“…the historical significance of the Declaration did not lie in the principles it stated except insofar as it restated what virtually all Americans—patriot and Loyalist alike—thought and said in other words in other places […] As a statement of political philosophy, the Declaration was therefore purposely unexceptional in 1776.”

“…after a period in which the Declaration of Independence was all but forgotten, it was remade into a sacred text, a statement of basic, enduring truths often described with words borrowed from the vocabulary of religion.”

Declaration as “a statement of values that more than any other expresses not why we separated from Britain, and not what we are or have been, but what we ought to be, an inscription of ideals that bind us as a people but have also been at the center of some of the most divisive controversies in our history”

First Continental Congress of 1774 wanted to convene for a second if their grievances were not redressed

• first one was discreet, cautious
• second was celebrated, conspicuous — because by that time Britain had forced their hand and brought the colonies closer together

Second Continental Congress became a wartime government until 1781 when war ended and Articles of Confederation were ratified

• but reconciliation was still the initial goal
• colonies gave delegates instructions to obtain redress of grievances (not declare independence or form new nation)
• they chose Washington as commander-in-chief and largely dealt with administration & military decision-making
• effectively a national government but still constrained by what delegates were authorized to do by the colonies
• required virtually unanimous agreement on major decisions (whose execution was delegated to committees and state / colonial governments)
• structure of Congress: legislative and executive responsibilities by representative assembly with a presiding officer
• not all 65 delegates always present, members served on lots of committees, overworked, slow progress due to deliberation & consensus-building

From Decent Respect: