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Lot 178
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"Pennsylvania Magazine" Issue "declaring the United Colonies free and independent STATES", Printed July, 1776. edited by Thomas Paine, Important Americana!
"Pennsylvania Magazine" Issue "declaring the United Colonies free and independent STATES", Printed July, 1776. edited by Thomas Paine, Important Americana!
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Description:

"Pennsylvania Magazine" Issue "declaring the United Colonies free and independent STATES", Printed July, 1776. edited by Thomas Paine, Important Americana!

8vo., measuring 5" x 8", [4] 205-248, [4] 253-296. Philadelphia: R. Aitken, 1776. A disbound copy of two issues of the "Pennsylvania Magazine" for May 1776 and June 1776 (lacking Aitken's fold-out map of the Carolinas and Georgia) together, edited by Thomas Paine. With light wear and soiling at the edges, including minor chipping and bumping to corners and lower margin. A previous owner has signed his name on a few internal pages. Overall very fine. The exact same item was offered and sold by premier American Dealer Seth Kaller, albeit that one lacking the May issue. Other issues are offered in this current auction. We locate less than ten examples (although it is likely in the ten the same items may be repeated, making that number less than ten) ever to appear at auction in nearly 50 years. Often they are bound with other issues and these bindings have sold up to $35,000 at Sotheby's in a far weaker market than today.

The June issue held among the first printed notices of the Declaration of Independence’s passage. This was made possible due to a hold in publication until July 3, (but possibly July 4 or 5, but no later) thus allowing the notice of important Congressional action to be printed almost immediately. A temporary paper shortage also aided in the delay of the printing. The editor [Paine] explains the delay that allowed that inclusion: “To our Correspondents. Hermes came too late for insertion this month. Our customers will excuse us, though the day of publication be sometimes delayed: The great difficulty we have procuring printing paper, renders it impossible for us to publish always on the first Wednesday of the month.”

With the later publication date, the June 1776 issue contains one of the first reports of the break with England found in any publication. The notice, found on page 269 reads in part: "A DECLARATION. Whereas George the Third, King of Great-Britain, &c. in violation of the principles of the British constitution, and of the laws of justice and humanity, hath, by an accumulation of oppressions unparalleled in history, excluded the inhabitants of this with the other American colonies from his protection: And whereas he hath paid no regard to any of our numerous and dutiful petitions for redress of our complicated grievances, but hath lately purchased foreign troops to assist in enslaving us, and hath excited the Savages of this country to carry on a war against us, as also the Negroes to embrue their hands in the blood of their masters, in a manner unpracticed by civilized nations; and moreover hath lately insulted our calamities by declaring that he will show us no mercy until, he hath subdued us…WE THE DEPUTIES of the people of Pennsylvania, assembled in FULL Provisional Conference for forming a plan for the executing the resolve of Congress of the 15th of May last, for suppressing all authority in this province derived from the crown of Great-Britain, and for establishing a government upon the authority of the people only, DO in this public manner... UNANIMOUSLY declare our willingness to concur in a vote of the Congress declaring the United Colonies free and independent STATES…" This issue also contains a poetic essay entitled "Ode to the British Empire", which is an ironic poem against the tyranny of Great Britain. It is missing the illustrated map, "An Accurate Map of North and South Carolina with Georgia."

The May 1776 issue contains fascinating content as well, leading up to the Declaration the following month. Articles include: "A New System of Military Discipline, founded upon Principle. By a General Officer"; "The Speech of Gov. Johnston, in the House of Commons, on Thursday the 26th of October 1775"; and a printed copy of a message made by John Hancock to Congress on May 15, 1776. In Governor Johnston's speech, it was declared that "the Americans had some reason for their conduct in the first of those disputes: but now they have refused their just proportion of taxes, by rejecting Lord North's conciliatory proposition of last year, and resisting the constitutional authority of parliament, he is ready to devote them to destruction…" In stark opposition to this, Hancock's message to Congress just seven months later reads in part: "Whereas his Britannic Majesty…has, by a late act of parliament, excluded the inhabitants of these United Colonies from the protection of his crown - And whereas no answer whatever, to the humble petitions of the colonies for redress of grievances and reconciliation with Great-Britain, has been, or is likely to be given…it be recommended to the respective assemblies and conventions of the united Colonies…to adopt such government as shall, in the opinion of the representatives of the people, best conduce to the happiness and safety of their constituents in particular, and America in general."

These printed speeches, editorials, and news announcements help us to understand the increasing tensions between both parties at the time, and are a fascinating look into the birth of our country. In the two days following the resolution of independence, Congress went through numerous iterations to perfect the final wording of the Declaration. On Thursday, July 4, the delegates of 12 of the 13 states agreed to the final text of the Declaration and it was taken to printer, John Dunlap. It is believed that the first newspaper printing of the formal Declaration of Independence was the July 6, 1776 issue of the "Pennsylvania Evening Post" published by Benjamin Towne.

On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee, a Virginia delegate to the Second Continental Congress, proposed a resolution calling for American independence. The Congress appointed a Committee of Five – John Adams, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson – to draft an appropriate message. Written by Jefferson, with minor edits by Franklin and Adams, the draft was submitted to Congress on June 28.

Not all in Congress favored independence. George Read of Delaware voted against Lee’s resolution. Thomas McKean, another Delaware delegate, sent a message to Caesar Rodney (the third member of the Delaware delegation) to come quickly to Philadelphia to break their state’s tie. The 47-year-old Rodney received the dispatch on July 1 and proceeded to ride 80 miles non-stop from his home near Dover, Delaware, to Philadelphia. He arrived just in time to make the vote on Tuesday, July 2, 1776, when the Continental Congress took a decisive step bypassing Lee’s resolution “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 connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.” With this brief resolution, the 13 colonies severed their imperial bond with Great Britain.

The importance of the Congressional action was trumpeted by John Adams when, on Wednesday, July 3, he wrote to his wife Abigail that he considered July 2 the date of independence:

"The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."

In another letter of the same date, Adams again discussed the resolution for independence:

"Yesterday the greatest Question was decided, which ever was debated in America, and a greater perhaps, never was or will be decided among Men. A Resolution was passed....You will see in a few days a Declaration setting forth the Causes, which have impell’d Us to this mighty Revolution."

In the two days following the resolution of independence, Congress continued to struggle with the wording of the final Declaration. Though some revisions were made (in particular, striking the provision calling for the abolition of the slave trade), it remained essentially Jefferson’s prose. On Thursday, July 4, the delegates of 12 of the 13 states agreed to the final text of the Declaration, pledging “to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor” to uphold its principles. The approved manuscript, now lost, was no doubt signed by Continental Congress President John Hancock and Secretary Charles Thomson. It was then taken to printer John Dunlap, we believe by John Adams. The first newspaper printing of the Declaration was the July 6, 1776 issue of the Pennsylvania Evening Post published by Benjamin Towne, we believe based on a manuscript supplied by Thomas Jefferson. (For details on our reasoning, see our catalog of the July 6, 1776 issue of the Pennsylvania Evening Post.) Dunlap’s paper, the Pennsylvania Packet, didn’t print the Declaration until July 8th.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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Bid Increments
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$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000