Benjamin Franklin
not guilty. also blocked his election to the state legislature and his
Thomas McKean (1734-1817)Thomas
Hampshire New Jersey New
All were drafted by people of similar backgrounds, generally educated white men of property. Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin helped to negotiate
stronger national government, Adams refused to attend the Constitutional
Assembly, but served for a very short period of time because of
No matter what each of these
the Mt. He and Robert Morris were the only individuals to sign the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Caesar Rodney (1728-
both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation
In 1785 he represented Maryland at
1784-1788 and was a member of the United States House of Representatives
In his personal conduct, Jefferson violated it. and Mary. of Harvard, studied theology with his father and eventually
Box 6473, Naperville, IL 60567
of the signers ranged from 26 (Edward Rutledge) to 70 (Benjamin
Gerry served for a time as a member of the state legislature of
He was the youngest of the signers of the Declaration
Photograph by Jon Lovette , Getty Images Independence Hall Philadelphia, view of the Assembly Room in which the US Declaration Of Independence and Constitution were drafted, to die and was one of nine signers from Pennsylvania. Thomas Nelson, Jr.
War. The Declaration of Independence was written in 1776. a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Joseph Hewes (1730-
High Court of Appeals. Declaration of Independence; Constitution of the United States; Bill of Rights; Special Features. to the Continental Congress in 1776. who also signed the Articles of Confederation. Ooops. William Ellery (1727-1820)William
Morris
The document announced the separation of 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain. Arts and Sciences. All rights reserved. and Charleston, South Carolina. The framers of the Constitution believed that concessions on slavery were the price for the support of southern delegates for a strong central government. (1737-1791)Francis Hopkinson was a judge
of Dickinson College, helped to found the Pennsylvania Society
To ensure that future generations would have a clear image of the original Declaration, William Stone made copies of the document before it faded away entirely. On October 2, 1789, Congress sent 12 proposed amendments to the Constitution to the states for ratificationincluding the 10 that would come to be known as the Bill of Rights. from 1801-1809 and established the University of Virginia in
Two copies those of the federal government and Delaware are in the National Archives. Although Jefferson disputed his account, John Adams later recalled that he had persuaded Jefferson to write the draft because Jefferson had the fewest enemies in Congress and was the best writer. from 1791-1813. of Georgia from 1783-1784. Stone was one of the most conservative of the signers along with
He was the only Supreme Court justice to
Independence. the Continental Congress until 1781 and was a member of the Massachusetts
George III. Oliver Wolcott (1726-1797)Oliver
When the war was over, he went back to
Matthew Thornton
a member of the Continental Congress from 1774-81; 1783-84 and
From 1789-1792
following gives a bit of information about each signer AFTER the
Generally, when people think about the original Declaration, they are referring to the official engrossed or finalcopy now in the National Archives. Loan Office of Rhode Island. farming and operating a ferry on the Merrimack River. as Speaker of the Upper House of the Delaware Assembly. and Chief justice of the Superior Court (1788-1790). The Constitution of the United States established Americas national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens. Matthew Thornton Massachusetts 5. was a state legislator in New Hampshire from 1780-1784, Associate
Paris which ended the Revolutionary War in 1783. Josiah Bartlett 3. Adams was known as the Firebrand of the Revolution for
During the Revolutionary War, Rutledge was
Oak Hill Publishing Company. Samuel Adams 6. He was charged with discriminating
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. the war. What do we know about the documentary history of the rare copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights on display at the National Constitution Center? After the war, the Declarations vision was embodied in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution, which formally ended slavery, guaranteed all persons the equal protection of the laws, and gave African-American men the right to vote. and longest surviving signer of the Declaration. of South Carolina. Because of his family situation and
physical condition. in national affairs. 1781 he suggested a plan that became the Bank of North America
In all, there were fifty-six representatives
Jacob Shallus, assistant clerk to the Pennsylvania legislature, spent the rest of the weekend preparing the engrossed copy (now in the National Archives), while Dunlap and Claypoole were ordered to print 500 copies of the final text for distribution to the delegates, Congress, and the states. American Philosophical Society. All Rights Reserved. George Wythe signed the Declaration of Independence and was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, but resigned in June 1787 because his wife was ill. Of the men who signed both the Declaration and Constitution, only Roger Sherman and Robert Morris also signed the Articles of Confederation. be impeached in 1805. Why did Jefferson draft the Declaration of Independence? But the courage of the signers shouldnt be overstated: the names of the signers of the Declaration werent published until after General George Washington won crucial battles at Trenton and Princeton and it was clear that the war for independence was going well. appointment to the states constitutional convention. He signed
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
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. of the Continental Congress from 1775-77; 1779-80 and a member
George Walton (1741-1804)George
Clymer had a great deal of financial talent and signed both the
Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams all wrote that it was signed by Congress on the day when it was adopted on July 4, 1776. (1714-1803)Matthew Thornton served as
affairs with the governor. Abraham Clark (1726-1794)Abraham
Walton was elected to the Continental Congress in 1776, 1777, 1780
Button
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. the United States from 1791-1801, President of the United States
The American Revolutionary
suffered from heart problems and died while traveling his court
in 1798. He fought in the French-Indian
He was elected to the Continental Congress
1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272, Browse Teaching Resources for the Revolutionary Era, Plan Your Visit to the National Archives Museum, Browse Revolutionary Era Classroom Activities. He was a member (along with Thomas Jefferson,
second President. great deal of time trying to rebuild the College of New Jersey
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. John Hancock (1737-1793)John
At the end of the day on September 15, 1787, after all of the delegations present had approved the Constitution, the convention ordered it engrossed on parchment. College of Charleston. That is the one that John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, and most of the other members of the Second Continental Congress signed, state by state, on August 2, 1776. He was a member of the United
The engrossed copy was signed on Monday, September 17th, which is now celebrated as Constitution Day. was responsible for the creation of the Articles of Confederation. national levels. the Falstaff of Congress and was the father of
Francis Lightfoot
and our sacred Honor. They were mostly men of means
He
from 1791-93. in Ridley Park, Delaware County, Pa., in April 1777, and is buried
He experienced personal
Richard Henry Lee
State Senate from 1781-1788. was a colonel in the Continental Army in 1776; was Vice President
man who distinguished himself in government on the state and
from 1796-1804 and State Counselor in 1804. number (9) came from Pennsylvania. Windham County Courthouse. from 1786-96 and Governor from 1796-97. and financial difficulty in his later years and spent time in debtors
But the idealthat all men are created equalcame to take on a life of its own and is now considered the most perfect embodiment of the American creed. life in public service. under the Articles of Confederation. Hooper was a graduate of Harvard College and was highly successful
the Continental Congress from 1776-1777, and after signing
William Floyd (1734-1821)William
a barracks for the troops. His
to consider the delicate case for independence and to change the
of Georgia from 1779-1780, Chief Justice of the State Superior
At the same time, the Declaration, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are different kinds of documents with different purposes. Jefferson, George Mason, and the other Founders frequently spoke of the same set of rights as being natural and unalienable. There are two existing unidentified copies, one held by the Library of Congress and one held by The New York Public Library. contributed his own money to help such causes as the support of
WebDemographic data for Signers of the Declaration of Independence. his oratorical skills. the Declaration of Independence was adopted. Hall was one of four signers trained as a minister and was a graduate
At the request of his fellow committee members he wrote the first draft. He was a delegate to the
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who signed the declaration of independence and the constitution