Americans now had to do what parliamentarians had to do in 1640. What we did,' said Jefferson later,was with the help of Rushworth, whom we rummaged over for revolutionary precedents of
those days.' So, in a sense, the United States was the posthumous child of the Long Parliament.
But Americans' fears that their liberties were being taken away, and the rule of law subverted,
had to be dramatized-just as those old parliamentarians had dramatized their struggle by the
Grand Remonstrance against Charles I and the famous `Flight of the Five Members.' Who would
play John Hampden, who said he would rather die than pay Ship Money to King Charles? Up
sprang Jefferson's friend and idol, Patrick Henry. As a preliminary move towards setting up a
united resistance of the mainland colonies to British parliamentary pretensions, a congress of
colonial leaders met in Philadelphia, at Carpenters Hall, between September 5 and October 26,
- Only Georgia, dissuaded from participating by its popular governor, did not send
delegates. Some fifty representatives from twelve colonies passed a series of resolutions, calling
for defiance of the Coercive Acts, the arming of a militia, tax-resistance. The key vote came on
October 14 when delegates passed the Declarations and Resolves, which roundly condemned
British interference in America's internal affairs and asserted the rights of colonial assemblies to
enact legislation and impose taxes as they pleased. A common American political consciousness
was taking shape, and delegates began to speak with a distinctive national voice. At the end of it,
Patrick Henry marked this change in his customary dramatic manner:The distinction between Virginians and New Englanders are no more. I am not a Virginian but an American.' Not everyone agreed with him, as yet, and the Continental Congress, as it called itself, voted by colonies rather than as individual Americans. But this body, essentially based on Franklin's earlier proposals, perpetuated its existence by agreeing to meet again in May 1775. Before that could happen, on February 5, 1775, parliament in London declared Massachusetts, identified as the most unruly and contumacious of the colonies, to be in a state of rebellion, thus authorizing the lawful authorities to use what force they thought fit. The fighting had begun. Hence when the Virginia burgesses met in convention to instruct their delegates to the Second Continental Congress, Henry saw his chance to bring home to all the revolutionary drama of the moment. Henry was a born ham actor, in a great age of acting-the Age of Garrick. The British parliament was full of actors, notably Pitt himself ('He acted even when he was dying') and the young Burke, who was not above drawing a dagger, and hurling it on the ground to make a point. But Henry excelled them all. He proposed to the burgesses that Virginia should raise a militia and be ready to do battle. What was Virginia waiting for? Massachusetts was fighting.Our
brethren are already in the field. Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What
would they have?' Then Henry got to his knees, in the posture of a manacled slave, intoning in a
low but rising voice:Is life so dear, our peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!' He then bent to the earth with his hands still crossed, for a few seconds, and suddenly sprang to his feet, shouting,Give me liberty!' and flung wide his
arms, paused, lowered his arms, clenched his right hand as if holding a dagger at his breast, and
said in sepulchral tones:Or give me death!' He then beat his breast, with his hand holding the imaginary dagger. There was silence, broken by a man listening at the open window, who shouted:Let me be buried on this spot!' Henry had made his point.
By the time the Second Continental Congress met, the point of no return had been reached.
Benjamin Franklin, who saw himself-rightly-as the great intermediary between Britain and
America, better informed than any other man of attitudes and conditions on both sides of the
Atlantic, had been in London in 177 4 trying to make peace and in particular presenting a petition