443 How Independence Happened, Part 1: The Lee Resolution

Declaring independence on July 2, 1776, was only the beginning. To actually become a nation, the United States needed something else: foreign allies, international recognition, and the credibility to negotiate as an equal among the world's great powers. Five days after Richard Henry Lee introduced his famous Virginia Resolution, the Continental Congress appointed a committee of five — John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Dickinson, Robert Morris, and Benjamin Harrison — to figure out how to achieve international recognition. The result was the Model Treaty: a document we almost never discuss today, but one that Adams considered his most important contribution to Congress and the nation. Historians Sara Georgini and Eliga Gould guide us through Adams's revolutionary blueprint for American foreign policy and the founders' understanding that the United States would need to become a "treaty-worthy" nation before France would take it seriously. This is the second episode in a three-part series. Sara’s Website | Book Lige's Website | Book Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/444 EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:21 Three Legs of Independence 00:01:17 The Second Continental Congress Votes Independence 00:02:58 The Second Leg of Independence: Foreign Alliances 00:03:28 The Model Treaty 00:07:12 Why the Virginia Resolution Included Foreign Alliances 00:19:00 Specifics of the Model Treaty 00:21:30 Founders' Goals for the Model Treaty 00:28:21 The Model Treaty Drafting Committee 00:41:20 The Model Treaty as a Document 00:39:15 The Story of Common Sense 00:50:07 Commercial Alliances 01:04:42 The Model Treaty's Place in the American Revolution RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES 🎧 Episode 007: John Adams & the Adams Papers Documentary Project 🎧 Episode 128: American Revolutions: A Continental History 🎧 Episode 193: Partisans: The Friendship & Rivalry of Jefferson & Adams 🎧 Episode 432: How France & Spain Helped Save the American Revolution 🎧 Episode 433: Entangled Alliances: Haiti, France, & the American Revolution 🎧 Episode 443: How Independence Actually Happened, Pt 1: The Lee Resolution SUPPORT OUR WORK 🎁 Make a Donation to Ben Franklin’s World REQUEST A TOPIC 📨 Topic Request Form 📫 liz@benfranklinsworld.com WHEN YOU'RE READY 🗞️ BFW Gazette Newsletter 👩‍💻 Join the BFW Listener Community 🌍 Join the History Explorers Club TAKE THE QUIZ 🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes) 👉 https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/quiz LISTEN 🎧 🍎 Apple Podcasts 💚 Spotify 🎶 Amazon Music 🛜 Pandora CONNECT 🦋 Liz on Bluesky 👩‍💻 Liz on LinkedIn 🛜 Liz’s Website SAY THANKS 💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts 💚 Leave a rating on Spotify *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices