When we think of July 4th, we think of fireworks, barbecues, baseball, picnics, flags, and parades. This is exactly what John Adams envisioned. He envisioned it not for July 4th, but for July 2nd, because that was the date that the colonies ceased to be colonies and became free and independent states as set forth in the Declaration of Independence.
In early July of 1776, representatives of the 13 colonies were locked in a bitter discussion on the question of independence. Jefferson had completed the Declaration, and the alterations suggested by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, among others, had been adopted. The question before Congress was this: Is America part of Britain, or is it a separate entity, capable of governing itself? Do we have the courage and fortitude to break away from Britain and stand on our own?
Most of the representatives had come to the conclusion that America was no longer politically bound to the government of Great Britain. There were a few however, who were opposed. John Dickinson, a representative from Pennsylvania, believed that war, the inevitable consequence of voting for independence, would be worse for the country than retaining its ties to Britain. He and his fellow delegate, Robert Morris, prevented the Pennsylvania delegation from supporting independence. But the tide had turned, and Dickinson knew that he was in the minority. He and Morris could have held up the vote for independence indefinitely, which would have only served to make the Congress irrelevant.
But that isn't what John Dickinson did. On the evening of July Second, 1776, Dickinson and Morris stepped away from the proceedings, unwilling to vote for independence, but also unwilling to thwart the will of the majority. Without them, Pennsylvania joined the states in favor of independence. With the late arrival of Delaware representative Caesar Rodney, the die was cast. With twelve in favor, and none opposed, the measure carried.
Dickinson's face isn't on any coin or bill, and many people have never even heard of him. But his character was such that, though he was unwilling to support war, he was also unwilling to undermine the cause as a whole. John Dickinson put his own ego aside, and in doing so, showed his support for Congress without compromising his own beliefs.
Ego is a powerful thing. We all want to be right, and it takes a certain degree of humility to accept a decision that one doesn't agree with. In any collaborative enterprise, there will come a time when things don't go our way. We can either become petty, allowing our own petulance to undermine the team, or we can do what we can to help the team succeed, even if that means taking part in a venture we're unsure about.
John Dickinson showed his character that day, and he did it again a few days later, when he marched out at the head of a column of soldiers headed off to defend New Jersey.