I hope you all spend time with your family and friends this holiday weekend and enjoy the freedoms you have today. Count your blessings, say a prayer of thanks to the Founding Fathers who provided us these freedoms and say a prayer of thanks and safe returns for those who continue to place themselves in harm’s way ensuring we continue to enjoy these freedoms.

Be safe and God bless…Mighty Thunder

Independence Day of the United States, also referred to as the Fourth of July or July Fourth in the U.S., is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, by the Continental Congress declaring that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as a new nation, the United States of America, and no longer part of the British Empire.  Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, and political speeches and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the National Day of the United States.

During the American Revolution, the legal separation of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain occurred on July 2, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia declaring the United States independent from Great Britain rule.  After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a Committee of Five, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. Congress debated and revised the wording of the Declaration, finally approving it on July 4.

Families often celebrate Independence Day by hosting or attending a picnic or barbecue and take advantage of the day off and, in some years, long weekend to gather with relatives. Decorations (e.g., streamers, balloons, and clothing) are generally colored red, white, and blue, the colors of the American flag. Parades are often in the morning, while fireworks displays occur in the evening at such places as parks, fairgrounds, or town squares.

Independence Day fireworks are often accompanied by patriotic songs such as the national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner”, “God Bless America“, “America the Beautiful“, “My Country ‘Tis of Thee“, “This Land Is Your Land“, “Stars and Stripes Forever“, and, regionally, “Yankee Doodle” in northeastern states and “Dixie” in southern states. Some of the lyrics recall images of the Revolutionary War or the War of 1812.

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Top 10 Most Interesting Facts about the 4th of July

1. America didn’t declare its independence on the Fourth of July

Perhaps the greatest misconception of this holiday lies in the name and its equally iconic date. The true “Independence Day” depends on your definition of when such an official declaration was made. It’s widely believed that America’s first Continental Congress declared their independence from the British monarchy on July 4th, 1776. However, the official vote actually took place two days before and the “Declaration” was published in the newspapers on July 4th.

2. John Adams thought ‘the Second of July’ would become Independence Day

John Adams, a Founding Father and future president, wrote to his wife, Abigail, about the events that led to the nation’s founding. In one, he famously predicted, “The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epochal, in the History of America.”

3. The Declaration of Independence wasn’t fully signed on the Fourth of July

Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull

Another misconception is that when the vote was made official, everyone signed it at that time – a moment that’s often portrayed in popular paintings. However, it took an entire month to get all 56 delegates together to put their “John Hancock” on the document. In fact, the only person to sign the document on July 4th was also its first signer: John Hancock.

4. Three successive presidents died on the Fourth of July

US Presidents, and Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams passed away on July 4th. The even more amazing coincidence is that both died on the same day in the same year of 1826 by a difference of five hours with Jefferson passing first at age 82 and Adams at age 90. Our fifth president, James Monroe, died a few years later on the Fourth in 1831.

5. Calvin Coolidge was born on the Fourth of July

30th President, Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president, was born in 1872 on the Fourth of July in Plymouth Notch, Vermont. Malia Obama, our current president’s eldest, was also born on July 4, 1998.

6. The Fourth of July was originally celebrated with a lot of greenery instead of red, white and blue

Fourth of July celebrations these days are filled with fireworks, clothes and ornaments covered in red, white and blue. Such colors weren’t widely available for decoration in the shadow of the nation’s birth, especially in the heat of battle during the Revolutionary War. The first few Independence Day celebrations used greenery as decorations instead. They also fired artillery used in battles following the completion of the war for the Fourth of July, but the practice waned as cannons fell apart and were slowly replaced with fireworks.

7. The USA isn’t the only country to celebrate our independence

Even though the Fourth of July is America’s birthday, we’re not the only ones who celebrate it. Denmark began celebrating our Independence Day in 1912 after thousands of Danes immigrated to the USA. Thousands of Danish Americans and U.S. military personnel stationed in Europe celebrate Independence Day at the annual outdoor festival in Rebild, Denmark. The Danish tourism office bills it as the largest Fourth of July celebration outside the United States.

