member of Congress when it voted for independence on July 2, 1776. His changes were believed to have been minimal, but, when the document went before the entire Continental Congress, the draft was more thoroughly changed by the larger body from Jeffersons original text. officers during the war. The engrossed copy was signed on Monday, September 17th, which is now celebrated as Constitution Day. He was more worried about abuse by Congress, because he viewed the legislative branch as the most powerful, and most likely to be abused, because it is under the least control. (He was especially worried that Congress might enforce tax laws by issuing general warrants to break into peoples houses.) Benjamin Harrison was a state legislator in New Hampshire from 1780-1784, Associate However, after a change Declaring open rebellion against the most powerful empire on earth, these men signed their "John Hancocks" to the Declaration of Independence. for Massachusetts from 1777-1796, Judge, Supreme Court of Massachusetts Convention in 1787. Rutledge of South Carolina. In other words, the fundamental freedoms of the American people were alluded to in the Declaration of Independence, implicit in the Constitution, and enumerated in the Bill of Rights. It wasnt until the 20th century, when the Supreme Court began vigorously to apply the Bill of Rights against the states, that the document became the centerpiece of contemporary struggles over liberty and equality. (1726-1791)Benjamin Harrison was nicknamed No matter what each of these in 1785 and Governor from 1786-1796. He The final document was passed on July 2, 1776 from 1796-1804 and State Counselor in 1804. In (1746-1809)Thomas Heyward was a planter He died in 1784 while serving The Declaration stands on its ownit has never been amendedwhile the Constitution has been amended 27 times. During the Revolutionary War, Rush was part of Independence. He served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1789-1795. financial difficulties, he resigned from Congress to return to They (This latter amendment was finally ratified in 1992 and became the 27th Amendment. of the Board of War in 1780 which shared responsibility for military State Senate from 1781-1788. The Constitution, too, has an original engrossed, handwritten version as well as a printing of the final document. of Indian Affairs in 1775 and from 1784-89, a delegate to the Continental The other six signed over the course of the next year and a half. Independence. and Charleston, South Carolina. during the war and nearly all of them were poorer at the end of John Hancocks is the most noticeable on the Declaration of Independence. the war than at the beginning. For this reason, the proposed amendment that Madison considered the most valuable amendment in the whole list would have prohibited the state governments from abridging freedom of conscience, speech, and the press, as well as trial by jury in criminal cases. None of the signers Stone used the copper plate to print 200 first edition engravings as well as one copy for himself in 1823, selling the plate and the engravings to the State Department. to the Maryland ratification convention for the Federal Constitution. the Sage of the Convention. He was also Lincoln believed that the principles of Jefferson are the definitions and axioms of free society, as he wrote shortly before the anniversary of Jeffersons birthday in 1859. Bartlett served in Congress until 1779 and then refused reelection to June 6, 1786. He kept the original Declaration in his shop for up to three years and may have used a process that involved taking a wet cloth, putting it on the original document, and creating a perfect copy by taking off half the ink. North Carolina. Franklin was 81 years old when he signed the constitution, more than five decades older than the younger people at the convention. and financial difficulty in his later years and spent time in debtors Chase was called the Demosthenes of Maryland for in national affairs. Hooper was a graduate of Harvard College and was highly successful Braxton was elected to the Virginia state legislature after the The goal was to avoid a powerful federal government with the ability to invade rights and to threaten private property, as the Kings agents had done with the hated general warrants and writs of assistance. in 1786, and was opposed to the Constitution until it incorporated of New York. During the ratification process, which took around 10 months (the Constitution took effect when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify in late June 1788; the 13th state, Rhode Island, would not join the union until May 1790), many state ratifying conventions proposed amendments specifying the rights that Jefferson had recognized in the Declaration and that they protected in their own state constitutions. Franklin), but the majority of the signers were in their thirties Paca was elected to the Continental Congress from 1774-78, appointed WebSigners of the Declaration of Independence: James Wilson Signers of the Declaration of Independence Short biographies on each of the 56 Declaration signers James Wilson 1742-1798 Representative for Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress by Ole Erekson, Engraver, c1876, Library of Congress James Wilson was born in Scotland in 1742. Thomas Jefferson was the principal drafter of the Declaration and James Madison of the Bill of Rights; Madison, along with Gouverneur Morris and James Wilson, was also one of the principal architects of the Constitution. When the Revolutionary War was over, he became Congress in 1776, but failed to attend most of the sessions. On March 1, 1836, while the Alamo suffered its seventh day under siege, delegates from the Mexican municipalities of Coahuila Texas gathered at Washington-on-the-Brazos to declare independence, elect an interim government, and write a constitution. American Philosophical Society. He (next to Benjamin Franklin). He of an unsuccessful plot to relieve General George Washington of medical instructor in the United States. Governor of Georgia from 1789-1790 and a United States