by Tammy Ditmore | Jun 22, 2026 | Editing
To celebrate America’s 250th birthday, I’m welcoming a guest writer to this space! Michael Ditmore is a professor, author, early American scholar, and my husband! Everyone knows (or thinks they know) that we celebrate July 4 because that’s when the...
by Tammy Ditmore | Jul 5, 2026 | Countdown to Semiquincentennial
Yesterday we celebrated the Semiquincentennial of the official adoption of the official language of the Declaration of Independence, as edited by the Continental Congress. But now that the official holiday has passed, let’s spend a little time considering what...
by Tammy Ditmore | Jul 4, 2026 | Countdown to Semiquincentennial
Finally – the Fourth of July! Well, the delegates of the Second Continental Congress knew the date, but they had no way of knowing how we would see it 250 years later! Although they appreciated the gravity of the moment, Congress also had other business to attend to,...
by Tammy Ditmore | Jul 3, 2026 | Countdown to Semiquincentennial
On Tuesday, July 2, 1776, separation and independence from Great Britain was an accomplished fact – the twelve delegations that could vote unanimously approved the Lee resolution for independence. It was already reported in the newspapers! But then Congress turned its...
by Tammy Ditmore | Jul 2, 2026 | Countdown to Semiquincentennial
On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress gathered to vote on whether or not to declare independence from Great Britain. More than three weeks had passed since Richard Henry Lee had first proposed voting on the issue; during that time, Thomas Jefferson and an...
by Tammy Ditmore | Jul 1, 2026 | Countdown to Semiquincentennial
After a three-week hiatus (and a weekend), Congress resumed its debate on the proposal for independence on Monday, July 1, 1776. The proposal had been first introduced on Friday, June 7, by Richard Henry Lee and then, after two days of debate, it was tabled on Monday,...
by Tammy Ditmore | Jun 30, 2026 | Countdown to Semiquincentennial
As already noted, Congress always adjourned on Sundays, and often on Saturdays, so there are no official proceedings for Sunday, June 30, 1776. Even the correspondence is fairly bare – and unrelated to independence or to the Declaration. John Adams wrote a longish...
by Tammy Ditmore | Jun 29, 2026 | Countdown to Semiquincentennial
The Declaration drafting committee formally submitted its final report 250 years ago yesterday, on Friday, June 28, 1776. Just why that date was chosen is not clear. As I’ve noted, the committee kept no minutes, and there are only scraps of contemporary evidence as to...
by Tammy Ditmore | Jun 28, 2026 | Countdown to Semiquincentennial
Two North Carolina delegates, Joseph Hewes and John Penn, wrote correspondence on Friday, June 28, 1776. Hewes wrote a long news update to James Iredell (about the Canada calamity, a “damnable Plot” in New York against General Washington, privateers, the imprisoning...
by Tammy Ditmore | Jun 27, 2026 | Countdown to Semiquincentennial
As on other days, Congress’s journals and delegates’ correspondence from June 27, 1776, don’t have any direct bearing on the Declaration drafting process or even the impending independence vote – even though, as we will see tomorrow, the committee will submit a final...
by Tammy Ditmore | Jun 26, 2026 | Countdown to Semiquincentennial
In terms of Declaration-specific matters, both the Congress journals and surviving delegate correspondence are not helpful. Mainly, Congress was taken up with military matters – sorting out and repairing the damage from the Canada mess; seeking an engineer; officer...
