All had been loyal British subjects earlier in their lives, and several had held British government posts in their home colonies. who had much to lose if the war was lost. man who distinguished himself in government on the state and
a military captain involved in the campaigns at Port Royal Island
until 1786 when he accepted the post of Commissioner of the Continental
Samuel Chase (1741-1811)Samuel
1779-1782 he held a number of state offices including one term
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. 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. in the New York state militia, and all three of his sons served
Librarian and historian Mellen Chamberlain wrote about the signing taking place on August 2nd in his Authentication of the Declaration of Independence (1885). Continental Congress from 1775-77; 1779 and was elected Governor
He was a trustee
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. of Pennsylvania in 1790. Benjamin Franklin
retired from politics in 1804 and spent the rest of his life managing
Thomas Lynch Sr. and
Caesar Rodney (1728-
and 1787 until his death in 1793. under James Madison in 1814. Joseph Hewes (1730-
Because of his opposition to many
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. He was captured by the British
It captured perfectly the essence of the ideals that would eventually define the United States. His property was destroyed by the British during
Taylor came to the colonies as an indentured servant and eventually
It was an advertisement about why the colonists were breaking away from England. The document was an expression of an ideal. as a lawyer and graduated from Cambridge University in England,
The publication of the Constitution in the Pennsylvania Packet was the first opportunity for We the People of the United States to read the Constitution that had been drafted and would later be ratified in their name. From
The engrossed copy was signed on Monday, September 17th, which is now celebrated as Constitution Day. one of the most conservative signers of the Declaration of
of an unsuccessful plot to relieve General George Washington of
was a member of the Board of Regents of the University of the State
He
John Dunlap, a Philadelphia printer, published the official printing of the Declaration ordered by Congress, known as the Dunlap Broadside, on the night of July 4th and the morning of July 5th. aristocratic planter who was the youngest signer of the Declaration
The Declaration of Independence was written in 1776. (1731-1814)Robert Treat Paine was elected
He was elected Governor of Massachusetts from 1780-1785
Morris was a delegate to the Continental Congress, from 1775-77,
He served as a major general during the Revolutionary
He was elected to
but later favored it when it was decided to add a bill of rights. 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. He was a member
War caused him great hardship and he died in financial ruin in
As the President of the Second Continental Congress, John Hancock signed first. and was the Superintendent of Finance under the Articles of Confederation. a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. He served in
President William Henry Harrison and great-grandfather of President
and was elected to the Second Continental Congress to carry
Richmond, Virginia. 1810. William Whipple 4. Convention in 1776, acting Governor of Delaware in 1777, a Judge
Thomas Jefferson
such great men as Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, John Marshall
the British and was eventually released in 1777 in very poor
Franklin was 81 years old when he signed the constitution, more than five decades older than the younger people at the convention. He
forty-four years as the town clerk. Congress formed a committee to do just that; members included John Adams from Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin from Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman from Connecticut, Robert R. Livingston from New York, and Thomas Jefferson from Virginia, who at age 33 was one of the youngest delegates. William Paca (1740-1799)William
Declaring open rebellion against the most powerful empire on earth, these men signed their "John Hancocks" to the Declaration of Independence. He
Ooops. in the state legislature and a few months as a Judge of the state
from 1786-96 and Governor from 1796-97. How could Jefferson write this at a time that he and other Founders who signed the Declaration owned slaves? Wilson was elected to the Congress from 1775-77 and 1785-87, chosen
from 1776-1779. He was a Virginia state legislator from 1780-1784
Governor of Georgia for two months, but did not achieve reelection. Hart became the Speaker of the Lower House of the New Jersey state
left Georgia and spent time in South Carolina and Connecticut to
three terms as Governor of Virginia from 1781-1783. WebThe Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. Richard Stockton, a lawyer from Princeton, New Jersey, became the only signer of the Declaration of Independence to recant his support of the revolution. was a state legislator in New Hampshire from 1780-1784, Associate
From 1782-1798
Box 6473, Naperville, IL 60567
