Second Continental Congress and Declaration of Independence
John Trumbull's Declaration of Independence - Benjamin Harrison V is seated at the table far left
The Second Continental Congress, including Harrison, convened in May of 1775. During the Congress he resided in a house in north Philadelphia with Peyton Randolph and George Washington. He remained there alone after Washington assumed command of the Continental Army and Randolph died. Harrison, in attendance to the session's end in July 1776, served frequently as Chairman of the Committee of the Whole in the Congress, presided over the final debates on the independence resolution offered by Virginia delegateRichard Henry Lee, and presided as well over the debates and amendments to the final Declaration itself.
On June 28, 1776, Jefferson's draft including initial alterations of the Declaration of Independence was reported to Congress by the Committee of Five charged with the initial drafting.The Congress resolved on July 1 that the Declaration be considered by Harrison's Committee of the Whole. Having further amended the Declaration on July 2 and 3, the Committee adopted the Declaration in final form on Thursday, July 4; Harrison duly reported this to the Congress, and delivered to Congress a final reading of the Declaration. The Declaration was then unanimously agreed upon and Congress resolved to have the Declaration engrossed and signed by those present, which signing took place on August 2, 1776.
Harrison was indisputably known for his sense of humor. Even detractor John Adams conceded in his diary that "Harrison's contributions and many pleasantries steadied rough sessions." Indeed, while preparing to sign the Declaration, the rather rotund Harrison famously quipped to Elbridge Gerry, who had taken his place at the table to sign: "I shall have a great advantage over you, Mr. Gerry, when we are all hung for what we are now doing. From the size and weight of my body I shall die in a few minutes and be with the angels, but from the lightness of your body you will dance in the air an hour or two before you are dead."
Revolutionary War
Harrison would indeed soon witness the Declaration's consequences, both politically and personally. He returned to the re-convening Congress in Philadelphia in November and assumed duties required in the conduct of the war. He, along with a number of other delegates, went to Cambridge with George Washington to plan the continuing, supporting and regulating of the Continental army.[19] Harrison also worked closely with fellow delegates specifically for the defense of South Carolina, New York and Massachusetts. His service was requested as a member of the Committee of Secret Correspondence for the Congress, and also as Chairman of the Board of War during the Revolution. From December of 1776 until March of 1777 the Congress was forced by threat from British forces to remove itself to Baltimore, a location which Harrison did not prefer. A similar relocation was again required the following fall, to Pennsylvania on that occasion.
Harrison found himself at odds with Washington over Marquis de Lafayette's commission, which Harrison insisted was honorary only and without pay. He also created controversy in his endorsement of the rights of Quakers not to bear arms in accordance with their religion. He unsuccessfully argued, throughout the formation of the Articles of Confederation, that Virginia be given greater numerical representation than other states based on population and land mass. Harrison's Congressional membership ended in October 1777 and he returned to Virginia where he quickly renewed his efforts in the House of Burgesses, retaining the Speakership until 1780.
In December of 1780, a British force of 2,000 led by American turncoat Benedict Arnold was positioned at the mouth of the James River and Harrison was called upon to return immediately to Philadelphia and make request for military support in his state. Knowing that Berkeley was one of Arnold's primary targets, Harrison relocated his family before setting out. In Philadelphia his pleas for Virginia were heard, and he succeedied in obtaining increased gunpowder, supplies and troops, but only on a delayed basis. Meanwhile Arnold advanced up the James, wreaking havoc on both sides of the river. Though the Harrison family avoided capture in Arnold's January raid on Berkeley, Arnold ensured that no likeness of the family would survive, intently removing and burning all family portraits. Most of Harrison's possessions, and a large portion of the house were destroyed. Other signers were similarly targeted, with more horrific consequences. Harrison took up the rehabilitation of his home, then returned to his correspondence with Washington and continued efforts to obtain armaments, troops and clothing supplies for other southern states.
The Virginia Assembly, led in 1781 by Gov. Thomas Jefferson, Speaker Harrison, Thomas Nelson and others encountered difficulties and danger in government affairs similar to those previously experienced at the Congress; advancing British forces led by Banastre Tarleton harassed the Assembly. Gov. Jefferson called a special session of the Assembly in Richmond, but the British threat forced session adjournments westward, first to Charlottesville and then again further to Staunton.
Governor of Virginia
The Yorktown victory in October 1781 provided only brief respite for Harrison, then age 55, who began on November 30 to serve as the fifth Governor of Virginiauntil 1784. The primary problem he confronted was money - as in other colonies, the coffers of the Virginia treasury were decimated by the war and the government was plagued by creditors, both domestic and foreign. It was clear that there was no capacity for military action outside of the immediate area, so Harrison steadfastly opposed offensive action sought against Indians in the Kentucky and Illinois country. He alternatively pursued a policy of treating with the Cherokee, Chickasaw and Creek Indian tribes, which allowed peace to last, at least for the remainder of his term.[26]
Though the treaty in Paris formally ended the Revolutionary War, Harrison struggled with residual incursions by the British militia. Incidents of mutiny in the Continental Army, as well as British prisoners released and at large, posed additional problems for the Governor. As his term approached its end, he continued to lament the persistent debts of the government, which remained beyond his ability to extinguish.
Return to Legislature and Death
Harrison was delighted to give warm reception to Gen. Washington on his visit to Berkeley in 1784, shortly before the end of his governorship.
In 1788, Harrison participated as a member of the Virginia Ratifying Convention for the Federal Constitution. However, being skeptical of a foreseeably large central government, Harrison, along with Patrick Henry and other men of prominence, opposed the constitution because of the absence of a bill of rights.
Harrison later ran for a seat in the House of Burgesses representing Charles City County, but he was defeated by John Tyler, Sr., the father of the future president John Tyler; not to be deterred, Harrison ran for, and was elected to represent Surry County; he regained his speakership of the House, at the time when that body adopted Thomas Jefferson's Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. In 1790 he was proposed as a candidate to return to the governorship, but declined in favor of his good friend Beverley Randolph.
He continued his work in the House until his death, in April 1791 at his home Berkeley after a dinner party celebrating his final electoral success.