The Declaration of Independence - Program No. 12

July 04, 2013

An 18th century painting called "Congress Voting the Declaration of Independence."

From VOA Learning English, this is The Making of a Nation – American history in Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

This week in our series, we continue the story of the American Revolution.

The year was seventeen seventy-five. Colonists in Massachusetts had fought battles with British troops in the towns of Lexington and Concord. War had not been declared. But citizen soldiers in each of the thirteen American colonies were ready to fight.

Who was going to organize the colonists into an army?

This was the first question that faced the Second Continental Congress when delegates met in May in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The delegates decided that the man for the job was George Washington. He had experience fighting in the French and Indian War. He seemed to know more than any other colonist about being a military commander.

The delegates elected him as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. He accepted the position, but he said he would not take any money for leading the new army.

George Washington left Philadelphia for Massachusetts, where he took command on July third, seventeen seventy-five. Jayne Gordon at the Massachusetts Historical Society says Washington looked very impressive.