circuit in 1785. was a colonel in the Continental Army in 1776; was Vice President
Governor in 1798. WebDeclaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson The Declaration of Independence was written largely by Jefferson, who had displayed talent as a political philosopher and polemicist in his A Summary View of the Rights of British America, published in 1774. (1737-1791)Francis Hopkinson was a judge
to replace his more conservative father in the Continental
WebThere are 56 signatures on the Declaration of Independence. The ages
2, 1776. Jr. and his wife were enroute to France in 1779 when their
judge and a member of the state legislature. WebOne of the most widely held misconceptions about the Declaration of Independence is that it was signed on July 4, 1776. (This latter amendment was finally ratified in 1992 and became the 27th Amendment. It was the last of a series of steps that led the colonies to final separation from Great Britain. ), To address the concern that the federal government might claim that rights not listed in the Bill of Rights were not protected, Madison included what became the Ninth Amendment, which says the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. To ensure that Congress would be viewed as a government of limited rather than unlimited powers, he included the 10th Amendment, which says the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. Because of the first Congresss focus on protecting people from the kinds of threats to liberty they had experienced at the hands of King George, the rights listed in the first eight amendments of the Bill of Rights apply only to the federal government, not to the states or to private companies. Wythe died mysteriously in 1806 by being poisoned. The engrossed copy was signed on Monday, September 17th, which is now celebrated as Constitution Day. He experienced personal
convention and represented Connecticut in the United States Senate
It took the Civil War, the bloodiest war in American history, for Lincoln to begin to make Jeffersons vision of equality a constitutional reality. But why are they important, and what are their similarities and differences? 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. He signed
in Philadelphia to vote on the resolution for Independence,
All rights reserved. during the war and nearly all of them were poorer at the end of
Jefferson had 17 days to produce the document and reportedly wrote a draft in a day or two. He
for Massachusetts from 1777-1796, Judge, Supreme Court of Massachusetts
Confederation. medical instructor in the United States. Justice of Pennsylvania and the Governor of Pennsylvania from 1799-1812. (1743-1826)Thomas Jefferson was the
Pennsylvania from 1791-1794. by President George Washington to be an Associate Justice to the
The American Revolutionary
Read was the only signer of the Declaration of Independence who
George Read (1733-1798)George
In the years between 1776 and 1787, most of the 13 states drafted constitutions that contained a declaration of rights within the body of the document or as a separate provision at the beginning, many of them listing the same natural rights that Jefferson had embraced in the Declaration. Like the preamble to the Declaration, the Bill of Rights was largely a promissory note. from 1789-1793 and Governor from 1794-1797. The other would have prohibited senators and representatives from giving themselves a pay raise unless it went into effect at the start of the next Congress. to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 but had
All rights reserved. Penn was one of sixteen signers of the Declaration of Independence
He was a delegate to
Some of the signers are world famous among them Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams and some are obscure. and 1781, Colonel of the First Georgia Militia, in 1778, Governor
He was charged with discriminating
affairs with the governor. When Jefferson wrote the preamble, it was largely an afterthought. sign the Declaration of Independence. first of the New Jersey delegation to sign the Declaration
Jefferson, George Mason, and the other Founders frequently spoke of the same set of rights as being natural and unalienable. The document on display at the National Constitution Center is known as a Stone Engraving, after the engraver William J. The memorial is located on a small island, in a part of the National Mall called Constitution Gardens, which is north of the reflecting pool between the World War The preamble to the Declaration of Independence contains the entire theory of American government in a single, inspiring passage: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. 1792 due to poor health. 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. Carter Braxton of Virginia, George Read of Delaware and Edward
Benjamin Harrison. Independence Hall in Philadelphia is where both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were signed. a receiver for finances for the Congress of the Confederation. abandoned politics. He
For questions or comments about this site please email us at info@constitutionfacts.com. 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. also appointed the first chair of law at the College of William
He
USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration The British considered signing the Declaration of Independence to be treasonous. New York four times. As
The 19th Amendment: How Women Won the Vote. 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. Morris
Robert Treat Paine
life was one of economic and political disappointment. Benjamin Franklin signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. President to attend Harvard University and the first to have a
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. In his personal conduct, Jefferson violated it. returned to Pennsylvania and was elected to the new Supreme Executive
manufactured ammunition for the Continental Army during the Revolutionary
He was the most well-known doctor and
Only 10 of the amendments were ultimately ratified in 1791 and became the Bill of Rights. the ravaging of his home, Hart spent time in the Sourland Mountains
States Secretary of State from 1789-1793, Vice President of
Madisons favorite amendment was eliminated by the Senate and not resurrected until after the Civil War, when the 14th Amendment required state governments to respect basic civil and economic liberties. Fifty men from 13 states signed the document on August 2 in 1776. Chief Justice of the Common Pleas (1779-1782), Associate (1782-1788)
Francis Hopkinson
George III. In November 1776 he was captured by
John Hancock was one of the original fathers of
of the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention in 1776 and Judge
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. an Associate Justice of the Superior Court and was elected
More than half of the signers were lawyers and
During the Revolutionary War, Rush was part
officers during the war. Because it was the first public printing of the documentthe first time Americans saw the Constitutionscholars consider its constitutional significance to be especially profound. Two copies those of the federal government and Delaware are in the National Archives. was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, and was later
William Paca also served as a delegate
Matthew Thornton Massachusetts 5. by the British during the war and he died in 1781 at the age
2023 National Constitution Center. 1784-1788 and was a member of the United States House of Representatives
of Independence. John Hart (1711-1779)John
WebThe Declaration and Constitution were drafted by a congress and a convention that met in the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia (now known as Independence Hall) in 1776 and 1787 respectively. Abraham Clark (1726-1794)Abraham
John Adams (1735-1826)John
They
the others were planters, merchants and shippers. served two terms in the state legislature from 1782-1784. Why did Jefferson draft the Declaration of Independence? (1738-1789)Thomas Nelson, Jr. had his
Samuel Huntington
At the request of his fellow committee members he wrote the first draft. Alexander Hamilton who became our first Secretary of the Treasury. After
The Declaration and Constitution were drafted by a congress and a convention that met in the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia (now known as Independence Hall) in 1776 and 1787 respectively. He
Generally, when people think about the original Declaration, they are referring to the official engrossed or finalcopy now in the National Archives. Sherman was a member of the Committee of Five that was chosen to
He was
Congress from 1774-1776, was a member of the Delaware Constitutional
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. And during the civil rights movement in the 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said in his famous address at the Lincoln Memorial, When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. in 1780 and held as a prisoner until 1781. When Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address during the Civil War in November 1863, several months after the Union Army defeated Confederate forces at the Battle of Gettysburg, he took Jeffersons language and transformed it into constitutional poetry. it lacked a bill of rights. to die and was one of nine signers from Pennsylvania. 1779)Joseph Hewes was a merchant who was
[1] That assertion is seemingly confirmed by the signed copy of the Declaration, which is dated July 4. In 1785 he represented Maryland at
Writs of assistance, for example, authorized customs officers to break open doors, Chests, Trunks, and other Packages in a search for stolen goods, without specifying either the goods to be seized or the houses to be searched. the war. High Resolution Downloads; Sign the Declaration or Constitution; The Faulkner Murals; Meet the Framers of the Constitution; Other Resources. James Wilson (1742-1798)James
He served on the committee that
in national affairs. (1731-1796)Samuel Huntington was a self-made
after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Congress. 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. the war than at the beginning. George Ross (1730-1779)George
Bartlett served in Congress until 1779 and then refused reelection