8. A country gained its independence from the US on the Fourth of July

In 1946, on July 4^th, the Philippines gained their full independence from the United States through the Treaty of Manila. However, they celebrate their Independence Day on June 12^th which is when they gained independence from Spain in 1898.

9. The song ‘God Bless America’ stayed in Irving Berlin’s rejection pile for 20 years

Irving Berlin was drafted into the military in the early 1900s and helped to draft a musical comedy for his fellow troops in which he composed the song for its final number — a tune inspired by a phrase his Russian mother would often utter after escaping to America from underneath the iron fist of the bloody Russian empire. However, the composer didn’t think it would fit in the show and kept it in his file for 20 years until singer Kate Smith wanted a patriotic song to sing on the radio as war broke out across Europe. The song became one of the most requested patriotic ditties almost overnight and a staple in American songbooks.

The flag of the United States of America

10. The modern flag was designed by a high school student as part of a class project

High school student Robert G. Heft of Lancaster, Ohio was assigned to create a new “national banner” for America that would recognize the statehood of Alaska and Hawaii. Heft simply added two extra stars to the flag to give it an even 50 and stitched his own design. His teacher only gave him a “B-minus” for his effort, so he sent his project to President Dwight D. Eisenhower for consideration and a change of grade. Eisenhower chose his design personally and the new flag was officially adopted in 1960. His teacher changed his grade to an “A”.

The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in human history and every citizen of the United States has the privilege of enjoying its benefits every day. Does that seem like a strong statement? The Declaration of Independence is one of the most prominent efforts by human beings to stand up in the face of tyranny and proclaim that every human being has God given rights to be free, to be protected and to pursue their lives the way they want to.

The Declaration of Independence is the founding document of the American political tradition. It articulates the fundamental ideas that form the American nation:

All men are created free and equal and possess the same inherent, natural rights. Legitimate governments must therefore be based on the consent of the governed and must exist “to secure these rights.”

The Declaration was written by the rebelling Founding Fathers of the United States to declare their independence from the rule of Great Britain. Before its creation, most human beings lived under kings or dictatorships of one form or another. The men who signed the Declaration of Independence said, “Enough!” and changed the history of the world.

Did you know that you are a direct beneficiary of the Declaration of Independence? You may have never considered it, but the Founding Fathers of the United States have given you an opportunity that few people have ever had in human history and that is the opportunity to be free. The Founding Fathers did not want to live under the oppression of tyrannical dictators. They believed that God made each person to be free, to have his own conscience and to be free to make his own choices in life.

The Declaration has three parts—the famous Preamble, a list of charges against King George III, and a conclusion. The Preamble summarizes the fundamental principles of American self-government. The list of charges against the king presents examples of the violation of those principles. The stirring conclusion calls for duty, action, and sacrifice.

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Preamble (and first paragraph): Although a document justifying revolutionary war, the Declaration argues throughout on the basis of universal reason by paying “decent respect to the opinions of mankind” and appealing to “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.”

Self-Evident Truths: The Declaration bases America and its government on self-evident truths such as human equality and certain “unalienable rights.” The truths are self-evident, not in the sense of being immediately obvious to everyone, but rather in presenting the logical or evident conclusion of what enlightened humanity understands by a human being. Self-evident truths are also not restricted to any one era or nation; they are as true today as they were in 1776, as true in America as they are in contemporary China or in ancient Greece. To enforce those rights is the challenge of American politics.

Rights: Such rights are acknowledged and affirmed liberties inherent in human nature—the right to own property, for example. They are not merely powers, and neither are they simply wishes or desires. “[E]ndowed by their Creator,” these rights transcend the ability of any government to destroy them (though killing or enslaving the men and women who possess these rights is, of course, another matter). Thus, these inherent or natural rights produce legitimate government and deny the legitimacy of any government justified merely on, for example, heredity, religion, class, race, or wealth.

