The public services of Gouverneur Morris to 1787 . as loyalist in tone. Itmet in the first part of 1776,but did nothing of importance. Itsmembers were irresolute as to t?ie course they should pursue^wavcr-ing between neutrality and passive support of the patriot cause. The third Provincial Congress, which in May of 1776,had v^rork cut out for it to do^ The questions of independenceand of the establishment of a state government were both alive,and had to be far, few people in New York had thought•Beriously of independence,. The delegates to Congress were in-structed to act onl
The public services of Gouverneur Morris to 1787 . as loyalist in tone. Itmet in the first part of 1776,but did nothing of importance. Itsmembers were irresolute as to t?ie course they should pursue^wavcr-ing between neutrality and passive support of the patriot cause. The third Provincial Congress, which in May of 1776,had v^rork cut out for it to do^ The questions of independenceand of the establishment of a state government were both alive,and had to be far, few people in New York had thought•Beriously of independence,. The delegates to Congress were in-structed to act onl^ on the basis of ultimate reconciliationv/ith the mother country. However,, they were soon brought up sharplyby the fact that reconciliation was no longer possible* It wasimperative that every colony should take a definite stand. TheProvincial -Congress was handicatped by the fact that it v;asnot empowered by the people to grant any more power to its fl) Becker,. Political Parties in the Province of New York, 207. (2) Ibid, 207. (3) Ibid, delegates in Congress, who were , therefore,unable to take anystand on the question of independence. Morris, as a radisal , nov/favored the pursuit of the war only on the basis of a fight forindependence. Congress had reoommended that each colony establish aregular form of government, which resolution came before theProvincial Congress in June. Morris opened the fight for the im-mediate establishment of a new government, and in thn uourse of II a long speech delivered in June said: As a connection with GreatBritain without enslaving America, an independence is absolutelynecessary fl). No longer did he feel that v/e were dependent onthe mother country, and no longer did ho support the BritishConstitution, for he said: Trurt crocodiles, trust the hungrywolf in your flock, or a rattlesnake in your bosom,you may yet besomething wise. But trust the King, his ministers, his commis-sioners, it is madness in the extreme (2), !,!orris may have
Size: 1327px × 1883px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectmo, booksubjecttheses