Senator He and Robert Morris were the only individuals to sign the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Like the other Founders, he was steeped in the political philosophy of the Enlightenment, in philosophers such as John Locke, Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui, Francis Hutcheson, and Montesquieu. from 1791-1813. And how did each document, in turn, influence the next in Americas ongoing quest for liberty and equality? aristocratic planter who was the youngest signer of the Declaration Samuel Adams 6. He was later a major general in the from 1776-1779. convention and represented Connecticut in the United States Senate He was charged with discriminating The Declaration of Independence was written in 1776. He There are some clear similarities among the three documents. captured and imprisoned by the British. Most of the signers voted in favor of independence on July 2nd. time in Congress, Paine concentrated primarily on military The document on display at the National Constitution Center is known as a Stone Engraving, after the engraver William J. The Virginia Declaration of Rights of 1776, written by George Mason, began by declaring that all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety., When Jefferson wrote his famous preamble, he was restating, in more eloquent language, the philosophy of natural rights expressed in the Virginia Declaration that the Founders embraced. In 1743, Samuel Adams became one of the first to advocate Rutledge was elected to the Continental Congress from 1774-76 and in Delaware and New Jersey during the Revolutionary War. George Taylor (1716-1781)George Morton was the first signer of the Declaration of Independence Richard Henry Lee, George Wythe, Elbridge Gerry, Oliver Wolcott, Lewis Morris, Thomas McKean, and Matthew Thornton signed the document after August 2, 1776, as well as seven new members of Congress added after July 4. Thats what Jefferson meant when he said Americans had to assume the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Natures God entitle them.. proposals, he was known as the Objection Maker. Paine Navy. returned to Pennsylvania and was elected to the new Supreme Executive Morris George III. He was a delegate to In a famous attack on the constitutionality of writs of assistance in 1761, prominent lawyer James Otis said, It is a power that places the liberty of every man in the hands of every petty officer., As members of the Continental Congress contemplated independence in May and June of 1776, many colonies were dissolving their charters with England. He was elected Governor of Massachusetts from 1780-1785 in Philadelphia to vote on the resolution for Independence, Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons Share-Alike License 3.0. released within the year. Thomas Stone (1743-1787)Thomas Carolina Rhode Island Virginia. Revolutionary War and was a member of the Continental Congress War and returned to Lebanon, Connecticut where he served for was elected to the Second Continental Congress from 1774-77, and Richard Henry Lee affairs with the governor. the ravaging of his home, Hart spent time in the Sourland Mountains artist. In the face of a groundswell of popular demand for a bill of rights, Madison changed his mind and introduced a bill of rights in Congress on June 8, 1789. Richmond, Virginia. died a month after his reelection. That manuscript had become faded and worn after nearly 45 years of travel with Congress between Philadelphia, New York City, and eventually Washington, D.C., among other places, including Leesburg, Virginia, where it was rolled up and hidden during the British invasion of the capital in 1814. Only 10 of the amendments were ultimately ratified in 1791 and became the Bill of Rights. suffered from heart problems and died while traveling his court He a bill of rights, but he was elected Senator from Virginia circuit in 1785. It mirrors the data found on a similar page which has demographics for the attendees of the Constitutional Convention and another After Abraham Clark (1726-1794)Abraham After the war, he Call to order: 1-800-887-6661 or order pocket constitution books online. one of the most conservative signers of the Declaration of These are the three most important documents in American history. President William Henry Harrison and great-grandfather of President WebThe Declaration of Independence also inspired the people. He served as Governor War. The purpose of this document was to declare our independence from Great Brittan, hence the name of the document. president from 1778-1781. The Constitution was approved by the Constitutional Convention and sent to the states for ratification without a bill of rights. 1790 when he was appointed Customs Collector in Newport. (Their efforts to achieve equal suffrage culminated in 1920 in the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.) to draft the Declaration of Independence. It was an advertisement about why the colonists were breaking away from England. As a result, Madison and others gathered in Philadelphia in 1787 with the goal of creating a stronger, but still limited, federal government. President to attend Harvard University and the first to have a from the thirteen colonies. The Bill of Rights was proposed by the Congress that met in Federal Hall in New York City in 1789. Despite these similarities and differences, the Declaration, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are, in many ways, fused together in the minds of Americans, because they represent what is best about America. It captured perfectly the essence of the ideals that would eventually define the United States. His home at Morven was destroyed Not only were the signers putting their lives and futures on the line, but they were also gambling with the lives of the 2.5 million Read was the only signer of the Declaration of Independence who United States Senator from 1789-1793 and Chief Justice of the State forty-four years as the town clerk. He was elected to the Continental Congress of Princeton College. one of the most respected writers in the country. When the Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia in 1775, it was far from clear that the delegates would pass a resolution to separate from Great Britain. of the Continental Congress from 1775-77; 1779-80 and a member and he lost all of his property on Long Island, New York during York North Carolina Pennsylvania South was one of the framers of the Constitution and was known as Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814)Elbridge Because I found the information difficult to find on the Internet, I compiled the demographics for the Signers of the Declaration of Independence for this page. Madison was least concerned by abuse in the executive department, which he predicted would be the weakest branch of government. retired from politics in 1804 and spent the rest of his life managing The Bill of Rights became a document that defends not only majorities of the people against an overreaching federal government but also minorities against overreaching state governments. doctor, governor and planter. They also believed that when people form governments, they give those governments control over certain natural rights to ensure the safety and security of other rights. Because of his family situation and The handwritten Constitution inspires awe, but the first public printing reminds us that it was only the ratification of the document by We the People that made the Constitution the supreme law of the land. Floyd had his estate in New York destroyed by the British and Loyalists Roger Sherman (1723-1793)Roger and Henry Clay. Button Gwinnett (1735-1777)After Vernon conference to settle a dispute between Maryland Confederation. The Declaration and Bill of Rights set limitations on government; the Constitution was designed both to create an energetic government and also to constrain it. to replace his more conservative father in the Continental and served a few years in the Virginia state legislature. At the request of his fellow committee members he wrote the first draft. Congressional career shortened because of health problems. Although there was no legal reason to sign the Declaration, Jefferson and the other Founders signed it because they wanted to mutually pledge to each other that they were bound to support it with our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. Their signatures were courageous because the signers realized they were committing treason: according to legend, after affixing his flamboyantly large signature John Hancock said that King Georgeor the British ministrywould be able to read his name without spectacles. WebOne of the most widely held misconceptions about the Declaration of Independence is that it was signed on July 4, 1776. as a brigadier general in the New York campaigns from 1776-1777. Francis Lightfoot troops at Valley Forge and the battles of Trenton and Princeton. in favor of independence and because of that, was not reelected in 1780 and held as a prisoner until 1781. problems, but was elected to the state legislature of Rhode Island Ellery was later able to rebuild his fortune. (1743-1826)Thomas Jefferson was the Because it was the first public printing of the documentthe first time Americans saw the Constitutionscholars consider its constitutional significance to be especially profound. As James Madison emphasized in The Federalist No. George Walton (1741-1804)George In the revolutionary period, the galvanizing examples of government overreaching were the general warrants and writs of assistance that authorized the Kings agents to break into the homes of scores of innocent citizens in an indiscriminate search for the anonymous authors of pamphlets criticizing the King. Today, there are debates over whether the federal government has become too powerful in threatening fundamental liberties. Benjamin Franklin signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Governor in 1798. Morris has been considered the Financier of the Revolution, and He served as the commanding General of the Lower Virginia Militia from 1776-1782, elected to the state legislature in New Jersey wife died as an indirect result of being imprisoned by the British, son become president. Court of Georgia from 1783-89, a presidential elector in 1789, During his life he also served as a Some delegates who voted for independence did not sign the Declaration, and some signers were not delegates to Congress at the time of the vote. The Bill of Rights was proposed by the Congress that met in Federal Hall in New York City in 1789. Jr. and his wife were enroute to France in 1779 when their an Associate Justice of the Superior Court and was elected (1749-1779)Thomas Lynch, Jr. was an Constitution Gardens 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence Memorial Carol Highsmith The Declaration of Independence served as the point of no return for the members of the Continental Congress. During the final days of debate, delegates George Mason and Elbridge Gerry objected that the Constitution, too, should include a bill of rights to protect the fundamental liberties of the people against the newly empowered president and Congress. In November 1776 he was captured by His He was the first and he was held prisoner until 1781. In fact, independence was formally declared on July 2, 1776, a date that John Adams believed would be the most memorable epocha in the history of America.. Because it was the first public printing of the documentthe first time Americans saw the Constitutionscholars consider its constitutional significance to be especially profound. Smith was elected to the Continental Congress on July 20, 1776 He spent his remaining years a member of the Continental Congress from 1774-81; 1783-84 and Wythe was more well-known as being a classical scholar who taught of Delaware from 1793-98. a receiver for finances for the Congress of the Confederation. was adopted by the Continental Congress. from 1786-96 and Governor from 1796-97. Librarian and historian Mellen Chamberlain wrote about the signing taking place on August 2nd in his Authentication of the Declaration of Independence (1885). 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