It’s been 239 years since a group of men in Philadelphia signed the Declaration of Independence and started a revolution.
Most of these 56 men were small business owners, lawyers, doctors, and farmers, and 13 were plantation owners.
These men risked it all:
“We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
Here’s a list from the National Archives of the signers and their occupations to remind us that our businesses, our jobs, and our lives can be on the line when freedom is at stake.
| Signers | Occupation |
| John Adams | Lawyer |
| Samuel Adams | Merchant |
| Josiah Bartlett | Physician |
| Charles Carroll | Merchant, plantation owner |
| Samuel Chase | Lawyer |
| Abraham Clark | Lawyer, surveyor |
| George Clymer | Merchant |
| William Ellery | Lawyer, merchant |
| William Floyd | Land speculator |
| Benjamin Franklin | Scientist, printer |
| Elbridge Gerry | Merchant |
| Button Gwinnett | Merchant, plantation owner |
| Lyman Hall | Physician, minister |
| John Hancock | Merchant |
| Benjamin Harrison | Plantation owner, farmer |
| John Hart | Land owner |
| Joseph Hewes | Merchant |
| Thomas Heyward Jr. | Lawyer, plantation owner |
| William Hooper | Lawyer |
| Stephen Hopkins | Merchant |
| Francis Hopkinson | Lawyer, musician |
| Samuel Huntington | Lawyer |
| Thomas Jefferson | Lawyer, plantation owner, scientist |
| Francis Lightfoot Lee | Plantation owner |
| Richard Henry Lee | Plantation owner, merchant |
| Francis Lewis | Merchant |
| Philip Livingston | Merchant |
| Thomas Lynch Jr. | Lawyer |
| Arthur Middleton | Plantation owner |
| Lewis Morris | Plantation owner |
| Robert Morris | Merchant, land surveyor |
| John Morton | Farmer |
| Thomas Nelson Jr. | Merchant, plantation owner |
| William Paca | Lawyer, plantation owner |
| Robert Treat Paine | Lawyer, scientist |
| John Penn | Lawyer |
| George Read | Lawyer |
| Caesar Rodney | Plantation owner, military officer |
| George Ross | Lawyer |
| Dr. Benjamin Rush | Physician |
| Edward Rutledge | Lawyer, plantation owner |
| Roger Sherman | Lawyer |
| James Smith | Lawyer |
| Richard Stockton | Lawyer |
| Thomas Stone | Lawyer |
| George Taylor | Merchant |
| Matthew Thornton | Physician |
| George Walton | Lawyer |
| John Witherspoon | Minister |
| Oliver Wolcott | Lawyer |
| George Wythe | Lawyer |
Happy 4th to all!
