..."that the exercise of every kind of authority under the said crown should be totally suppressed, and all the powers of government exerted, under the authority...as for the defence of their lives, liberties, and properties."58 And on June 7, when Richard Henry Lee introduced a three-part motion for independence—...

...Congress published a resolution finding that it was necessary for the colonies to form new governments "for the preservation of internal peace, virtue and good order, as well as for the defense of their lives, liberties, and properties." John Adams believed that this was "the most important...

...added a preamble that "every kind of authority under the said crown should be totally suppressed, and all the powers of government exerted, under the authority of the people of the colonies." Continental Congress, Journals, 3:357-58. See also Jay, John Jay, 1:266, 268-69. Only Connecticut and...