nor any influence over them
except what they had over their dependents and the families with whom
they had formed connections. They were noisy and troublesome as a
_faction_, but not sufficient in numbers or influence to constitute a
_party_, properly speaking.

There was like unity among the colonies in regard to the _defence_ and
_support_ of the rights and liberties which they claimed. There was,
indeed, doubt on the part of a few, and but a few, comparatively, as to
the wisdom and expediency of taking arms and meeting the King's officers
and troops in the field of battle in support of their rights; but all
agreed that they should defend themselves and their property when
attacked by the King's troops, whether attacked by the King's orders or
not; for they held that their title to their property and constitutional
rights was as sacred and divine as that of the King to his throne.[386]

The question of questions with the General Congress on its assembling
in May, 1776, was what measures should be adopted for the defence of
their violated and invaded rights, and upon what grounds should that
defence be conducted? For the first time in the General Congress was it
proposed to abandon the ground on which they had vindicated and
maintained their rights as British subjects in their several
Legislatures and Conventions for eleven years, and successfully defended
them by force of arms for more than one year, or to avow entire
separation from the mother country, and declare absolute independence as
the ground of maintaining their rights and liberties?

There had long been some prominent men who held republican sentiments,
and some newspapers had in 1775 mooted the idea of separation from the
mother country. Such views prevailed widely in Massachusetts; there had
always been a clique of Congregational Republicans and Separationists in
Boston, from the days of Cromwell. They looked back upon the halcyon
days when none but Congregationalists could hold office--civil,
judicial, or military--or even exercise the elective franchise, and the
disclaimers of any earthly king; and though the separation from the
mother country and renunciation of monarchical government was carefully
avoided in the official documents of Massachusetts, as it was disclaimed
in the strongest terms in the official papers of other colonies, yet the
sentiment of hostility to monarchy and of separation from England was
artfully inculcated in resolutions, addr