It was a terribly hot and muggy day, that fateful day, in a small meeting room in the city of Philadelphia. Fifty-six brave men were in a heavy and sobering conversation about what to do with their America. (And one thing to note here – just by coming together they were committing high treason, an offense punishable by death.
So, these 56 men, made up of businessmen, teachers, ministers, university professors, farmers, sailors, regular hard working dedicated, ordinary Americans just like you and me; they were here as ordinary men; but what they were about to do was anything but ordinary. In fact, it was extraordinary. They were about to act on something that we don’t see much of in America today; they were about to ACT on their convictions. To know the depth of their conviction, just look at the Declaration itself.
They wrote, “With a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor”.
And when they said it, they meant it. There was John Hancock, the first to sign the Declaration. By the way, there’s a reason why his signature is so large on the Declaration. After the signing he commented, “There, I guess King George should be able to read that, even without his glasses.” John Hancock had a conviction, and he was willing to put everything that he had on the line for his conviction. But, did you know that John Hancock at that time was one of the wealthiest people in all of America? He was willing to put all of his wealth, all of his property, all of his world possessions on the line for the cause of freedom. What a commitment!
What about any of the other 56 who signed that Declaration of Independence? Were they committed? Get a copy of that Declaration, and look at the signature found at the bottom. Find the name, Charles Carroll. Look carefully at his signature, look carefully and notice that he wrote next to his name – his address. Charles Carroll was so committed to the cause of freedom that he gave the King and all his army his address. He was saying, “Come and get me”. That was the depth of his commitment. He knew the British soldiers would be coming for him but he bravely stood firm.
Look at another name, Stephen Hopkins. Notice that his signature looks shaky. At the time of the signing, Stephen Hopkins was in the early stages of a medical condition that some believe was Parkinson’s disease, which caused his hand to shake. But when he signed, he made it clear to all there that his signature might look shaky, but that he was not afraid.
But perhaps the most amazing act of true conviction and commitment and courage came from one signor who most of us have never even heard of. His name was Caesar Rodney, perhaps one of the most overlooked characters in our American history, because without his part, our Declaration may have turned out so very differently.
You see, in that July of 1776 after the Declaration was written but had not passed, the delegates had to meet and talk and sometimes argue about just what to do. What many do not know is that a number of the delegates were in favor of there being no break from England; they insisted that the colonies continue dialogue with the British Parliament, keep working for a peaceful solution. Because of their unwillingness to vote for independence, the vote for passage of the Declaration was falling far short of passing.
So, how did it finally pass? In steps one character, Caesar Rodney. He was one of the delegates from the colony of Delaware. But something had happened to Caesar; he had become very sick, and was not able to make the long journey from Delaware to Philadelphia; so he was not there for the vote.
Well, on the first vote for Independence, the vote was short – only ten colonies voted “yes”, and one of the dissenting colonies was his colony, Delaware. Its vote was split, and only he could cast the vote to break the deadlock. The meeting was closed for that day with a meeting set for 1 pm the next day; a final vote for Independence was to be taken, and literally everything was on the line for the future of America.
So, a dispatch was sent to Caesar Rodney’s home. By the time the rider arrived at Rodney’s home, it was 2 a.m. He explained to Rodney the circumstance. Rodney was suffering from a severe case of asthma and had been advised that he should not travel. But despite his serious illness, Rodney prepared to make the trip by horseback of almost eighty miles to Philadelphia. He had only a few hours to get there or the vote for Independence could very well be lost.
What did he do? Caesar Rodney rode his horse literally all night long on the muddy roads through a terrible rain storm, and the next morning through a severe summer heat wave; he arrived at the meeting hall just in time for the 1 p.m. vote. Because he was sick and exhausted, he had to be literally carried into the meeting hall. As the other delegates watched on, Caesar Rodney dramatically placed his tie breaking vote, and his selfless act of dedication to the cause of freedom was so moving that all remaining dissenters changed their votes. That’s right, the vote for Independence passed because of a man almost unknown in our nation’s history – Caesar Rodney.
So, what is the moral to this story?
First, do what is right regardless of the praise or recognition you may or may not receive.
Second, search your soul to see what really matters to you; then stand firm to your conviction.
Third, know that standing up for what you believe is not always easy, sometimes even scary, but actions do have results.
What are you being called to do? Are you doing it?