July ... 1774

Everyone knows about my authorship of the Declaration of Independence but few know about a piece I wrote two years prior that cemented my reputation.

In July 1774, I set pen to paper to draft what would become A Summary View of the Rights of British America. My primary intent was to provide a rigorous set of instructions for our Virginia delegates as they prepared to depart for the First Continental Congress.

Though a sudden illness prevented me from attending the Virginia Convention myself, my allies received my manuscript and saw fit to publish it anonymously in Williamsburg in August 1774. From there, it spread to Philadelphia and across the Atlantic to London, thrusting my name directly into the view of the British Crown.

First, I denied Parliament's authority over us. I boldly stated that the British Parliament had absolutely no right to legislate for the American colonies, branding them a body foreign to our constitutions.

Second, I redefined our relationship with the King. I argued that our only political bond to Great Britain was a voluntary allegiance to King George III, rather than any forced submission to a Parliament we did not elect.

Third, I openly challenged the Crown. I listed our grievances plainly and warned the King that he was merely a chief magistrate, reminding him that kings are the servants, not the proprietors of the people.

The radical nature of these arguments marked me as a dangerous man in the eyes of the British government, but it ultimately paved the way for the work I was chosen to do two years later.