Pennsylvania Provincial Conference

39°56′53″N 75°08′50″W / 39.94814°N 75.14722°W / 39.94814; -75.14722TypeProvincial CongressCauseOutbreak of the American Revolutionary WarOutcomePennsylvania declared its independence from Great Britain
Procedure set for electing delegates to state constitutional convention

The Pennsylvania Provincial Conference, officially the Provincial Conference of Committees of the Province of Pennsylvania, was a Provincial Congress held June 18–25, 1776 at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia. The 97 delegates in attendance (out of 103 appointed) involved themselves in issues relating to declaring Pennsylvania's support for independence and to planning for a subsequent gathering that would develop Pennsylvania's new Frame of Government. They achieved these objectives by formally:

  • Declaring Pennsylvania's independence from the British Empire, thus birthing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
  • Mobilizing the Pennsylvania militia for the American Revolutionary War,
  • Organizing elections to select delegates to a constitutional convention – which framed the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776.[1]

As the last holdout among the Thirteen Colonies to declare independence, the conference's actions had a profound impact on American public opinion and facilitated the issuing of the Declaration of Independence shortly afterward by the Continental Congress.[1][2]

Delegates

Following is a list of those who attended the Pennsylvania Provincial Conference.[2][3]

From Bedford County:

  • David Davidson
  • David Espy
  • John Piper

From Berks County:

  • Mark Bird
  • Valentine Eckerd
  • Henry Haller
  • Joseph Hiester
  • David Hunter
  • Nicholas Lutz
  • Jacob Morgan
  • Bodo Otto
  • Charles Shoemaker
  • Benjamin Spiker

From Bucks County:

From Chester County:

  • Caleb Davis
  • Evan Evans
  • William Evans
  • Samuel Fairlamb
  • Lewis Grono
  • Thomas Horkley
  • Thomas Levis
  • Colonel Hugh Lloyd
  • William Montgomery
  • John Morton
  • Elisha Price
  • Richard Reiley
  • Richard Thomas

From Cumberland County:

  • Hugh Alexander
  • William Clark
  • John M. Clay
  • John Colhoon
  • John Creigh
  • William Elliot
  • John Harris
  • James M. Lane
  • Hugh McCormick

From Lancaster County:

  • William Augustus Atlee
  • William Brown
  • James Cunningham
  • Bartram Galbraith
  • Andrew Graaf
  • David Jenkins
  • Lodowick Lowman
  • Alexander Lowrey
  • John Smiley

From Northampton County:

  • David Deshler
  • Benjamin Dupue
  • Nicholas Depue
  • Neigal Gray
  • Robert Levers
  • John Wetzel

From Philadelphia:

From Philadelphia County:

  • Frederick Antes
  • Mathew Brook
  • John Bull
  • Enoch Edwards
  • Henry Hill
  • Robert Lewis
  • Robert Loller
  • Joseph Mather

From Westmoreland County:

From York County:

  • Richard M. Chester
  • James Egar
  • David Kennedy
  • Robert McPherson
  • William Rankin
  • James Read
  • Henry Slagle
  • James Smith

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Baumann, Roland M. (1989). "The Pennsylvania Revolution". ushistory.org. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Gibson, James (1934). "The Pennsylvania Provincial Conference of 1776". The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 58 (4). University of Pennsylvania Press: 312–341. JSTOR 20086878.
  3. ^ "Birth of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania". ushistory.org. Historical Society of Pennsylvania transcription from a copy of the original Proceedings of the Provincial Conference of Committees of the Province of Pennsylvania, as printed by W. and T. Bradford. Retrieved July 24, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

External links

  • A Background to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, via ushistory.org