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America breaks free: "this nation," declared Benjamin Franklin, "was established in spite of [any number of] obstacles, with an expedition, energy, wisdom, and success which the whole history of human affairs has not, hitherto, given an example."
USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), July, 2006 by Mark Skousen
A trip to Canada. The Committee then reported that they had conferr'd with a person just arriv'd from Canada. He said that when the Canadians first heard of the dispute they were generally on the American side: but by the influence of the Clergy and the Noblesse, who had been continually preaching and persuading them against America, they were brought into a state of uncertainty as to which side to follow. He thought it would be a great service if some persons from the Congress were sent to Canada, and the Congress thereby appointed three commissioners to go to Canada, of which number I was honoured to be one, along with Charles Carroll and Samuel Chase. Our purpose was to convince them of the uprightness of our intentions, and that the people of Canada should set up such a form of government to produce their happiness. It was our earnest desire to adopt them into our union as a sister colony. We set out the week of March 11 to Canada by way of New York, a journey of 500 miles. We were detain'd in Saratoga by the lakes in which the unthaw'd ice obstructed navigation, which caused me a fatigue that at my time of life proved almost too much for me. We were in a small open boat, where I was kept sitting without exercise for many days.
After some difficulty and delay in getting thro' the ice of Lake George, we arrived in Montreal in late April, and were very politely received by General Benedict Arnold, who commanded the post. The smallpox was in the army, and General Thomas had unfortunately never had it. It is impossible to give a just idea of the lowness of the Continental credit there from the want of hard money, and the prejudice it was to our affairs. Not the most trifling service could be procured without an assurance of instant pay in silver or gold. The inhabitants had experienced frequent breaches of promise and were determined to trust our people no further. The general apprehension was that we would be driven out of the province as soon as the King's troops arrived. We urged the forwarding of a large sum to Canada (we believed twenty thousand pounds would be necessary); otherwise it would be impossible to continue the war in this country, or to expect the continuance of our interest with the people there, who began to consider the Congress as bankrupt as their cause was desperate. I advanced to General Arnold and others 353 [pounds sterling] in gold out of my own pocket on the credit of Congress, which was of great service in procuring provisions for our army, but we concluded that till the arrival of more money, it seemed improper to propose the federal union of this province with the others, as the few friends we had there would scarce venture to exert themselves in promoting it till they saw our credit recover'd, and a sufficient army arrived to secure the possession of the country. We reported that without a speedy supply of money, our forces would suffer exceedingly from the want of many necessaries, particularly flour. It was very difficult to keep soldiers under proper discipline without paying them regularly. We recommended that if hard money could not be procured and forwarded with dispatch to Canada, it would be advisable to withdraw our army and fortify the passes on the lakes to prevent the enemy, and the Canadians, if so inclined, from making irruptions into our frontiers.
