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As Independence Day draws near, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a look who the 56 signers of the Declaration were. We drew on sources such as USHistory.org, the website of the non-profit Philadelphia Most of the signers were American born although eight were foreign born. The ages of the signers ranged from 26 (Edward Rutledge) to 70 (Benjamin Franklin), but the majority of the signers were in their thirties or forties. July 4, 1776: The day the American dream of independence was born and how it changed history The American Revolution was a turning point in modern history. It was one of the first successful John Morton (1725-1777)—John Morton was the first signer of the Declaration of Independence to die and was one of nine signers from Pennsylvania. He was elected to the Second Continental Congress from 1774-77, and was the chairman of the committee that reported the Articles of Confederation. John Hancock (1737-1793) • State: Massachusetts Hancock, a Massachusetts native who studied business at Harvard College, was the first man to sign the Declaration of Independence. DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE LESSON GETTING TO KNOW THE SIGNERS THROUGH ROLE PLAY * For 10 years prior to the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, American colonists and the British government argued over money and control. The colonists were unhappy with the taxes they were forced to pay and their lack of representation in the British government which controlled colonial life. July 2, 1776, is the day that the Second Continental Congress voted for independence and for two days, delegates debated and edited the Declaration written over a three-week period by Thomas Jefferson. It is generally believed that John Hancock as the President of Congress was the only delegate to sign the Declaration on July 4 th. The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence occurred primarily on August 2, 1776, at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, later to become known as Independence Hall. The signers of the Declaration of Independence are characterized here, and we have also listed each person below in alphabetical order, followed by their age at the time the Declaration was signed. Born on April 13, 1743, near present-day Charlottesville, Virginia, Thomas Jefferson was the primary drafter of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States. Rumor: Michelle Obama stated that the signers of the Declaration of Independence were not 'born in America.' Most of the signers were American born although eight were foreign born. The ages of the signers ranged from 26 (Edward Rutledge) to 70 (Benjamin Franklin), but the majority of the signers were in their thirties or forties. More than half of the signers were lawyers and the others were planters, merchants and shippers. Brief but detail-rich biographies of all the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Eight Signers were born in Europe. James Smith, George Taylor and Matthew Thorton were born in Ireland. Robert Morris and Button Gwinnett were born in England. James Wilson and John Witherspoon were born in Scotland. Finally, Francis Lewis was born in Wales. The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July, 4, 1776. Influenced by Enlightenment ideals of fundamental rights and freedoms, it provided both the foundation and the guiding principles for the new nation. On July 19, 1776, Congress ordered that the Declaration be engrossed on parchment—copied and written into large 48 of the 56 signers were born in America. Two were born in England (Button Gwinnett, Robert Morris), two in Ireland (George Taylor, Matthew Thornton), two in Scotland (James Wilson, John Witherspoon), one in Northern Ireland (James Smith), and one in Wales (Francis Lewis). Information obtained from: American Council of Learned Societies. American National Biography. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Who Was Who in America: Historical Volume 1607-1896. Chicago: The A.N. Marquis Company, 1963. Back to The Signer's Gallery Some of the signers are world famous – among them Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams – and some are obscure. Six of the signers—George Clymer, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, George Read, Roger Sherman, and James Wilson—also signed the Constitution. Sixteen of them underwrote the Articles of Confederation. Discover the hidden stories of the men who risked everything to sign America’s founding document. Image license via iStockphoto.com Most Americans know the names Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin, but the Declaration of Independence bore the signatures of 56 men—many of whom history has largely forgotten. These lesser-known patriots faced dire consequences for their bold act, enduring
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