Equality: So conceived, American government is fundamentally about rights or liberty. But these rights follow from the equality of all men. This precedence of equality obviously does not mean an equality of strength, character, batting averages, or writing skill; nor does it demand a communistic equality of results or condition. In fact the Declaration’s idea of equality would forbid such an arbitrary leveling of the naturally diverse human condition. Whatever our differences, there exists a fundamental human identity—that no one is born to rule or be ruled. Equality in this sense therefore requires that legitimate government be based on “the consent of the governed.”

The Pursuit of Happiness: The purpose of such a legitimate government in turn is to protect “certain unalienable rights,” including “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Rights culminate in the pursuit (that is, the vocation, not the chase) of happiness. And happiness is not about self-satisfaction or stupefied pleasure but rather a life lived to its full potential—human flourishing.

The Right of Revolution: Politically, the most important right is the right of self-government, which the whole Declaration elaborates upon, in theory and practice. Violation of government by consent calls forth the right, if not the duty, of “the people” (not any angry individual or mob) to “alter or to abolish” a government destructive of rights and to “institute new government” that will bring about “their safety and happiness.” Throughout the Declaration we see attention to both life’s necessities (“safety” or the right to life) and highest aspirations (“happiness”).

Indictment: The 27 charges against the king list in increasing severity his violations of American colonists’ civil, political, and natural rights. The Declaration lays out a “long train of abuses” culminating in “absolute tyranny.” Legitimate revolutions—those that protect the natural rights of the people—require more than “light and transient causes.” The king has interfered with our rights not only to our pursuit of happiness but also to liberty and to life itself.

Conclusion: The king is a tyrant, “unfit to be the ruler of a free people,” deaf to the pleas of justice and humanity. The Congress is forced to proclaim the colonies free and independent states, and the delegates pledge to each other their “Lives … Fortunes and … sacred Honor.”

Below is the Declaration of Independence for those of you who may not have read it recently along with a little historical information on each of the men who signed this important document.

The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America

In Congress, July 4, 1776

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

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 affect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and, when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them, and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing, with manly firmness, his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining, in the meantime, exposed to all the dangers of invasions from without and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.

He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies, without the consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the military independent of, and superior to, the civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution and unacknowledged by our laws, giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us;

For protecting them, by a mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states;

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world;

For imposing taxes on us without our consent;

For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury;

For transporting us beyond seas, to be tried for pretended offenses;

For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries, so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these colonies;

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments;

For suspending our own legislatures and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow-citizens, taken captive on the high seas, to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.

He has excited domestic insurrection among us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions.

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms; our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have we been wanting in our attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them, from time to time, of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity; and we have conjured them, by the ties of our common kindred, to disavow these usurpations which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too, have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity which denounces our separation, and hold them as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.

WE, THEREFORE, the REPRESENTATIVES of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in General Congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name and by the authority of the good people of these colonies solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved; and that, as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

