Who Were the Signers of the Declaration of Independence?
We all know that the Declaration of Independence was first read to the population on July 4th, 1776. In many ways, it was a tool to synthesize and summarize why the 13 Colonies were at war with England.
Most of us know that John and Sam Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Hancock signed the document. But who were the others? What follows is a demographic summary (of sorts) of the 56 signers.
When you look at the data, many of the men had several professions, such as lawyer and merchant. Or plantation owner and attorney. How do you list Benjamin Franklin? He’s one of the two scientists in the group. Studying the data, one could list Sam Adams’ profession as rabble-rouser, but in reality, he was a successful merchant.
Only eight of the men were born outside the colonies in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and England itself. That tells us that the vast majority of the signers were born and raised in the 13 Colonies. The youngest man to sign – Edward Rutledge from Virginia was 26, and the oldest, Benjamin Franklin, was 70.
Each colony had at least three delegates. By state, the signers came from: CT – 4, DE – 3, GA – 3, MA – 5, MD – 4, NC – 3, NH – 3, NJ – 5, NY – 4, PA – 9, RI – 2, SC – 4 and VA – 7.
Among the signers, there were 20 attorneys and 12 merchants. There was a minister, two scientists, two land speculators, and three doctors. The balance was either farmers or plantation owners. Some of the secondary professions listed were musician, printer, and military officer,
As noted before, in an age where the average life expectancy was 40, many of the signers lived to a ripe old age. Charles Carroll of Maryland died at 95. Two others – William Ellery died at 92, and John Adams made it to 90. Eleven died in their eighties, and seven passed away in their 70s. Bottom line, 21 lived beyond 70, which, for the time, is very unusual.
All but one – Joseph Hewes from New Jersey – were family men. None were married more than twice. Large families were the order of the day, and Braxton Carter, a plantation owner from Virginia, was married twice and sired 18 children. Eleven others fathered 10 or more children, with 13 having between six and 10.
By the standards of the day, the signers would be considered successful, literate, and wealthy. When they signed the Declaration of Independence, to King George III and the British Parliament, it was akin to signing their death warrant. Add in being a member of the Continental Congress, AND by supporting the revolution, they were risking everything. They put it all – families, health, and wealth – on the line for an idea called independence.
Our Founding Fathers were not only courageous, but they were visionaries. We – citizens of the United States – are the beneficiaries and owe it to them to preserve what they created.
William Zhang photo of the Liberty Bell.