The Declaration was reported 28 June. On 1 July as fixed, debate was begun afresh on Lee's resolution. New Jersey and Maryland had reversed their instructions meantime. In Committee of the Whole that evening, nine States voted for it; Pennsylvania and South Carolina voted against it (but the latter dele gates, possibly after hearing from the South, offered without instructions to vote yes if it would make a unanimous vote), Delaware was divided, and New York refused to vote. The "yea" Delaware delegate, McKean, sent an urgent message to the third, Cmsar Rodney, then on a political trip in southern Delaware, to come on at once; Rodney traveled 80 miles the net day, arrived in the evening, and reversed his State's vote. Pennsylvania reversed hers also; and this leaving only the abstaining New York delegates out of the voting, the South Carolina members voted yes. This carried the motion 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 con nection between them and the state of Great Britain is and ought to be totally dissolved,'" by 12 yeas and no negative vote. On the 3d the Declaration was taken up, and as amended was passed on the evening of the 4th. The anniversary of the fact of independence is therefore the 2d; that of the adoption of the specific document in which it was proclaimed to the world is the 4th, as celebrated. The usual statement that it was "signed° by the members at this time, however, is incorrect; it was signed by the president and secretary, whose signatures only were borne by the printed copies sent out. The journals of Congress did not enter the Declaration, but left a blank for it, which was afterward filled in and the signa tures taken from the engrossed copy. On the 9th the New York convention ratified it, and the delegates gave in their formal adherence on the 15th; it was then, as entitled, "The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America.° Six additional Pennsyl vania members also recorded a formal vote on the 20th. On 19 July Congress passed a reso lution that it should be engrossed on parch ment, and on 2 August it was signed by 53 members present; Gerry of Massachusetts, McKean of Delaware and Thornton of New Hampshire were empowered by their legisla tures to sign later, Thornton not signing till 4 November. For an analysis of the Declaration
and bibliography see UNITED STATES - The Declaration of Independence.
The parchment with the original signatures was deposited with the Department of State when the government was organized in 1789. In 1823 John Quincy Adams had a copper-plate facsimile made, to give copies to the signers and their heirs; but unfortunately it ruined the original. The wet sheet pressed on the face drew out the ink so that the signatures have become illegible and almost invisible, and the text partially so; and after being shown for many years only on special occasions, in 1894 it was definitely scaled up in a steel case to keep it from light and air. From 1841 to 1877 it was in the Patent Office.
The signers represented the States as fol lows: New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton.
Massachusetts: John Hancock Samuel Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry.
Rhode Island: Stephen. Hopkins, William Ellery.
Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Hun tington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott.
New York: William Floyd, Philip Living ston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris.
New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John With erspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart Abra ham Clark.
Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross.
Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Reed, Thomas McKean.
Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton.
Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jun., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton.
North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn.
South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jun., Thomas Lynch, Jun., Arthur Middleton.
Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton.
It may be noted that several of these were not members of Congress when the Declaration was passed.
The Declaration, as agreed to, follows: