The Continental Congress was about to enter the preparatory stage for drafting the independence document, and this was the most crucial stage, as the Continental Congress' final decision on whether to draft the Declaration of Independence was almost equivalent to deciding whether to declare independence.
As for whether the drafted independence document would pass, that was merely a dispute over its content.
Within the Continental Congress, there wasn't much dispute over whether to declare independence; the vast majority supported independence, at least openly.
However, the Continental Congress itself was composed of thirteen independent Colonies, and on matters concerning the future of each Colony, a simple majority could not form a resolution; it required unanimous agreement from all states.
If a representative from any Colony firmly opposed, and the Continental Congress passed it by a majority vote, the result would likely be that the opposing Colony would choose to withdraw from the Continental Congress.
Therefore, the focus of the discussion was actually on the majority trying their best to persuade the few who held opposing views.
Those with opposing views were also very difficult to persuade, basically stating:
"It's not that I oppose independence; I just oppose drafting the independence document at this particular time."
"Independence? Good, I agree. Declare it now? No, that's too early."
Many people were concerned that now was not the right time for independence.
They used this reason to block, and many people couldn't refute it.
Some even wavered in their resolve because of their seemingly righteous reasons, requiring further persuasion from other steadfast Independent Party members.
"Delegates! gentlemen! There is never a safe time to declare independence, but the best time for independence is the moment we declare it.
We cannot wait for the British to announce permission for independence and then declare it according to their instructions; even if we achieve independence that way, we will continue to be influenced by the British.
gentlemen! The British army is now at the gates of New York, and the flames of war are about to engulf our homes.
Yet, the people are still confused, and the soldiers are still hesitant; they do not know who they are fighting for.
If we allow this to continue, we will have no future.
Delegates, let us tell them: Declare independence! Establish the United States of America!
Independence must endure the test of blood and fire, and only independence tested by blood and fire can last.
Let us declare independence, and the people will stand with us!"
Charles felt that the reasons for immediate independence were not very compelling, so he could only show off his eloquence in a few short speeches.
However, it was not something he felt deeply, so no matter how good his eloquence was, it only added a few more reasons to persuade people; those people would not waver in their stance at all.
In fact, Charles also realized that these people were not genuinely disagreeing with declaring independence at this time, but rather feared that if independence failed, they would be held accountable by Britain in the future.
Even if this document was formally drafted and passed, given the style of these few opponents, they would certainly refuse to sign it.
Historically, only fifty-six people ultimately signed the Declaration of Independence; other representatives either couldn't sign because they were away or simply refused to sign.
Even influential and insightful figures like Franklin, Jefferson, and Adams had no way to deal with these equally stubborn individuals.
Observing the performance of these great figures, Charles, while moved by their dedication to the country and the cause of independence, also formed an initial judgment on his own role within the Continental Congress and the entire American independence movement.
In such a grand era, within such a representative assembly, he and everyone else were ordinary members.
He should not delude himself into thinking that his individual ability could sway others or the entire Continental Congress.
His current self-positioning should be that of an influential Continental Congress Representative, with the right to speak and influence, but without a decisive role.
Perhaps in the future, when the forces behind him gradually emerged, he could then unite with other forces to exert a decisive influence on the Continental Congress.
But for now, it was neither possible nor necessary to try to overturn this dispute.
With this understanding, Charles simply stopped trying to persuade the minority.
Anyway, according to history, these people would agree no matter what.
What he should do now was use his relationship with Jefferson to try and participate in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.
Of course, "The Declaration of Independence" was Charles' term; before this document was drafted, its essence was a letter to the British king, and only later was it given the title Declaration of Independence.
The meeting continued for three days but still yielded no results; it only softened a few more people, while the remaining stubborn individuals still seemed unlikely to be persuaded.
"Thomas, do you think we can start drafting the document declaring independence to the British king now?"
During a break in the meeting, Charles quietly approached Jefferson, Franklin, and others who were preparing to rest for a while.
"Charles, why do you ask such a question? Didn't I just hear you say that the declaration should be drafted immediately and independence declared?"
Jefferson looked at Charles in confusion.
Just now, this young man was clamoring to draft the Declaration of Independence, so why was he suddenly asking for his opinion now?