		John Hancock was President of Congress during the debate about the Declaration of Independence and during its signing. His signature is the first and largest on the Declaration. He was one of the wealthiest men in the thirteen colonies and served as Governor of Massachusetts for many years.
Abraham Clark was a surveyor and farmer from Roselle, New Jersey. He served in public office for most of his life. During the war for independence, he served in the Continental Congress, as well as in New Jersey’s newly formed state legislature. He suffered greatly when two of his sons were captured by the British and held on the notorious prison ship Jersey, where hundreds of Americans died.	Arthur Middleton was an extremely wealthy rice planter in Charleston, South Carolina. His father, Henry Middleton, was the president of the First Continental Congress. Despite the fact that they knew their wealth would be put at jeopardy if America were to go to war with Britain, both Arthur and his father, put the interest of freedom ahead of their own personal prosperity. Their plantation was ransacked by the British and Arthur was captured in the Battle of Charleston, spending nearly a year in a prison camp.	Benjamin Harrison was the fifth in a long line of politicians from the Harrison family. His son, William Henry, and his great-grandson, Benjamin, were the 9th and 23rd Presidents of the United States. As Chairman of the Committee of the Whole, Benjamin Harrison led the discussions in the Continental Congress leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.	Benjamin Franklin was the oldest signer of both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. He was a printer, author, philosopher, scientist and inventor. Benjamin Franklin created the first American public library and the first American fire station force. He became a prominent diplomat to Europe and his last public act was to sign a memorial to Congress recommending the abolition of slavery.	Benjamin Rush signed the Declaration of Independence at the age of 30. He was already a prominent physician by this time. He served as surgeon general in General George Washington’s army. He became a strong advocate for prison reform, the mentally ill and teaching the Bible in public schools to promote public virtue.
Button Gwinnett was the first governor of Georgia and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was tragically killed in a duel with a rival less than a year after signing the Declaration.	Caesar Rodney served in various public offices in Delaware and eventually became one of the leading figures for independence in the state. He was heavily involved with military preparations in the central states. Rodney is best known for his nighttime ride through the rain in order to arrive on time to vote for independence on July 2, 1776.	Carter Braxton was a very wealthy landowner and shipping magnate who served in public office for most of his life. Braxton agreed with the principles of the American Revolution, but did not at first support independence. He later joined the patriots in signing the Declaration of Independence. Carter Braxton lost most of his wealth during the war. His ships were captured by the British and many of his landholdings were pillaged.	Charles Carroll was the wealthiest man in the thirteen colonies, who lived on a ten thousand acre plantation in Frederick County, Maryland. He was the only Catholic signer of the Declaration and strongly supported the notion of religious freedom in the newly formed country due to his experience of persecution for being a Catholic. Charles Carroll lived longer than any other signer of the Declaration of Independence, dying in 1832 at the age of 94. He was the only signer to ever see a railroad engine!	Edward Rutledge was the youngest signer of the Declaration at 26. He strongly opposed independence from Great Britain during his time in the Continental Congress early on, but encouraged the rest of the South Carolina delegation to vote for independence on July 2, 1776, for the sake of unity with their colonial brothers.
Elbridge Gerry was a prosperous merchant who was integrally involved in the Revolutionary War. He served in various Massachusetts political offices during the fight for independence. He narrowly escaped the British soldiers during the night of April 18, 1775 as they marched toward Lexington and Concord. He served as a leader in raising troops and supplies in both state and national affairs. He later became Vice President under President James Madison.	Francis Hopkinson was a lawyer and judge, holding many public offices before and after the Revolution. He signed the Declaration of Independence, but was more known during his lifetime for his poems, drawings and songs. He is considered one of America’s first homegrown writers and composers	Francis Lewis was a wealthy Long Island merchant. He suffered personally more than most of the other signers of the Declaration. When the British invaded Long Island in 1776, his estate was destroyed and his wife captured. She remained in terrible conditions during her captivity where she became very ill. She was eventually released but never recovered her health and died as a result in 1779.	Francis Lightfoot Lee comes from one of the most famous families in American History. He served in the Continental Congress alongside his older brother Richard Henry Lee. He served for many years in Virginia politics before the Revolutionary War and became a staunch supporter of American rights from the time of the Stamp Act in 1765.	George Clymer was orphaned at a young age. He was raised by a wealthy uncle who trained him in business. George became a very wealthy merchant himself and used his knowledge of financial matters to assist the Continental Congress in its financial affairs. His family hid in the woods nearby while the British army ransacked his house during the Revolution.
