It’s been 243 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; 14 were plantation owners. These men risked it all: “We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” (This is an update of a blog I ran 5 years ago.)
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 (MA) | Lawyer |
| Samuel Adams (MA) | Merchant |
| Josiah Bartlett (NH) | Physician |
| Carter Braxton (VA) | Plantation owner, ship owner |
| Charles Carroll (MD) | Merchant, plantation owner |
| Samuel Chase (MD) | Lawyer |
| Abraham Clark (NJ) | Lawyer, surveyor |
| George Clymer (PA) | Merchant |
| William Ellery (RI) | Lawyer, merchant |
| William Floyd (NJ) | Land speculator |
| Benjamin Franklin (PA) | Scientist, printer |
| Elbridge Gerry (MA) | Merchant |
| Button Gwinnett (GA) | Merchant, plantation owner |
| Lyman Hall (GA) | Physician, minister |
| John Hancock (MA) | Merchant |
| Benjamin Harrison (VA) | Plantation owner, farmer |
| John Hart (NJ) | Landowner |
| Joseph Hewes (NC) | Merchant |
| Thomas Heyward Jr. (SC) | Lawyer, plantation owner |
| William Hooper (NC) | Lawyer |
| Stephen Hopkins (RI) | Merchant |
| Francis Hopkinson (NJ) | Lawyer, musician |
| Samuel Huntington (CT) | Lawyer |
| Thomas Jefferson (VA) | Lawyer, plantation owner, scientist |
| Francis Lightfoot Lee (VA) | Plantation owner |
| Richard Henry Lee (VA) | Plantation owner, merchant |
| Francis Lewis (NY) | Merchant |
| Philip Livingston (NY) | Merchant |
| Thomas Lynch Jr. (SC) | Lawyer |
| Thomas McKean (DE) | Lawyer |
| Arthur Middleton (SC) | Plantation owner |
| Lewis Morris (NY) | Plantation owner |
| Robert Morris (PA) | Merchant, land speculator |
| John Morton (PA) | Farmer |
| Thomas Nelson Jr. (VA) | Merchant, plantation owner |
| William Paca (MD) | Lawyer, plantation owner |
| Robert Treat Paine (MA) | Lawyer, scientist |
| John Penn (NC) | Lawyer |
| George Read (DE) | Lawyer |
| Caesar Rodney (DE) | Plantation owner, military officer |
| George Ross (PA) | Lawyer |
| Dr. Benjamin Rush (PA) | Physician |
| Edward Rutledge (SC) | Lawyer, plantation owner |
| Roger Sherman (CT) | Lawyer |
| James Smith (PA) | Lawyer |
| Richard Stockton (NJ) | Lawyer |
| Thomas Stone (MD) | Lawyer |
| George Taylor (PA) | Merchant |
| Matthew Thornton (NH) | Physician |
| George Walton (GA) | Lawyer |
| William Whipple (NH) | Merchant |
| William Williams (CT) | Merchant |
| James Wilson (PA) | Lawyer |
| John Witherspoon (NJ) | Minister |
| Oliver Wolcott (CT) | Lawyer |
| George Wythe (VA) | Lawyer |
Some of the signers were very successful in their businesses, while others failed miserably. Many loaned money in support of the American Revolution and were not repaid. Others had their property destroyed by the British.
All in all, these men made it possible for the American experiment to continue.
Happy 4th to all!
