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AUTOBIOGRAPHY-Part3_THOMAS JEFFERSON(1743-1826)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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had better propose an alliance while our affairs wear a hopeful

aspect:



That to await the event of this campaign will certainly work

delay, because during this summer France may assist us effectually by



cutting off those supplies of provisions from England & Ireland on

which the enemy's armies here are to depend; or by setting in motion



the great power they have collected in the West Indies, & calling our

enemy to the defence of the possessions they have there:



That it would be idle to lose time in settling the terms of

alliance, till we had first determined we would enter into alliance:



That it is necessary to lose no time in opening a trade for our

people, who will want clothes, and will want money too for the



paiment of taxes:

And that the only misfortune is that we did not enter into



alliance with France six months sooner, as besides opening their

ports for the vent of our last year's produce, they might have



marched an army into Germany and prevented the petty princes there

from selling their unhappy subjects to subdue us.



It appearing in the course of these debates that the colonies

of N. York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and South



Carolina were not yet matured for falling from the parent stem, but

that they were fast advancing to that state, it was thought most



prudent to wait a while for them, and to postpone the final decision

to July 1. but that this might occasion as little delay as possible a



committee was appointed to prepare a declaration of independence.

The commee were J. Adams, Dr. Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert R.



Livingston & myself. Committees were also appointed at the same time

to prepare a plan of confederation for the colonies, and to state the



terms proper to be proposed for foreign alliance. The committee for

drawing the declaration of Independence desired me to do it. It was



accordingly done, and being approved by them, I reported it to the

house on Friday the 28th of June when it was read and ordered to lie



on the table. On Monday, the 1st of July the house resolved itself

into a commee of the whole & resumed the consideration of the



original motion made by the delegates of Virginia, which being again

debated through the day, was carried in the affirmative by the votes



of N. Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, N. Jersey,

Maryland, Virginia, N. Carolina, & Georgia. S. Carolina and



Pennsylvania voted against it. Delaware having but two members

present, they were divided. The delegates for New York declared they



were for it themselves & were assured their constituents were for it,

but that their instructions having been drawn near a twelvemonth



before, when reconciliation was still the general object, they were

enjoined by them to do nothing which should impede that object. They



therefore thought themselves not justifiable in voting on either

side, and asked leave to withdraw from the question, which was given



them. The commee rose & reported their resolution to the house. Mr.

Edward Rutledge of S. Carolina then requested the determination might



be put off to the next day, as he believed his colleagues, tho' they

disapproved of the resolution, would then join in it for the sake of



unanimity. The ultimate question whether the house would agree to

the resolution of the committee was accordinglypostponed to the next



day, when it was again moved and S. Carolina concurred in voting for

it. In the meantime a third member had come post from the Delaware



counties and turned the vote of that colony in favour of the

resolution. Members of a different sentiment attending that morning



from Pennsylvania also, their vote was changed, so that the whole 12

colonies who were authorized to vote at all, gave their voices for



it; and within a few days, the convention of N. York approved of it

and thus supplied the void occasioned by the withdrawing of her



delegates from the vote.

Congress proceeded the same day to consider the declaration of



Independance which had been reported & lain on the table the Friday

preceding, and on Monday referred to a commee of the whole. The



pusillanimous idea that we had friends in England worth keeping terms

with, still haunted the minds of many. For this reason those



passages which conveyed censures on the people of England were struck

out, lest they should give them offence. The clause too, reprobating



the enslaving the inhabitants of Africa, was struck out in

complaisance to South Carolina and Georgia, who had never attempted



to restrain the importation of slaves, and who on the contrary still

wished to continue it. Our northern brethren also I believe felt a






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