitution’s sweet promises and exposed the real threat to liberty
Lee wasn’t trying to sabotage the country he’d helped birth.
He was smart enough to see what happens when you give politicians unlimited power – they never give it back.
Lee knew that the same government they’d created to protect liberty could easily become the biggest threat to it.
In his writings, Lee made it crystal clear that concentrating too much power in Washington, D.C. was a recipe for disaster.
Lee saw right through the sweet promises politicians make about "just this once" needing more authority.
He understood that once you hand over your freedoms to bureaucrats, getting them back is nearly impossible.
Lee predicted that power-hungry officials would create endless new rules and regulations to justify their own existence.
Sound familiar?
Lee was calling out the Deep State before anyone knew what to call it.
Lee dropped some truth bombs about government power that politicians still hate
Lee had a simple rule: never give politicians more power than absolutely necessary because they’ll abuse it every single time.
He warned that government officials will always twist laws to grab more control over regular Americans.
Lee insisted that any powers given to government should be so clearly defined that even crooked politicians couldn’t expand them.
He knew that real freedom meant people could work hard, keep what they earned, and live their lives without bureaucrats breathing down their necks.
Lee believed that in a truly free country, people should be able to pursue their dreams without government taking most of what they make.
Lee’s influence helped create the Bill of Rights that protects Americans from government overreach.
The backbone Lee showed in Philadelphia inspired generations of Americans who refused to trade their freedom for false promises of security.
Lee proved that real leadership means forcing people to make the hard choices they’ve been avoiding.
The United States exists today because Lee had the courage to demand independence over comfortable slavery to a distant king – and the wisdom to keep the new government from becoming just as tyrannical.
Sources:
- Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation – What factors finally pushed the Second Continental Congress to declare independence in July 1776?
- Caesar Rodney’s 80-mile ride through thunderstorm documented in multiple historical sources
- John Adams letter to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776: "The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America"
- Lee Resolution text from National Archives and Encyclopedia Virginia primary sources