"Hehehe! Because I feel that our representatives, each of whom cherishes the power of their represented state, will find it very difficult to reach a consensus on whether to declare independence immediately.
However, whether or not to declare independence ultimately depends on whether the Declaration of Independence document will be unanimously passed by all states.
Can we perhaps try a different approach, bypass the discussion altogether, and first draft the content of the independence-related document, then send it directly to the assemblies of each Colony for their vote, and finally, based on the voting results, have the Continental Congress Representatives sign it?
This way, it would also lessen the responsibility of the representatives, and I think those dissenting delegates would make their decision immediately once the decision for independence is truly before them."
Charles proposed cautiously.
He wasn't entirely clear on how it was done historically, but he knew that if they kept bickering like this, they wouldn't declare independence even by next year.
So, he merely wanted to solve it by influencing from the top down, leveraging the fact that the state assemblies also had more Independent Party members than anti-independence members, first getting their numerical vote, and then using that to influence the unanimous vote of the Continental Congress.
"No, whether to draft, and what content to draft, must still be decided by the Continental Congress.
This is not just a procedure, but also a matter of power.
Documents sent to the colonial assemblies should first be approved by the Continental Congress.
If we bypass the representatives to draft the document, other representatives might not agree."
Jefferson shook his head.
Charles bit his lip.
The key was still power and responsibility.
These representatives clung to power but didn't want to bear responsibility.
"Then let's still bypass it, bypass the discussion of whether to draft.
What if the Continental Congress first votes to elect a drafting committee, then the drafting committee prepares a draft, and then the representatives vote on it?"
This would give them the opportunity to refuse to sign by objecting to the content, and also avoid a complete breakdown of relations now.
"First elect a drafting committee? That could be worth a try.
The key to our independence, in fact, lies in whether that document is passed.
Before the document comes out, none of us can decide."
Jefferson nodded.
He discussed it with Franklin, Adams, and others, and immediately decided not to pursue internal unanimity.
They resolved to first form a drafting committee, and once the draft of independence was ready, they would use the draft itself to gain the unanimous support of the representatives.
The Continental Congress immediately proceeded to a vote, electing John Adams, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and Roger American of Connecticut to form the drafting committee.
The actual drafting work was overseen by Thomas Jefferson.
Although Charles very much wanted to be a member of it, he also knew that unless he vied for the position of chief drafter, his prestige would not be very high.
For him to contend with Jefferson for the chief drafter position was clearly unlikely.
So, he simply deferred to the free election and did not actively seek the position.
Anyway, signing the declaration in the end was also a chance to truly be remembered for generations.
Given his influence in the Continental Congress, it was normal that he was not ultimately elected.
In fact, unless his influence surpassed that of the highly respected Benjamin Franklin, he would absolutely not have been able to become a member of the drafting committee.
The five individuals chosen this time were undoubtedly the most influential people in the Continental Congress.
Although ordinary people generally only remember Jefferson as the drafter of the declaration, the other few were no less influential than Jefferson at the time.
Jefferson truly surpassed them, however, because he was the principal author of "The Declaration of Independence."
On June 10, 1776, the drafting committee officially began writing the draft of the Declaration of Independence.
Although Charles did not become a member of the drafting committee as he wished, his previous speeches still left a significant mark on "The Declaration of Independence."
A passage from his first speech at the Continental Congress was extracted by Jefferson and included in the Declaration of Independence.
Charles didn't know at the time that his words had been incorporated into the Declaration of Independence; he was still sulking.
He had wanted to join the drafting committee but didn't make it.
He wanted to handle matters concerning the bank and the branch office, but because Jefferson, the great lawyer, was busy drafting "The Declaration of Independence," only James and he were left to handle things, which would take several more days.
In his leisure time, he could only stay home and accompany countess Rogers.
"Hmph! So what if they didn't let you participate in writing the independence document? Actually, it's better this way; it saves a lot of trouble when the British army attacks.
With your character, becoming the governor of Pennsylvania wouldn't be a problem."
Bin was very happy to see Charles having time to accompany her.
"Haha! What do you, a child, know!"
Charles chuckled and ruffled Diana's hair.