19. Soon after the British sailed from Boston, Washington set out with the greater part of his army for New York, as that place was the object of attack by the British. Washington arrived at New York on the 14th of April, 1776. By prevailing on Congress to enlist men for three years, and offer a bounty of ten dollars for each recruit, he soon had an army of twenty-seven thousand men, though many of them were unarmed, and numbers were sick. But the whole number was not enough for the defence of the city, as it was necessary to have a line fifteen miles long.

20. Great Britain, in the meantime, had made great preparations for the subjugation of the colonies. There had been ordered to America a large fleet of ships, with seventeen thousand German soldiers and twenty-five thousand English, well supplied with provisions and all munitions of war. The people of the colonies, seeing that Great Britain showed no disposition to yield her claims, instead of think ing about submission, began to think about Sovereign Inde. pendence, though when the difficulties first began that was not the object, as we have seen.

CHAPTER XXVI.

SEPARATION FROM THE

MOTHER-COUNTRY-SOVEREIGN

POWERS ASSUMED BY THE COLONIES-DECLARATION OF THEIR INDEPENDENCE AS STATES-ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION BETWEEN THEM

1. THE manner in which the remonstrances of the colonies were received and treated by the King and Parliament,

19. What did Washington do when the British sailed from Boston? When di de reach New York? What was the number of his army? Was it insufficient o defend the city, and why?

20. What had Great Britain done in th. meantime? What number of troops nad she equipped and sent out for the subjugation of the colonies? What e fect had this upon the popular mind in the colonies? Had they thought at first of Sovereign independence?

CHAPTER XXVI.-1. What was becoming the feeling of the colonies as to inde pendence, and what prod-ced it? What is said of North Carolina?

as well as the formidable forces raised and sent out to reduce them to submission, extinguished all hopes they had previously entertained of an ultimate reconciliation upon the basis of right and justice. The feeling was now becoming general and almost universal for independence.

North Carolina was ahead of all her sister States on the subject of independence.

On the 20th of May, 1775, the day after receiving the news of the battle at Lexington, a convention of delegates from the several captains' companies of the militia of Mecklenburg county convened in Charlotte, and threw off all allegiance to the British crown, and declared North Carolina to be a sovereign and independent State. Her last royal Governor, Josiah Martin, was immediately afterwards compelled, by the people of Wilmington and the lower waters of the Cape Fear, to flee for safety on board his majesty's shipof-war The Cruiser, whence he issued a proclamation, in which he denounced the resolutions in Mecklenburg as the most treasonable proceeding that had taken place on the continent.

On the 20th of August, 1775, she assembled a Provincial Congress at Hillsboro', which recognized the abdication of the Governor, and made an effectual organization of the militia for the public defence.

And in the autumn of that year she sent an expedition, under Colonel, afterwards General Howe, to the aid of Norfolk and lower Virginia, against the machinations of Lord Dunmore, the royal Governor of that colony, which, in conjunction with the republican troops there, defeated his lordship's army in the battle of Great Bridge, on the North Carolina frontier, and forced him to seek protection on board a man-of-war in the harbor of Norfolk.

2. The Congress continued in session, awaiting events, and, acting under the authority of their delegated powers,

2. When did Massachuset' instruct her delegates to vote for independence!

in providing for the general defence. In January, 1776, Massachusetts instructed her delegates to vote for independence. South Carolina gave similar instructions to her delegates in March. Georgia and North Carolina did the same in April. In May, General Washington wrote from the head of the army, at New York, "A reconciliation with Great Britain is impossible. . . . When I took command of the army I abhorred the idea of independence; but I am now fully satisfied that nothing else will save us."

In the same month, Virginia instructed her delegates in Congress to vote for independence. New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Maryland followed in giving similar instructions to their delegates, early in June. Pennsylvania and New York delayed action, still indulging hopes of an adjustment of the controversy.

The general instructions of the colonies to their delegates were to renounce all allegiance to the British crown, and to form a Confederation among themselves as independent States.

On the 7th of June, Richard Henry Lee, a delegate from Virginia, moved a resolution in Congress, "That these united colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent States. .. . . and that a plan of Confederation be prepared and transmitted to the respective colonies for their consideration and approbation."

This resolution was adopted on the 11th of June. Two committees were appointed under it, one to prepare a declaration of independence, and the other to prepare articles of union or Confederation. The committee to prepare the declaration of independence were, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Frank

When did South Carolina? When did Georgia and North Carolina? What did General Washington write in May? When did Virginia instruct her delegates ? When did New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Maryland? Which were the last States? What were the general instructions of the colonies to their delegates ! Who moved the resolution for independence in Congress? When was this? What else did the resoutien provide for? When was it adopted? What twc Committees were raised "nder it?

lin of Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, and Robert R. Livingston of New York.

3. On the 24th of June, 1776, the Congress declared, by resolutions, "That all persons abiding within any of the united colonies, and deriving protection from the same, owed allegiance to the said laws, and were members of such colony; and that all persons passing through or making temporary stay in any of the colonies, being entitled to the protection of the laws during the time of such passage, visitation, or temporary stay, owed, during the same, allegiance thereto."

The Committee on the Declaration of Independence reported on the 28th of June; but action was deferred on it for some days, until the delegates from Pennsylvania and New York should receive their instructions and powers to vote for it.

This celebrated paper was drawn up by Mr. Jefferson, the chairman of the committee. It came up for final action on the 4th day of July, when it received the unanimous vote, not only of all the colonies, but of all the delegates in Congress. It was voted upon by colonies, as separate and distinct political bodies.

4. After reciting the wrongs of the colonies, and the breaches of faith on the part of the British crown towards them, it concluded in the following words: "We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in general Congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of all the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare 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 connec

3. What resolution did Congress pass on the 24th of June, 1776? When did the Committee on the Declaration report? Who was chairman of this committee? Who drew up the Declaration? When was it finally acted on? How was it vote? upon, and how was it carried?

4. What is said of the Declaration of Independence? Who signed it! was the title of it How was ite announcement received?

What

tion between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved; and that, as free and independent States, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent States may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of a Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

All the delegates present from all the colonies signed the declaration thus made, which was entitled "The unanimous declaration of the thirteen United States of America."

It was immediately proclaimed from the hall in which Congress met, in Philadelphia, known ever since as Inde