{"id":13396,"date":"2013-11-22T22:00:59","date_gmt":"2013-11-23T03:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=13396"},"modified":"2024-12-03T16:14:48","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T21:14:48","slug":"getting-to-goal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=13396","title":{"rendered":"Getting To Goal"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"22<\/a>Linda Burton posting from Dover, Delaware <\/i>\u2013 Of course I was bragging. \u201cThis is my 49th<\/sup> capitol,\u201d I said to Nathaniel and Michael, as we began our tour of Leg Hall. \u201cLeg Hall\u201d is the affectionate nickname for the Delaware state capitol, because it\u2019s where the legislature has met since 1933. It\u2019s a stately Georgian brick structure, in keeping with the history of the town; located in First State Heritage Park along with the Old State House and the Golden \"22<\/a>Fleece Tavern, all part of a complex of state buildings and historic moments. I was reveling in my own \u201chistoric moment\u201d as I continued my boast; \u201c49th<\/sup> out of 50! Only one to go and that\u2019s Annapolis. I\u2019m getting close!\u201d Both men nodded in approval, affirming they were impressed with my achievement. \u201cNice!\u201d said Michael, who was visiting from Texas. \u201cI\u2019ve\u00a0got twelve left to see myself. But, I have run a marathon in all 50 states.\u201d Well now, that was a topper. \u201cPicture time,\u201d I said, grinning. \u201cThis is a thumbs-up photo op. I\u2019ve never met anyone who has \"22<\/a>run 50 marathons, much less in every state!\u201d Michael posed for me, thumbs appropriately up. It\u2019s interesting what people do, and how much effort they\u2019ll put forth to achieve a goal. Tour guide Nathaniel led us into the Senate Chambers then, slipping into storytelling mode as he pointed to the murals above our heads, and told the tales of Delaware. They were people stories, of course; it\u2019s people who had the vision, and the goals; it\u2019s people who did what it took. Nathaniel pointed to the mural of a man on a horse; the sky had an eerie darkening cast; the trees were bare. Hurry! The horse reared up, the man\u2019s scarf flew behind. \u201cThat is Caesar Rodney,\u201d he began.<\/p>\n

I leaned forward in my chair as Nathaniel described Caesar Rodney\u2019s ride; I could see his mud-flicked face as he traveled through thunder and rain from his farm in Kent County to Philadelphia; I could feel the urgency. It was a desperate moment, the two delegates already in Philadelphia were deadlocked; the call had come for the tie-breaking vote. Did Delaware favor independence from British rule? Caesar Rodney wasn\u2019t well; he suffered from asthma; his face was disfigured by cancer. But when word came that his vote was crucial, he jumped to \"22<\/a>his horse and rode through the night; he rode until his horse could run no more; he stopped at taverns, or farms, to switch mounts, he kept going. It usually took three days to get to Philadelphia; Caesar Rodney got there in fifteen hours.<\/p>\n

The men meeting as the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia were wanted for treason; since the events at Lexington and Concord in 1775, the professional imperial army had attempted to arrest patriot leaders. The Olive Branch Petition was sent to King George in hopes of peaceful resolution, but he refused, declaring the colonies to be in a state of rebellion. He sent Hessian mercenaries to bring things under control; the moderate voices were dealt a blow and cries for independence grew stronger.<\/p>\n

The Continental Congress felt they\u2019d reached the point of no return; it was time to bring it to a vote. One of the Delaware delegates, George Read, cast his vote NO; the other, Thomas McKean, voted YES; the Delaware delegation was deadlocked.\u00a0That’s when the\u00a0message was sent to the third delegate, Caesar Rodney, to come despite his illness, and break the tie. \"22<\/a>Imagine this facially disfigured man entering Independence Hall, out of breath from the ride and likely wheezing from his asthma as well; mud-caked and wet, but determined. The sight of him prompted Read to change his vote; Delaware unanimously stood up\u00a0for independence. Caesar Rodney became one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence that day; yes, July 4, 1776.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy goodness!\u201d I said, taking a deep breath. \u201cThat was an exciting story. I\u2019ve never heard of Caesar Rodney. Longfellow didn\u2019t immortalize him in a poem, like Paul Revere!\u201d \u201cYes, sometimes people think that mural is of the Headless Horseman,\u201d Nathaniel laughed, \u201cbut Caesar Rodney is a hero to Delaware.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Leg Hall murals were done by Jack Lewis (1912-2012)\u00a0in 1987, to commemorate the 200th<\/sup> anniversary of the United States Constitution. Delaware is proud of its distinction as the \u201cFirst State,\u201d having been first to ratify the Constitution on December 7, 1787. The ten murals are acrylic on Masonite, and grace both the Senate and House chambers. Study the murals for a while and you have a good idea of Delaware history. (Yes, I noticed a bit of artistic license regarding the Rodney mural; the trees would not have been bare in July, I thought; but it conveys quite well the idea of overcoming obstacles in order to reach a goal.)<\/i><\/p>\n

Senate Murals<\/p>\n