and the delegates to the
Continental Congress meeting,
in Philadelphia, had taken a
preliminary vote on the proposed
resolution for independence.
Twelve of the 13 colonies had
either abstained or voted for the
resolution. But Delaware's vote
was split because Caesar Rodney,
one of three delegates from
Delaware, was sick with a high
fever from malignant cancer.
Recognizing it would surely
mean a bloody war with England,
delegates had agreed that in order
for the resolution to pass the
formal vote, the decision had to
Just One Voice
be unanimous. Any one of the 13
colonies had the power to silence
the declaration.
With the formal vote scheduled
for the next day, Rodney's vote
was needed to break the tie.
News of the vote made it to his
bedside in Dover, Del. Caesar
Rodney, feeling the weight of
responsibility, rose from his bed,
demanded a horse, and began the
80-mile journey.
Early the next afternoon he
arrived at Independence Hall
just as the vote was being taken.
Too weak to dismount and walk
inside, he was carried into the
Hall of Congress on a stretcher.
When General Washington
put forth the question, Rodney
responded, "I vote for
independence."
And with those words the tie
was broken. Independence was
declared.
Caesar Rodney's sense of
personal responsibility to be
present to vote prevented any
possible trip to England for
treatment of his cancer, which
eventually caused his death.
Yet his legacy is of a single vote
which echoes loudly throughout
history.
by Kenneth Copeland
Just One Voice
GOD
& YOU
Elections
2024
Our nation's history
and the history of God are filled with accounts of how one person has
the power to affect the destiny of a nation. Caesar Rodney was just such
a person. In his story we find out just how important one vote can be.
For each of us, it's our God-given right, our privilege and our solemn
responsibility to cast our one vote—to make our voice heard.
Caesar Rodney was just one
voice. History books scarcely
mention his name. He didn't
enjoy the notoriety of Thomas
Jefferson or Benjamin Franklin.
Yet, if you listen today, his voice
still echoes from sea to shining
sea.
Caesar Rodney's signature
is one of the 56 affixed to our
Declaration of Independence.
But how it got there is a
reminder of the power of a single
voice…and a lesson in personal
responsibility.
It was the summer of 1776,
