Caesar Rodney, a leader from Delaware

Devin Owen
MSMU Class of 2026

(7/2023) One thing about me is that I am incredibly partial to my roots: from the beach where the bay waves crash to the back roads filled with cornfields and the music of the singing of crickets and June bugs. I am someone incredibly passionate about my home, and my peers at the Mount learned that rather quickly given how often I spoke of the sweet and serene small towns of Delaware.

This favoring is what led to me to my desire to write on Caesar Rodney, an original resident of the small state of Delaware. Born near Dover, DE in 1728, Rodney—according to history.com—spent his life serving as an "assemblyman, delegate, and state president" whilst also playing a rather crucial role in the American Revolution. He may not have been an active leader in the revolution, but as the General of the Delaware forces, he did supply soldiers with necessities such as food.

Dover is a town about 40 or so minutes away from my hometown of Lewes. It’s funny; until this prompt, I was never aware of who Caesar Rodney was, even though there is a high school named after him in his hometown. The school is known as the "Caesar Rodney Riders," which is in reference to Rodney’s midnight ride to Philadelphia’s Independence Hall. Many associate the Midnight Ride with Mister Paul Revere and his supposed shouts of "the British are coming!" Yet, Rodney’s ride was far more important in the entirety of the matter as he cast the deciding vote for Delaware’s independence from Great Britain. His ride had the greater impact on the future of the colonies that would later become the free and independent states we now know. The other two Delaware founders, Thomas McKean and George Read, were at odds with decision; while McKean was for the split from Britain, Read most certainly was not, which led to the need for Rodney’s immediate presence in Philadelphia to cast the deciding vote. It’s interesting to think that for such a small state, Delaware needed three founders/assemblymen to decide what should be the conclusion for the future of their independence.

Throughout his ride, Rodney was in a great deal of pain due to his cancerous affliction in the face. The affliction was so awful that it had completely disfigured his features to the point that he was left forced to wear a green, silk veil to prevent upsetting those who may have seen him—though, this silk veil only drew more attention to him. That being said, he was advised against activities such as intense riding, given that they could be detrimental towards his health.

According to US History online, another well-known figure of this time, John Adams, described Rodney as "...the oddest looking man in the world; he is tall, thin and slender as a reed, pale; his face is not bigger than a large apple, yet there is sense and fire, spirit, wit and humor in this countenance." This spirit that Adams spoke of is what made Caesar Rodney so memorable, especially because, who in their right mind would ride from Delaware to Philadelphia on horseback just to cast a vote? Who would risk their life to break a tied vote? Who would love to see the future of America come to be so badly that he pushed himself to the brink of collapse? Caesar Rodney not only would have; he did so.

For those who might think that Rodney’s significance ends with his ride to Independence Hall, I, with the utmost joy, must inform you that you’d be mistaken. Following his ride, Rodney was tasked with juggling the responsibilities of being a General in the Continental Army as well as a delegate to the Continental Congress. Following these tasks, Rodney was elected to be the first president of Delaware in 1778, making him a crucial piece of Delaware’s history. All that being said, and Rodney’s importance still has not yet ended; after his presidential term of two years, he was elected as a state legislator, which he went on to serve as for another two years.

Rodney’s spirit and fire eventually gave out in 1784, where he died in his hometown of Dover at the hand of the cancer he had been battling for so long. Having never married, Rodney only left behind those who knew him and, most importantly, his legacy.

I find it rather refreshing that I was given the opportunity to not only immerse myself in the knowledge and history of my home state, but knowledge and history of my country as well. How cool is it to say that one of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence is from the state in which you grew up in and call home? As I said earlier, Caesar Rodney is a well-known name in the state of Delaware; yet in the grand scheme of things, his is not a name commonly known in regard to the part he played in our separation from Great Britain. I find that idea quite saddening, given the efforts he went through in order to make the tiebreaking decision on whether or not Delaware would go to war—the incredibly crucial decision as to whether or not we would have our freedom.

That all being said, I ask you to close your eyes and picture the Fourth of July festivities which you may partake in each year—whether it be outdoor games, barbeques, watching fireworks, going to the beach, or any other traditions you might have—and I urge you to ask yourselves: why do you partake in such traditions? What makes this day one which should call for celebration? To answer these questions, think of the efforts those who signed the Declaration of Independence went through in order to do so; think of the efforts that simple men, who lived their daily lives in an "ordinary" way similar to us, went through in order to fight for our freedom.

Isn’t it neat that someone like Caesar Rodney, from a small town such as Dover, could have (and did) have such an impact on the future of our history?