Some might be confused by the title of my blog today, but it’s true that independence for the fledgling United States was declared on July 2, 1776. That’s the day the Continental Congress voted decisively to separate from Great Britain. John Adams, in writing to his wife Abigail, exulted that July 2 would be the great day of liberty celebrated by future generations. He was correct as to the day we ought to celebrate, but July 4 became the focal point of remembrance due to the Congress’s approval of the wording of the Declaration of Independence on that day. No problem: we can honor both days.
One story about July 2 stands out above the rest—the trek made by Delaware delegate Caesar Rodney to arrive in Philadelphia in time to cast his vote for independence. Rodney had returned to Dover to help put down a Loyalist riot, obliged by his rank as a brigadier general of the Delaware militia. Back in Philadelphia, meanwhile, the remaining two Delaware delegates were split on the matter of independence. Thomas McKean, the delegate favoring independence, got word to Rodney that he needed to be at the Congress by the next day to break the tie.
Rodney saddled up and rode the 80 miles throughout the night in a thunderstorm, arriving on the 2nd in time to cast the deciding vote for his state. That’s dramatic enough, yet the full story is that Rodney suffered from a face cancer that made him very ill. His exploit was not just remarkable because of the fact that it was an overnight ride, but astonishing as well, considering his physical condition at the time. I think what we can take away from this historical account is the depth of commitment the majority of these delegates had to the weighty issue of independence.
Although Rodney’s vote lost him his seat in the Delware legislature shortly afterward, once his constituents realized the significance of the war effort, he was elected president of Delaware, serving in that capacity for three years during the independence struggle. Rodney died in 1784, only a year after the Treaty of Paris officially recognized the new United States. He had done his part and should be remembered and honored on this day.