Days after open warfare with the British finally began in Lexington and Concord, the Continental Congress met for the second time to discuss the war effort. Unlike the first Congress, this one no longer considered diplomacy a way out; instead, they focused their attention on conducting the war and creating a broad statement of independence from the Crown. Congress chose five well-known politicians to draft that statement: Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of Connecticut and Robert R. Livingston of New York.

On this day, June 11, in 1776 the Committee of Five was selected to create the document listing America’s reason for succession from the British crown, in the event that the full Congress would take that step.

The statement that would become the Declaration of Independence made up the last several paragraphs of the Committee of Five document: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Congress pointedly decided to leave out the condemnation of Britain over the practice of slave trading. It would take another war to resolve that.