It’s been 247 years since a group of men in Philadelphia signed the Declaration of Independence and started a revolution. The document was adopted on July 4, 1776, although it wasn’t signed until August 2, 1776. Most of these 56 delegates to the Second Continental Congress who signed the document 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.”
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 |
| Carter Braxton | Plantation owner |
| 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 | Landowner |
| 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 |
| Thomas McKean | 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 |
| William Whipple | Merchant |
| William Williams | Merchant |
| John Witherspoon | Minister |
| Oliver Wolcott | Lawyer |
| George Wythe | Lawyer |
Happy 4th of July to all!
