On August 2, 1776, members of the Second Continental Congress, including John Hancock, the President of the Congress, began signing the engrossed copy of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. 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. Most people, even those who aren't serious history buffs know that there were 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence. Most people also know that there were 39 men who signed the United States Constitution. But, there aren't a whole lot of people who realize that some of the more famous signers of the Declaration of Independence, such as Thomas Jefferson and John Adams never signed T/F the men who signed the Declaration of Independence were the elite of their colonies, men of wealth and social standing. 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. Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Nine of the 56 who signed the Declaration of Independence fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured as traitors, then died. 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. When the 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence, they knew full well that they were committing treason against England and they knew the penalty—death. What kind of men were the signers? Twenty-five were lawyers or jurists. Eleven were merchants. Nine were farmers or large plantation owners. One was a teacher, one a musician and one a Only a handful signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution; they include: Benjamin Franklin, George Read, Roger Sherman, Robert Morris, George Clymer, and James Wilson. Brief but detail-rich biographies of all the signers of the Declaration of Independence. The 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence risked their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor for the cause of American liberty. They ranged in age from 26 to 70, came from diverse backgrounds, and would pay varying prices for their courage. How old were the Founding Fathers when the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776? Some were older, like Thomas Jefferson who was 33, John Hancock who was 39, or Benjamin Franklin who was He and Robert Morris were the only individuals to sign the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. He was the Judge of the Superior Court of Connecticut from 1766-1789, a member of the Continental Congress from 1774-81; 1783-84 and a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. 56 delegates to the Continental Congress signed the engrossed Declaration of Independence. Most of the signers voted in favor of independence on July 2nd. 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. As it turns out, many Founding Fathers were less than 40 years old in 1776 with several qualifying as Founding Teenagers and Twentysomethings. And though the average age of the signers of the Declaration of Independence was 44, more than a dozen of them were 35 or younger! 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. What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. The majority of the delegates — all of them men — who signed the Declaration had been born in one of the 13 colonies, though a few were native to Great Britain or Ireland. Who Was Who in America: Historical Volume 1607-1896. Chicago: The A.N. Marquis Company, 1963. PDF files require the free Adobe Reader. More information on Adobe Acrobat PDF files is available on our Accessibility page. This page was last reviewed on July 10, 2024. Contact us with questions or comments. The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Armand-Dumaresq (c. 1873) has been hanging in the White House Cabinet Room since the late 1980s The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, with 12 of the 13 colonies voting in favor and New York abstaining. The date that the Declaration was signed has long been the subject of debate
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
![]() | |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | |
![]() |