George Read was a successful lawyer and was married to the sister of fellow signer of the Declaration George Ross. Read was the only signer to actually vote against independence on July 2, 1776, though he eventually did sign the document. He later became the governor of Delaware and was a leader in his state to ratify the United States Constitution. Delaware became the first state to ratify.	George Ross was the son of an Anglican clergyman. He built a successful law practice and contributed more to Pennsylvania state affairs than to national affairs. He had loyalist leanings, but decided to go in with the Revolutionists. He was not yet elected when the vote for American independence was made on July 2, 1776, but was in place by the signing of the parchment document on August 2.	George Taylor came to America from Ireland as an indentured servant. He worked in the iron forges of Pennsylvania and married the widow of the owner of the Coventry Forge where he worked. He became a very prosperous iron seller. Taylor served in the Continental Congress for a short time, signing the Declaration of Independence, but his more important role during the war for independence was to supply iron equipment and ammunition to the Continental Army.	George Walton was one of the youngest signers of the Declaration of Independence at only 26 years of age. George Walton was appointed a Colonel in the Continental Army and was seriously wounded and captured by the British during the Battle of Savannah.	George Wythe was a wealthy lawyer from Virginia. He trained many young men in the field of law, including one who would become his most famous student, young Thomas Jefferson. George Wythe became the Professor of Law at William and Mary College, making him the first professor of law in America.
James Smith was a Pennsylvania lawyer who never did have great success in his field, but he did serve in many public offices. He was an early supporter of the American cause. Smith was elected to the Continental Congress after the July 2 vote for independence, but he arrived in time to place his signature on the document on August 2, 1776.	James Wilson studied law under fellow member of the Continental Congress, John Dickinson. He built a successful law practice and became an early supporter of the American cause, though he did not at first support independence. During the war a mob attacked his home because he did not support some parts of the Pennsylvania patriots’ ideas. Several were killed on both sides before the city militia put an end to it.	John Hart held many political offices in local New Jersey politics before the American Revolution. He was elected to the Continental Congress shortly before the July 2 vote for independence. When the British invaded New Jersey late in 1776, they destroyed Hart’s farm and his mills. He escaped into hiding in the local hills. When he returned, he found that his wife, who had been ill at the time of the invasion, had died. He became ill shortly after and died in 1779.	John Morton was a surveyor, farmer and politician from Pennsylvania who served 18 terms in the Pennsylvania colonial and state legislatures. He became a county justice of the peace, a county sheriff and a justice on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. One of John Morton’s most important public acts was to change his vote from no to yes in support of the Declaration of Independence on July 2, ensuring Pennsylvania’s vote for independence.	John Penn was a self-taught lawyer whose main duty during the Revolutionary War was to keep the North Carolina militia supported with supplies. His efforts helped the Continental Army drive back Lord Cornwallis’ army in retreat in 1780. John Penn signed America’s first governing document, the Articles of Confederation, as well as the Declaration of Independence.
John Witherspoon was a minister and was the president of the Presbyterian College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). His son James was killed by the British at the Battle of Germantown during the Revolution. He signed the Declaration and the Constitution and spent the years after the war trying to rebuild the college which was largely wrecked by the British during the war.	John Adams was called the “Atlas of American Independence” by fellow Declaration of Independence signer Richard Stockton. Adams was one of the most active and loyal men in the fight for independence. He served as diplomat, Vice President and President of the United States, as well as signing the Declaration of Independence. He lived to see his son John Quincy become the sixth President of the United States.	Joseph Hewes was a wealthy merchant who spent his time in the Continental Congress creating the United States Navy. He appointed America’s first naval hero, John Paul Jones, to his position. Joseph Hewes never married. He was engaged at one point, but his fiance died. He worked night and day during the Revolution until his health began to fail. He died tragically from overexertion during the war.	