As we are wrapped up in our individual day-to-day, life keeps us busy. Each summer, we pause a short moment for the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. July 4th is a moment recognizing that on one Thursday, 250 years ago, there were 56 "traitors" to the crown who gathered in Philadelphia and signed the document. Others were invited but declined. More on that in a moment.
There has been little popular debate over the years about why we celebrate that day instead of one in 1783. America became a real country not when our forebears thumbed their noses at the British throne, to put it politely, but when they prevailed in war.
It was therefore not a real success until the British "officially conceded," by signing the Treaty of Paris, on September 3, 1783. Of course, it was a brief peace. The United States declared war on Britain again June 18, 1812.
That one was somewhat concluded on December 14, 1814, with the Treaty of Ghent. Unfortunately, word travelled slowly, so fighting continued for weeks after, including the famous Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815. More complicated, the Ghent treaty required Senate approval, so was not official until February 17, 1815.
Why don't we have a holiday on September 3? For that matter, recognizing how long it took for the word to travel in those days, why no holiday for whenever the last of our ancestors finally heard of the initial peace and Britain's capitulation? Why not December 14, January 8, or February 17?
If it is not clear, I would like more holidays. Just saying. Of course, it is mighty cold for fireworks and BBQ in December, January, or February.
The Treaty of Paris was signed there. Why don't American tourists flock to the former site of the Hotel D' York, at 56 Rue Jacob, Paris? It is only a couple of blocks from Pont Neuf, the oldest stone bridge over the Seine, and just across the river from the Musée du Louvre. But that address is not an attraction or a stop for the tour buses.
Did you note that 56 signed, and coincidentally, the treaty was signed at 56 Rue Jacob? The plaque on that building today is reproduced here, and a translation is at the end of this post.
There is also a plaque on Veldstraat in Ghent. That one was apparently affixed by the Daughters of the American Revolution in the 1960s, and memorializes the house in which the American diplomats stayed during the months of peace negotiations.
What do we really know of our history? Does it make sense to celebrate the day we thumbed our nose or the day we won the ensuing fight? In a global sense, the September 3 date is far more important. That is not to diminish the Declaration, but why don't we celebrate the Constitution that underpins much that we hold imperative?
As the Archives reminds, it was September 3 that America stepped onto the world stage. The war that was concluded was actually a world war, "involving not only the United States and Great Britain but also France, Spain, and the Netherlands." Those were global powers, and the nascent U.S. was among them despite its youth and inexperience.
People don't think about this piece of the puzzle much, but the Floridas (there were two back then) were also British colonies in 1776. They did not join in the rebellion, despite being invited to the Continental Congress. Florida "remained solidly loyalist during the Revolution." Notably, Florida also chose the losing side in the war between the states, but that's another story entirely.
The Continental Army assaulted both Floridas (the eastern one mostly) multiple times unsuccessfully. Florida was British. That put the enemy in reasonable proximity to the nascent American nation and its forces.
France was involved in the revolution as an American ally, first supplying goods, then financing, troops, and naval support. Some attribute that to ideological identification with the budding ideals of liberty and egalitarianism. Others feel France merely hated Britain (my enemy's enemy is my friend).
Spain entered the fray, not so much in support of America as in support of France. And there are those who perceive their motivations to be more about territory than anything else. They enjoyed success. Spanish forces from New Orleans invaded West Florida, making it as far as Pensacola.
The Dutch were significant suppliers to the Americans. They were smugglers, certainly, but also the first to recognize America's sovereignty. Notably, "The first salute to an American flag by a foreign power took place in St. Eustatius in November 1776."
Pensacola again played a significant role in the next fight. By that time, the Spanish hold on Florida had weakened during the Napoleonic wars, and Britain had reinforced Spanish troops in places like Pensacola. Andrew Jackson and his troops walked through November 7-9, 1814, and expelled British troops there with little resistance.
Of course, Jackson then marched to New Orleans and the "the greatest American victory of the War of 1812," a month after that war had ended in Belgium. Word travelled slowly in that era.
