In the early summer of 1776, John Adams had grown profoundly exasperated. King George had declared the 13 American colonies in open rebellion and sent troops to enforce his authority. A declaration of independence, and all-out war, seemed inevitable but still, holdouts in the Second Continental Congress kept clogging the docket with feckless half-measures and spineless appeasements.

Source: Wall Street Journal June 01, 2019 03:56 UTC