Caesar Rodney’s Ride

Caesar Rodney was no ordinary man. He was a physician, a farmer, and a military officer who had served in the Delaware Assembly. He was also one of the most ardent supporters of independence, but on the day of the vote, he was in Delaware, a 70-mile journey away from Philadelphia. Rodney had been in poor health and had been unable to attend the Continental Congress for some time. But on the day of the vote, he knew he had to be there. Delaware’s vote was still uncertain; the state had only two delegates in the Continental Congress, and one of them, Thomas McKean, was already in favor of independence. The other delegate, George Read, was firmly against it...