But, for some reason, our ancestors chose July 4, 1776. As a side note, if the "nose-thumbing" is the critical point, how about that Tea Party revolt three years before in Boston? No, no holiday for December 16, 1773 either.
No, we acknowledge the Declaration and its 56 signers. A great many of us can trace some ancestry back to those "traitors to the crown." They took a great risk, despite being anonymous until 1777. The cause of independence was not unanimously endorsed, and some left the colonies to return to England.
What of the 56? The American Revolution notes that "Five signers were captured by the British as traitors and tortured before they died." Another "Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned." Still another "Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or the hardships of the Revolutionary War."
That American Revolution website does a great job identifying them. They were lawyers, farmers, merchants, and more. They were people with wealth, "men of means, well-educated." They nonetheless foresook their allegiance to a king and signed their names. Overall, they did not make out so well. They are nonetheless worthy of remembrance. We don't mark the dates of their birth, death, or even widely publish their names.
So, this July 4, we mark 250 years from the "traitors'" signing. That is momentous. I suggest we make as big a deal about the end of the first "world war" on September 3, 1783, which is 243 this year and will mark 250 in 2033. Let's mark November 7, December 14, December 16, January 8, and February 17. Let's remember that there have been many important dates leading up to now.
Let's remember those who gave their all in exchange for our freedom to vehemently disagree with each other (Gators, schmaters)! There is much disagreement and discord, and yet much to celebrate in our collective, yet flawed, history. Are we "united," or should we do better? Are there, today, "truths (we hold) to be self-evident?" Despite our differences and flaws, are we not doing pretty well overall?
The signers of the Declaration were (signers of the Constitution marked with "*," and Treaty of Paris with "#"): HUNTINGTON, Samuel (CT); SHERMAN, Roger (CT)(*); WILLIAMS, William (CT); WOLCOTT, Oliver (CT); McKEAN, Thomas (DE); READ, George (DE)(*); RODNEY, Caesar (DE); GWINNETT, Button (GA); WALTON, George (GA); HALL, Lyman (GA); ADAMS, John (MA)(#); ADAMS, Samuel (MA); GERRY, Elbridge (MA); HANCOCK, John (MA); PAINE, Robert Treat (MA); CARROLL, Charles (MD); CHASE, Samuel (MD); PACA, William (MD); STONE, Thomas (MD); HEWES, Joseph (NC); HOOPER, William (NC); PENN, John (NC); BARTLETT, Josiah (NH); THORNTON, Matthew (NH); WHIPPLE, William (NH); CLARK, Abraham (NJ); HART, John (NJ); HOPKINSON Francis (NJ); STOCKTON, Richard (NJ); WITHERSPOON, John (NJ); FLOYD, William (NY); LEWIS, Francis (NY); LIVINGSTON, Robert (NY); MORRIS, Lewis (NY)(*); CLYMER, George (PA)(*); FRANKLIN, Benjamin (PA)(*)(#); MORRIS, Robert (PA); MORTON, John (PA); ROSS, George (PA); RUSH, Benjamin (PA); SMITH, James (PA); TAYLOR, George (PA); WILSON, James (PA)(*); ELLERY, William (RI); HOPKINS, Stephens (RI); HEYWARD, Thomas, Jr. (SC); LYNCH, Thomas, Jr. (SC); MIDDLETON, Arthur (SC); RUTLEDGE, Edward (SC); BRAXTON, Carter (VA); HARRISON, Benjamin (VA); JEFFERSON, Thomas (VA); LEE, Francis Lightfoot (VA); LEE, Richard Henry (VA); NELSON, Thomas, Jr. (VA); WYTHE, George.
Translation of the Paris plaque: "In this building, formerly the Hôtel d'York, on September 3, 1783, David Hartley, in the name of the King of England, and Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and John Adams, in the name of the United States of America, signed the Definitive Peace Treaty recognizing the independence of the United States."