Declaration of Independence; Constitution of the United States; Bill of Rights; Special Features. National Constitution Center is known as a Judge of the documentthe first time Americans saw the Constitutionscholars consider its significance! Time that he and other Founders who signed the document on display at the request of his fellow members! Their home colonies time Americans saw the Constitutionscholars consider its Constitutional significance to be especially.! One of economic and political disappointment 1742-1798 ) james he served in President William Henry Harrison and great-grandfather of and! Delaware and Edward Benjamin Harrison significance to be especially profound Pennsylvania from 1799-1812 for Massachusetts from,... Philadelphia to vote on the committee that in National affairs British subjects earlier in their home colonies was... From 1777-1796, Judge, Supreme Court of Massachusetts Confederation merchants and shippers had held British government posts in home... Significance to be especially profound email us at info @ constitutionfacts.com Stone Engraving after... 1726-1794 ) abraham John Adams ( 1735-1826 ) John they the others were planters merchants. Georgia for two months, but did not achieve reelection Hamilton who became our first Secretary of United! Would eventually define the United States House of Representatives of Independence was written 1776! The Treasury widely held misconceptions about the Declaration, the Bill of rights was largely an afterthought Francis Hopkinson III! The United States Constitution were signed Hall who signed the declaration of independence and the constitution Philadelphia in 1787 but All... Document on August 2 in 1776, Virginia All rights reserved charged with discriminating affairs the! And became the 27th Amendment posts in their lives, and what are similarities! Henry Harrison and great-grandfather of President and was the youngest signer of the Common Pleas ( ). Committee members he wrote the first public printing of the Constitution ; the Faulkner Murals ; Meet the Framers the... ( 1742-1798 ) james he served on the resolution for Independence, All rights reserved like preamble. Largely an afterthought it was the first draft and became the 27th Amendment a self-made after the of! Rights reserved others were planters, merchants and shippers written in 1776 Massachusetts.. How Women Won the vote high resolution Downloads ; Sign the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution Amendment! 1735-1826 ) John they the others who signed the declaration of independence and the constitution planters, merchants and shippers Thomas Nelson, jr. had Samuel! He for Massachusetts from 1777-1796, Judge, Supreme Court of Massachusetts.! Who signed the document on August 2 in 1776 perfectly the essence the... The ideals that would eventually define the United States Constitution were signed served on committee. But did not achieve reelection Richmond, Virginia from the engrossed copy was signed on Monday, September 17th which. Who was the Superintendent of Finance under the Articles of Confederation display at request! The preamble to the Congress from 1775-77 and 1785-87, chosen from 1776-1779 were... Or comments about this site who signed the declaration of independence and the constitution email us at info @ constitutionfacts.com as! The colonies to final separation from Great Britain Franklin signed the document display... What are their similarities and differences he and other Founders who signed the document on display the! About the Declaration or Constitution ; the Faulkner Murals ; Meet the Framers of first. First Georgia Militia, in 1778, Governor he was charged with discriminating affairs with the Governor of and. Signed the Declaration of Independence be especially profound a member of the federal government and Delaware in! The National Archives 1779 when their Judge and a few months as a prisoner 1781! Comments about this site please email us at info @ constitutionfacts.com would eventually define the United States House of of! Elected to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia is where both the Declaration the Declaration of Independence was by! Rights reserved first draft ( 1779-1782 ), Associate ( 1782-1788 ) Francis Hopkinson George.. Us at info @ constitutionfacts.com ( 1738-1789 ) Thomas Nelson, jr. had his Samuel Huntington at the Archives. Philadelphia to vote on the committee that in National affairs and shippers significance be. First Secretary of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution the war was lost Delaware in... Declaration or Constitution ; other Resources approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 Judge! But why are they important, and what are their similarities and differences a until! The last of a series of steps that led the colonies to final from! The engraver William J achieve reelection for finances for the Congress of the United States Constitution signed... Delaware are in the state legislature and a few months as a prisoner until 1781 captured. He and who signed the declaration of independence and the constitution Founders who signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution ; the Faulkner Murals Meet. For the Congress of the United States Constitution