is hallowed not only by the heroism of the men, who, in the name of a small and scattered people, renounced the rule of a powerful king, but by the first formal promulgation of the principles of popular liberty, which are the inheritance of our great Republic, and the guide and hope of the friends of man throughout the world. Viewed with this reference, the Hall of the old State House of the colony of Pennsylvania may take precedence in interest of every other edifice, ancient or modern. In it assembled the Apostles of Political Freedom. In it, calling God to witness the truth of their cause, they pledged their lives to that Revelation of Rights, from the progress of which, in the brief period of human life, we are assured that in due time it will embrace the convictions, and secure the happiness of the whole family of mankind. It is assumed, therefore, that the Thirteen States of 1776 feel a common special pride in the alliance of their names with the Declaration of Independence-with the wisdom which conceived it, the valor which resolved it, the glory which still confirms it; and that they will unite in further consecrating the place of its adoption, by memorials worthy of the act of its authors. Entertaining these views, be it, and it is hereby

Resolved, By the Select and Common Councils of the City of Philadelphia

First, That it is expedient to have erected in the grove belonging to the Hall in which the National Independence was declared, one or more monuments, commemorative respectively of the States and of the men, parties to that glorious event.

Secondly, That in order to accomplish this patriotic

design, the Presidents of Select and Common Councils are hereby directed to furnish a copy of these proceedings to, and memorialize the Legislatures of the States of Massachusetts, N. Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, suggesting to these Legislatures to appoint each two delegates to a Convention to assemble in Independence Hall on the 4th day of July, 1852, as guests of the City of Philadelphia, there to deliberate upon a plan of carrying into effect this proposition in a manner becoming the means of their constituents, and the memories of the illustrious dead.

Thirdly, That in the event of this proposition having a favorable response from the States addressed, the Select and Common Councils of the City of Philadelphia, in the name of the citizens, are pledged to hold the grounds of Independence Hall free from all encroachments upon the monuments to be erected, and to guard the same equally with the Hall itself, as a sacred and national trust forever."

These resolutions were patriotically calculated to excite a wide-spread and general sentiment in favor of the enterprise; and on the 7th of October, 1852, the Councils of Philadelphia passed other resolutions, designating the necessary legal steps in order to make their action permanent and invested with suitable powers. A committee was appointed to draw up an address to the Legislatures of the "Old Thirteen States," soliciting the enactment of laws to assist in the erection of the Memorial, from which we extract.

"Our purpose in now addressing you, is to solicit your hearty co-operation in the execution of this

design. That event ushered a new member into the family of nations, and electrified all Europe. It opened a new revelation of liberty, and changed the relations of people and government, by teaching the one how to resist and conquer oppression, and the other the absolute necessity to its own continuance, of recognizing and respecting the rights of humanity. From that time forth, a new, vital, and quickening spirit has pervaded the world. Thrones have been shaken, empires have been overturned, society has been convulsed, blood and carnage have desolated the earth-but still the intelligence and soul of the people of all Christendom have been revivified, elevated and expanded to a comprehension of their rights, which will never be obliterated nor forgotten, but will advance, enlarge and increase, until that moral and social preparation for the appreciation and enjoyment of liberty shall be effected, which in the Divine economy is so indispensable to the permanence of free institutions. While such have been the results abroad of that mighty movement which the fullness of time developed after a century of preparation, how can human language describe the vast consequences which have flowed from it in this favored land? To what point shall we look without finding overwhelming evidences of its all-powerful influences? Thirty-one free, happy, and independent sovereign States, created out of thirteen struggling and depressed colonies, governed by laws to which they never assented, by tyrannical ministers who regarded them as valuable only on account of the opportunity they afforded of extending power and patronage, their trade and commerce shackled by oppressive restrictions, and their

prosperity checked by petty jealousy; a population of nearly twenty-five millions of inhabitants, rejoicing in moral, social, religious, and commercial prosperity, springing from only three millions scarcely able to maintain existence; a Territory watered by the Atlantic and the Pacific, and every sea whitened by our canvas-respected, honored, and feared by the nations of the earth-overflowing with wealth, and exuberant in all the elements of prosperity and happiness— where, where on the face of this globe is there a country with which we would exchange conditions? To whom and to what are we indebted for these priceless blessings? To an overruling Providence, and to the men who framed, who declared, and who achieved our Independence. Our hearts ache with the desire. to do something to testify our gratitude, our veneration, and to prove that we are not unworthy of such a heritage. Have we no lesson to teach our children and their children's children? Shall they not be perpetually reminded of the goodness of God, and the self-sacrificing bravery and devotion of their ancestors? Shall they not have one national shrine of patriotism to which all, without distinction of creed or opinion, can repair, and unitedly, with one heart and one soul, pour out their thanksgiving and their love? We are so constituted by our Creator that visible signs and representations are necessary to awaken our sensibilities, to stimulate our affections, and to nerve our resolutions. As the third generation of that posterity for whom the men of the Revolution chiefly labored, and suffered, and died, it is peculiarly fitting that we should erect such representations of their great and controlling acts as shall speak to our own hearts, to

our children's hearts, and shall testify to God and the world that we appreciate and reverence, and would cultivate and disseminate the mighty truths and principles which brought our nation into existence, which constitute its very life, and of which it seems designed by Providence to be the special defender and protector. How can liberty dwell in a country that represses the outward marks of homage and reverence for its principles? It is one of the most solemn and imperative duties, which we may not neglect with impunity, to watch the sacramental flame of liberty, to feed it constantly with the aliment necessary to its existence, to keep it bright and glorious, and to deliver it to our successors with the charge, that as they claim the benefits of its hallowed influences, so will they preserve and maintain it. To these ends the proposed monument will exercise a powerful influence. Paltry, in comparison with our ability, as will be the cost, its value will consist in its consecration of a great principle, the divine right of a people to redress their wrongs and achieve their liberty, and to establish such government as their circumstances may require, and they may be able to maintain."

The plan of the monument was intended to represent the "Thirteen States," by a shaft having thirteen sides or faces, one of which is to be appropriated to the devices which its respective State may deem proper to place upon it. This shaft or column is to be united by an entablature, upon which the Declaration of Independence shall be cut into the solid stone, and surmounted by a tower. The thirteen faces are to contain such inscriptions and emblazonings as each State shall direct, commemorative of some citizen or