An
appeal had been made to force, and opposing armies were in the field.
Congress, then, was to decide whether the tie which had so long bound us
to the parent state was to be severed at once, and severed forever. All
the colonies had signified their resolution to abide by this decision,
and the people looked for it with the most intense anxiety. And surely,
fellow-citizens, never, never were men called to a more important
political deliberation. If we contemplate it from the point where they
then stood, no question could be more full of interest; if we look at
it now, and judge of its importance by its effects, it appears in still
greater magnitude.
Let us, then, bring before us the assembly, which was about to decide a
question thus big with the fate of empire. Let us open their doors
and look in upon their deliberations. Let us survey the anxious and
care-worn countenances, let us hear the firm-toned voices of this band
of patriots.
HANCOCK presides over the solemn sitting; and one of those not yet
prepared to pronounce for absolute independence is on the floor, and is
urging his reasons for dissenting from the declaration.
"Let us pause! This step once taken, cannot be retraced. This
resolution, once passed, will cut off all hope of reconciliation.
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