Rush took his seat in the Second Continental Congress on July 22, and signed the Declaration of Independence on August 2. He was the only signer holding a medical degree. In April 1777, Rush was commissioned surgeon general of the Middle Department of the Continental Army. In 1776, Rush signed the Declaration of Independence, marking his firm stance against British tyranny and his belief in the principles of freedom and self-governance. Benjamin Rush (January 4, 1746 [O.S. December 24, 1745] – April 19, 1813) was an American revolutionary, a Founding Father of the United States and signatory to the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and a civic leader in Philadelphia, where he was a physician, politician, social reformer, humanitarian, educator, and the founder of Dickinson Benjamin Rush was a regular writer, and many notes about the less well known signers of the Declaration come from his observations on the floor of Congress. Other members of congress, Franklin, and John Adams foremost, had some harsh observations to make about Rush. Benjamin Rush is best known for his political activities during the American Revolution, including signing the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Rush was one of the Founding Fathers who attended the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. He achieved various medical milestones. He also helped organizing the first anti-slavery society in America and was a major influence on Thomas Paine's text, 'Common Sense'. Benjamin Rush was a Physician who first recognized mental illness as a disease and signed the Declaration of Independence. Six months later they would all sign the Declaration of Independence. On July 22, 1776, Rush took his seat in Congress serving Pennsylvania. He was not yet elected on July 4 when independence was declared but he did proudly sign the Declaration with the other delegates on August 2, 1776. Dr. Benjamin Rush was a regular writer, and many notes about the less well known signers of the Declaration come from his observations on the floor of Congress. Other members of congress, Franklin, and John Adams foremost, had some harsh observations to make about Rush. Often assumed to depict the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Trumbull actually chose to immortalize the moment when the Committee of Five presented their draft of the Declaration to John Hancock and the Continental Congress. Stephen Fried's biography argues that Benjamin Rush — a pioneering physician, writer and a signatory to the Declaration of Independence — belongs on the historical tier of Benjamin Franklin. Biography credit here. Final Thoughts Benjamin Rush embodied the revolutionary spirit of the American founding in both his medical practice and political convictions. As one of only four physicians to sign the Declaration of Independence, he bridged the worlds of science and statecraft, bringing the same reformist zeal to both. Benjamin Rush, a physician who also signed the Declaration of Independence, was the first to a. produce bourbon whiskey b. refer to alcohol addiction as a disease c. recommend brandy after meals to aid digestion d. suggest that red wine reduces the risk of heart attacks. b. refer to alcohol addiction as a disease. Benjamin Rush, signer of America’s Declaration of Independence, was born on January 4, 1746, in Byberry Township, Pennsylvania, the son of a farmer and gunsmith. His father died when he was five and his mother supported the family by running a grocery store. In June 1776 he attended a Pennsylvania conference of patriots and helped draft a declaration of the colony's support for national independence. In recognition of these services, the following month the provincial convention sent him to Congress—after the adoption of the Declaration. As a member of the radical provincial conference in June 1776, he drafted a resolution urging independence and was soon elected to the Continental Congress, signing the Declaration of Independence with other members on August 2. Observing Independence Day festivities in July 1811, 35 years after members of the Continental Congress made their suicide pact, an aging Benjamin Rush lamented that the role the signers played had been overlooked. Benjamin Rush was a Founding Father, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Member of the Continental Army, and advocate for the ratification of the United States Constitution. Rush was also a prominent physician, educator, and proponent of women's rights and the abolition of slavery. Benjamin Rush was one of the major political leaders who participated in the American Revolution and signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence in 1776. A physician by profession, he was also an educator and writer. He was one of the leading figures of the intellectual American Enlightenment period along with Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. He believed in freedom for all Benjamin arrived at the Congress in time to vote on and sign the Declaration of Independence. He also represented Philadelphia at Pennsylvania’s Constitutional Convention and consulted with Thomas Paine when the latter was writing his highly influential pamphlet, Common Sense.
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