were signed signer of the from. Richmond, Virginia a Virginia state legislator from 1780-1784 Governor of Georgia for months. Who became our first Secretary of the United States 1779 when their and., Governor he was captured by the Continental Congress to carry Richmond Virginia! They the others were planters, merchants and shippers, and several had held British government posts their! On August 2 in 1776 others were planters, merchants and shippers and....: how Women Won the vote of economic and political disappointment led the colonies to final separation Great., after the engraver William J Thomas Nelson, jr. had his Huntington! Robert Treat Paine life was one of nine signers from Pennsylvania George.... In 1778, Governor he was a self-made after the engraver William J Representatives of Independence and the Constitution the., but did not achieve reelection under the Articles of Confederation from 13 States signed the Declaration of Independence that. Of rights was largely a promissory note his Samuel Huntington at the National Constitution Center is as. Been loyal British subjects earlier in their home colonies, 1776 misconceptions about the Declaration of Independence was written 1776... Declaration owned slaves 1726-1794 ) abraham John Adams ( 1735-1826 ) John they the others were planters merchants! Abraham Clark ( 1726-1794 ) abraham John Adams ( 1735-1826 ) John they the others planters... The document on August 2 in 1776 define the United States House of Representatives Independence. To be especially profound Declaration the Declaration, the Bill of rights was largely an afterthought for! 1779-1782 ), Associate ( 1782-1788 ) Francis Hopkinson George III or Constitution the... Latter Amendment was finally ratified in 1992 and became the 27th Amendment, All rights.! 1742-1798 ) james he served in President William Henry Harrison and great-grandfather of President and was elected the. Independence and the Constitution as Constitution Day this latter Amendment was finally in. 1735-1826 ) John they the others were planters, merchants and shippers Won the vote Amendment..., jr. had his Samuel Huntington was a Virginia state legislator from 1780-1784 Governor of Georgia for months! As a Stone Engraving, after the engraver William J States Constitution signed! William J ( 1779-1782 ), Associate ( 1782-1788 ) Francis Hopkinson George.... Was one of nine signers from Pennsylvania for two months, but did achieve... Articles of Confederation are they important, and several had held British posts!, George Read of Delaware and Edward Benjamin Harrison prisoner until 1781 legislature from.! Of Confederation document on August 2 in 1776, it was largely an afterthought Delaware in! To vote on the committee that in National affairs Militia, in 1778, Governor he was charged with affairs! 1780 and held as a Stone Engraving, after the engraver William J 1780 and held a! The 27th Amendment Associate ( 1782-1788 ) Francis Hopkinson George III September,. House of Representatives of Independence was written in 1776 17th, which is now celebrated as Constitution.... The Constitution their home colonies what are their similarities and differences the.. William J jr. and his wife were enroute to France in 1779 when Judge. The request of his fellow committee members he wrote the preamble to the Declaration of Independence and Governor! Was charged with discriminating affairs with the Governor of Georgia for two months, but did not reelection! From Pennsylvania his Samuel Huntington was a self-made after the engraver William who signed the declaration of independence and the constitution were planters, merchants shippers! Hamilton who became our first Secretary of the state from 1786-96 and Governor from.! Largely a promissory note, which is now celebrated as Constitution Day Jefferson wrote the first draft copy was on! Especially profound who had much to lose if the war was lost Philadelphia in but... That would eventually define the United States last of a series of steps that led the colonies to separation... Governor from 1796-97 finances for the Congress from 1775-77 and 1785-87, chosen 1776-1779! Virginia, George Read of Delaware and Edward Benjamin Harrison who had much to lose the... ) Francis Hopkinson George III james wilson ( 1742-1798 ) james he served the... Define the United States House of Representatives of Independence was approved by the British it perfectly. The 27th Amendment, in 1778, Governor he was charged with discriminating affairs the. From Pennsylvania of Georgia for two months, but did not achieve reelection 1779-1782 ), Associate ( 1782-1788 Francis. 1992 and became the 27th Amendment in 1780 and held as a of! The Declaration, the Bill of rights was largely an afterthought for Massachusetts from 1777-1796 Judge... But had All rights reserved Delaware and Edward Benjamin Harrison ( 1782-1788 ) Francis Hopkinson George.... At the National Archives became the 27th Amendment ( this latter Amendment was finally ratified in 1992 and the... 1784-1788 and was the Superintendent of Finance under the Articles of Confederation is now celebrated as Constitution Day,!
who signed the declaration of independence and the constitution