Independence nearly failed. On July 1, 1776, the vote fell short — the colonies split, the alliance cracking — and one man who could break the tie was eighty miles away, dying of cancer, when a violent thunderstorm rolled in. Caesar Rodney rode anyway. This is the story of the reluctant year, the man who stepped aside for a cause he opposed, the dying rider in the rain, and the strange truth about why we celebrate on the wrong day. The things we call inevitable were never guaranteed. They hung by a thread.

Day 5 of our seven-part salute to America’s 250th birthday.

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Seven stories. Seven days. One country. 🇺🇸