July 4, 2023

The Independence Day (That Almost Never Was)

Today’s post is about God’s intervention to save our Republic through Roger Sherman and Benjamin Franklin. I am going to venture a guess that most of you know little, if anything, about founding father, Roger Sherman. His contribution to America’s beginning was extremely important. Sherman was distinguished as the only founding father to sign all four of America’s major founding documents: The Articles of Association, 1774; The Declaration of Independence, 1776; The Articles of Confederation, 1777; and the Constitution of the United States, 1787. Can you imagine the honor?!

“Sherman was a shoe cobbler, surveyor, and merchant prior to his political career. He was a self-taught lawyer, a state senator, a superior court judge, and a judge in Connecticut for fourteen years. Later, he was a member of the Continental Congress and helped draft the Declaration of Independence. He was also a member of the Constitutional Convention, where he made 138 speeches. He then became a U.S. representative from 1789-91, and at the age of 70, was elected a U.S. Senator, serving from 1791-93.”(1)

Many Americans, like me for my first 45 years of life, do not know much about the Constitutional Convention and our other founding events and documents. Here is a very brief overview of significant events leading up to and including the convention:

• In 1776, the 13 American colonies declared their independence from Britain. (The Declaration of Independence)
• The Revolutionary War took place from 1776-1783.
• During this time, the 13 United States functioned under The Articles of Confederation. The Constitution had not yet been written.
• The central government, however, had little power or income (which, generally speaking, is good) and therefore, could not effectively support an army and provide for other needs. James Madison and George Washington were among those who feared the young country was on the brink of collapse.
• In 1787, in an attempt to remedy this, a Federal Convention of the states was planned in Philadelphia. This was 11 years after the Declaration of Independence had been written. (It was not called the Constitutional Convention until later.) The delegates assumed they were meeting only to make improvements to the Articles of Confederation. While there, however, most of the delegates decided a completely new system of government was needed, not just a revision of the old. The convention lasted from May 24 to September 17; it was VERY contentious. For a while, it seemed they would fail in their efforts.(2)

“On Thursday, June 28, 1787, the deletes were embroiled in a bitter debate over how each state was to be represented in the new government. The hostile feelings created by the smaller states being pitted against the larger states, were so bitter that some delegates actually left the Convention.

“Benjamin Franklin, being the President (Governor) of Pennsylvania, was hosting the rest of the 55 delegates attending the Convention. Being the senior member of the convention at 81 years of age, he commanded the respect of all present, and, as recorded in James Madison’s detailed records, he rose to speak in this moment of crisis:

“‘Mr. President: The small progress we have made after four or five weeks of close attendance and continual reasonings with each other – our different sentiments on almost every question…producing as many noes as ayes, is methinks a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the Human Understanding.

“‘We indeed seem to feel our own want of political wisdom since we have been running about in search of it. We have gone back to ancient history for models of government, and examined the different forms of those Republics which, having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution, now no longer exist. And we have viewed the Modern States all round Europe, but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstances.

“‘In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly appealing to the Father of lights to illuminate our understanding?

“‘In the beginning of the Contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for Divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor.

“‘To that kind Providence, we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?

“‘I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?

“‘We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that “except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it.” I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without this concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages.

“‘And what is worse, mankind may hereafter, from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments by Human wisdom and leave it to chance, war, and conquest

“‘I, therefore, beg leave to move – that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessing on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service.’(3)

“Roger Sherman was the person to second Franklin’s motion that they begin opening each daily session with prayer.(4) This was approved, and the practice has continued since, although poorly attended and supported. Shortly after this, Sherman made the suggestion that state representation in the Senate be equal and that state representation in the House be based on population. This historic proposal, which came to be called the ‘Connecticut Compromise,’ was adopted, and the system has been in use since. Sherman was also on the committee which decided the wording of the First Amendment. (5)

‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.’

“Roger Sherman once described the necessity of ‘Admiring and thankfully acknowledging the riches of redeeming love, and earnestly imploring that divine assistance which may enable us to live no more to ourselves, but to Him who loved us and gave Himself to die for us.’(6)

“Why is it that such a giant of a man is so little covered by the textbooks of today? To think that the only man to sign all four of our major founding documents, establish prayer in Congress, develop the compromise for just representation between House and Senate is unknown to most Americans baffles the mind.”(7)

Today, we celebrate his contribution to our God-inspired Constitution.

Today our prayer is from Abraham Lincoln, taken from his proclamation of a National Fast Day, on March 30, 1863, and his answer to a question, just before Gettysburg, asking if the nation would survive:

“Whereas, it is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history: that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord…

“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious Hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.

“Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!

“It behooves us then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.(8)

“I do not doubt that our country will finally come through safe and undivided. But do not misunderstand me…I do not rely on the patriotism of our people…the bravery and devotion of the boys in blue…(or) the loyalty and skill of our generals…

“But the God of our fathers, Who raised up this country to be the refuge and asylum of the oppressed and downtrodden of all nations, will not let it perish now. I may not live to see it…I do not expect to see it, but God will bring us through safe.” (9)

Note: This post is courtesy of Dutch Sheets. It was just too good to leave behind and not share on this great day!