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A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
Journals of the Continental Congress --TUESDAY, JULY 2, 1776
Sundry letters were laid before Congress, and read, viz:
One from General Washington, of the 30 of June, enclosing an extract of a letter from General Ward, of the 23d of said month; a copy of a letter of the 19th from Lieutenant Colonel Campbell to General Howe; a copy of an anonymous letter dated Watertown, 21 of the same month:1
[Note 1: 1 This letter is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, II, folio 139. It is printed in theWritings of Washington (Ford), IV, 196. The copy of Campbell's letter is not with it.]
One from the council of Massachusetts bay2 of the 26th: and
[Note 2: 2 The letter from the Council of Massachusetts Bay is in the Papers the Continental Congress, No. 65, I, folio 89. That of Governor Trumbull is in No. 66, I, folio 189.]
One from Governor Trumbull of the 20th of the same month.
A letter from the pay master general, with a return of his weekly account:
Ordered, That the last with the weekly account be delivered to Board of Treasury:
Ordered, That the letter from Lieutenant Colonel Campbell to General Howe, be published:
Resolved, That the other letters be referred to the Board of War and Ordnance.
The Congress resumed the consideration of the resolution agreed to by and reported from the committee of
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the whole; and the same being read, was agreed to as follows:
Resolved, 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 connexion between them, and the state of Great Britain, is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of Charles Thomson. is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 23, folio 17.]
Agreeable to the order of the day, the Congress resolved itself into a committee of the whole; ∥and, after some time,∥ the president resumed the chair. Mr. [Benjamin] Harrison reported, that the committee have had under consideration the declaration to them referred; but, not having had time to go through ∥the same,∥ desired leave to sit again:
Resolved, That this Congress will, to morrow, again resolve itself into a committee of the whole, to take into their farther consideration the declaration on independence.
The Congress being informed, that, in obedience to their order, Captain Whipple and Captain Saltonstal were come to Philadelphia; Whereupon,
Resolved, That the Marine Committee be directed to enquire into the complaints exhibited against them, and report to Congress.
∥Adjourned to 9 o'Clock to Morrow.∥
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