Josiah Bartlett was a successful doctor who held various political offices before and after the American Revolution. His house was burned to the ground, probably by British loyalists, in 1774. He was probably the first person to vote for independence on July 2, 1776, and the first to sign his name to the Declaration after John Hancock. He became the first Governor of New Hampshire.	Lewis Morris was the extremely wealthy owner of the vast Morrisania estate in New York. Morrisania was wrecked by the British during the war and he gave much of his fortune to the war effort. He served as a brigadier general in Westchester County during much of 1776. Three of his sons served under General George Washington.
Lyman Hall lived in the fiercely anti-British St. John’s Parish in Georgia when he signed the Declaration of Independence. Lyman Hall was a doctor by profession and was heavily involved with procuring food and medicine for the Continental Army.	Matthew Thornton was a doctor from Londonderry (now Derry Village) New Hampshire. He served mostly in New Hampshire politics, holding the highest offices of the state, including President of the Provincial Assembly and the State Constitutional Convention, chairman of the Council of Safety and Speaker of the upper house of the legislature. He was not appointed to the Continental Congress until November 1776.	Oliver Wolcott was a lawyer and politician from Litchfield County, Connecticut. He was a sheriff, a legislator, a judge and a colonel before the Revolutionary War. He served as a brigadier general in the New York campaigns that culminated in the surrender of British General John Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga, New York, and as a major general defending the Connecticut seacoast from the raids of British Royal.	Philip Livingston was an extremely wealthy landowner and merchant from New York. After being defeated at the Battle of Long Island, George Washington and his officers met at Livingston’s Brooklyn Heights mansion where they decided to evacuate the island. When the British invaded Manhattan, they confiscated the Brooklyn Heights mansion and used it as a Royal Navy hospital. They used his Duke Street home as a military barracks. He died unexpectedly in York, Pennsylvania during the war where Congress had fled from Philadelphia because of the approaching British army.	Richard Henry Lee was born into such wealth that he never had to work to sustain himself. He was involved in politics as a result and was always a staunch supporter of the rights of all Americans. He led a group that publicly burned British stamps during the Stamp Act crisis. He is also credited with proposing the final dissolution of all ties with Great Britain to the Continental Congress.
Richard Stockton was a successful lawyer who was not an early supporter of independence from Britain. Stockton hurried home when the British invaded New Jersey in late 1776. Local loyalists informed the British of his whereabouts and he was captured and imprisoned. He was subjected to very harsh treatment and was eventually released, but never recovered his health. His estate was partially destroyed by the British and he died in 1781 as a result of his captivity.	Robert Morris was one of only two Founding Fathers to have signed all three major founding American documents – the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the US Constitution. Robert Morris was a very wealthy Philadelphia merchant who became the chief importer of arms and ammunition for the Continental Army. Without his personal efforts, George Washington’s army probably would never have succeeded. Remarkably, Robert Morris died bankrupt and spent several years in debtors prison toward the end of his life.	Robert Treat Paine was originally a clergyman, but later went into the field of law. He served in many public offices and was an early member of the inner circle of Massachusetts rebel leaders, being a close friend of John Adams and John Hancock. He gained national prominence as one of the prosecuting attorneys of the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre.	Roger Sherman spent his early years as a cobbler in the steps of his father, but he worked his way up to the most powerful political offices of the land. He served on the Committee of Five that produced the Declaration of Independence. He is one of only two Founding Fathers to have signed all three major documents of American Independence, the Declaration, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. He also introduced the Connecticut Compromise which broke the deadlock between large and small states at the Constitutional Convention.	Samuel Adams, probably more so than any other, was largely responsible for uniting the colonies in their war for independence. He was a fiery leader, whose aggressive views toward the British even alarmed his fellow patriot leaders. He became well known in America and in England for his fiery writings denouncing British policies and politicians. He later became the Lieutenant Governor, and then the Governor, of Massachusetts.
