Why did the votes for the declaration have to be unanimous?

Answer 1

All colonies needed to adopt the Declaration of Independence because the founding fathers felt that only with the strength of all 13 colonies could they defeat the British.

In the event of a majority rule, or even a super-majority. some colonies would feel rather uneasy with declaring independence from the strongest military in the world, causing division among the colonies, and likely a failure in the war.

Answer 2

Because, if the signers weren't unanimous about their decisions, then they would fight about what to put in the Declaration, and it might not have been signed that way.

hope i helped, love, KYLE

Answer 3

I assume you mean the Declaration of Independence.

The proximate cause is that a resolution was passed requiring a unanimous vote. However, that's a bit facile.

The reason this was thought to be a good idea was this. Let's imagine it's 13 people in a neighborhood instead of 13 colonies, and they're voting on leaving the town they're part of and forming a new one.

If not everyone in the neighborhood wants to be part of the new town, that's a problem. If it comes down to fighting against the town, they might wind up fighting on the side of the town, so it's in the best interest of those who really want to form a new town to make sure that all the neighbors are on board with this.

Now, if somebody who wants to stay part of the town is on the edge of the neighborhood, that's less of a problem. You just don't invite him to the meeting, because it doesn't really concern him (which is more or less what happened with Canada). However, if there's somebody who wants to stay in the old town right smack in the middle of the neighborhood, that's a much bigger problem, particularly if you have to go through his yard to get from one part of the neighborhood to another.

So the delegates all agreed that unless everyone voted for independence, they'd hold off. If, say, Georgia had said "Naw, thanks, y'all" (though people from Georgia probably didn't actually talk like that at the time) then the other colonies might have said "Okay, fair enough, meeting over" and then held another meeting later without inviting Georgia. Pennsyvania or Delaware voting no would have been a more significant issue.

Answer 4

Because John Dickinson, a delegate from Pennsylvania, passed a resolution requiring the vote for Independence to be unanimous.

Answer 5

hi there...i think that it was because they needed to be secret