Samuel Chase was a prominent Maryland lawyer who was involved in the public destruction of British stamps in Annapolis during the Stamp Act crisis. He was appointed to the Supreme Court by George Washington, but was later impeached during the administration of Thomas Jefferson.	Samuel Huntington was a cooper (a barrel maker) early in life, but rose to become a successful lawyer, judge and politician. He was the King’s Attorney in Connecticut for a decade, but resigned his position in 1774 and joined the Revolutionaries. Samuel Huntington served as President of Congress, Chief Justice of the Connecticut Superior Court and was the Governor of Connecticut for a decade.	Stephen Hopkins was the second oldest signer of the Declaration of Independence after Benjamin Franklin. His shaky hand is noticeable in his signature on the Declaration. Hopkins served in various political offices in Rhode Island, serving as governor ten times before the Revolution. During the war, he served on the committee that created the Continental Navy and appointed his brother, Esek Hopkins, as its commander in chief.	Thomas Heyward was the son of a rich planter who signed the Declaration at the age of 30. He was injured and captured by the British during the Battle of Charleston. He spent a year in a prison camp at St. Augustine, Florida before the war ended.	Thomas Jefferson is one of the most well known of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson wrote the original draft of the Declaration of Independence. He served as Governor of Virginia, Secretary of State, Vice President and served two terms as President of the United States
Thomas Lynch was a young man appointed as a captain of the South Carolina militia when the Revolutionary War started. He contracted swamp fever that left him sickly for the rest of his life. During the middle of the war, he and his wife left for the south of France in hopes that the weather there would be better for Thomas’ health. They were never seen again and are presumed to have been lost at sea.	Thomas McKean led a remarkable life. Not only did he sign the Declaration of Independence, but he held various public offices including high sheriff of Kent County, militia captain, customs collector and judge at New Castle, deputy attorney general of Sussex County, clerk and member of the legislature, including the speakership of the lower house. He also became President of the Continental Congress, Governor of Delaware and Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.	Thomas Nelson was an extremely wealthy planter and merchant from Yorktown, Virginia. Nelson became a military leader in his home state and worked endlessly to acquire supplies and ammunition for the American troops, even spending large portions of his own money. During the final Battle of Yorktown at the end of the Revolutionary War, Thomas Nelson encouraged General George Washington to destroy the Nelson family mansion because it was being used as a headquarters for British General Charles Cornwallis.	Thomas Stone was a wealthy lawyer and plantation owner in Maryland who served diligently on the Committee of Confederation appointed by the Continental Congress. This committee eventually produced the Articles of Confederation, which was the ruling federal document from 1777 until the creation of the US Constitution in 1787. He died suddenly at the age of 45 in 1787.	Unlike many of the other signers of the Declaration of Independence, William Ellery never held any other significant office other than being a delegate to the Continental Congress. He served faithfully in Congress and as a customs officer in his home of Newport for many years. His home and property were destroyed in the British invasion of Newport and he never fully recovered financially. He died at the age of 92. Only signer Charles Carroll lived to be older.
William Floyd was a wealthy landowner from eastern Long Island. When the British invaded Long Island in 1776, his family was forced to flee to Connecticut where they remained in exile for seven years. Unfortunately, his wife died there in 1781. When Floyd was able to return to his land with his children, he found his trees and fields destroyed and the house badly damaged. It had been used as a barracks by the British army.	William Hooper’s father was a loyalist to the British Crown who actually disowned his son because he supported the cause of the Revolutionary War. William Hooper was dragged through the streets at one time earlier in his life for supporting North Carolina’s colonial governor.	William Paca was a prominent Maryland official who had served as mayor and councilman of Annapolis, delegate to the General Assembly of Maryland and delegate to the Continental Congress. Paca was a firm supporter of American principles from the days of the Stamp Act all the way through to the days of the Revolutionary War.	William Whipple was a former sea captain who became a successful merchant in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He served as a brigadier general in New Hampshire and led four brigades in the Battle of Saratoga that defeated General John Burgoyne’s British army, a major turning point for the Americans in the war for independence.	William Williams was a prominent Connecticut merchant who married a daughter of Royal Governor John Trumbull. Williams served in many state and local offices during his life and signed the Declaration of Independence. He raised money and gave of his own fortune for the war effort. He was also a colonel in the Connecticut militia.