John Hancock Jam Adams John Adams Josiah Bartlets Matthew Thornton Step Hopkins се We William Oliver Woliott NOTE.-These four plates show the signatures of the signers (now very much faded in the original document), arranged not as they signed, but in the order of States, beginning with Massachusetts and ending with Georgia. The signatures were really attached in six columns, containing respectively 3, 7, 12 (John Hancock heading this one), 12, 9, 13,—as is shown in a reduced fac-simile of the entire document as signed, given in Lehend Bich Stockton Witherspoodle Rob Morris ८ John Morton The Declaration of Independence (Boston, 1876). The signatures are also given in Sanderson's Signers, vol. i.; in Harper's Mag., iii. 158, etc. The formation of a set of the autographs of the "Signers " is, or rather has been, called the test of successful collecting. The signatures of Thomas Lynch, Jr., Button Gwinnett, and Lyman Hall are said to be the rarest. The Rev. Dr. Wm. B. Sprague is said to have formed three sets; but these collections, as well as those of Raffles, of Liverpool, and Tefft, of Savannah, have changed hands. The finest is thought to belong to Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet, of New York. The set of Col. T. B. Myers is described in the Hist. Mag., 1868. One was sold in the Lewis J. Cist collection in N. Y., Oct., 1886 (p. 47). It has been said that "of the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence, nine were born in Massachusetts, eight in Virginia, five in Maryland, four in Connecticut, four in New Jersey, four in Pennsylvania, four in South Carolina, three in New York, three in Delaware, two in Rhode Island, one in Maine, three in Ireland, two in England, two in Scotland, and one in Wales. Twenty-one were attorneys, ten merchants, four physicians, three farmers, one clergyman, one printer; sixteen were men of fortune. Eight were graduates of Harvard College, four of Yale, three of New Jersey, two of Philadelphia, two of William and Mary, three of Cambridge, England, two of Edinburgh, and one of St. Omers. At the time of their deaths, five were over ninety years of age, seven between eighty and ninety, eleven between seventy and eighty, twelve between sixty and seventy, eleven between fifty and sixty, seven between forty and fifty; one died at the age of twenty-seven, and the age of two is uncertain. At the time of signing the Declaration, the average of the members was forty-four years. They lived to the average age of more than sixty-five years and ten months. The youngest member was Edward Rutledge, of South Carolina, who was in his twenty-seventh year. He lived to the age of fifty-one. The next youngest member was Thomas Lynch, of the same State, who was also in his twenty-seventh year. He was cast away at sea in the fall of 1776. Benjamin Franklin was the oldest member. He was in his seventyfirst year when he signed the Declaration. He died in 1790, and survived sixteen of his younger brethren. Stephen Hopkins, of Rhode Island, the next oldest member, was born in 1707, and died in 1785. Charles Carroll attained the greatest age, dying in his ninety-sixth year. William Ellery, of Rhode Island, died in his ninety-first year." The standard collected edition of their lives is a work usually called Sanderson's Biography of the signers of the declaration of independence (Philadelphia, 1820-27, in 9 vols.). Contents.-1. View of the British colonies liam Williams, by ris, by Robert Waln, Geeflymer Gro. Taylor Tho M. Kear Samuot Chase Why Paca Charles Caroll of Carrollton George Wythe Jr. 6. Arthur Middleton, by H. M. Rutledge; Abraham Clark, by Robert Waln, Jr.; Francis Lewis, by Morgan Lewis; John Penn, by John Taylor; James Wilson, by Robert Waln, Jr.; Carter Braxton, by Judge Brackenborough; John Morton, by Robert Waln, Jr.; Stephen Hopkins, by Robert Waln, Jr.; Thomas M'Kean, by Robert Waln, Jr. 7. Thomas Jefferson, by H. D. Gilpin; William Hooper, by J. C. Hooper; Thretterson Ym Hooper Arthur Middleton James Smith, by Edward Ingersoll; Charles Carroll, by H. B. Latrobe; Thomas Nelson, Jr., by H. D. Gilpin; Joseph Hewes, by Edward Ingersoll. 8. Elbridge Gerry, by H. D. Gilpin ; Cæsar Rodney, by H. D. Gilpin; Benjamin Harrison, by H. D. Gilpin ; William Paca, by Edward Ingersoll; George Ross, by H. D. Gilpin ; John Adams, by E. Ingersoll. 9. Richard Henry Lee, by R. H. Lee; George Taylor, by H. D. Gilpin; John Hart, by Robert Waln, Jr.; Lewis Morris, by E. Ingersoll; Thomas Stone, by E. Ingersoll; Francis L. Lee, by Robert Waln, Jr.; Samuel Chase, by E. Ingersoll; William Ellery, by H. D. Gilpin; Samuel Adams, by H. D. Gilpin. Vols. 1, 2 were edited by John Sanderson; the remainder by Robert Waln, Jr. A list of the authors of the different biographies is given in the Massachusetts Historical Society's Proceedings, xv. 393. There was a second edition, revised, improved, and enlarged (Philadelphia, 1828, in 5 vols.). An edition revised by Robert T. Conrad was published in Philadelphia in 1865. An enumeration of books which grew out of Sanderson's Signers is given in Foster's Stephen Hopkins, ii. 183. Much smaller books are Charles A. Goodrich's Lives of the Signers (New York, 1829), and there are other collections of brief memoirs by L. C. Judson (1829) and Benson J. Lossing. Cf. also papers by Lossing in Harper's Mag., iii., vii., and xlviii., and his Field-Book, ii. 868. A fac-simile of the engrossed document as signed is given in The Declaration of Independence (Boston, 1876), and others are in Force's Amer. Archives, 5th ser., i. 1595; and one was published in N. Y. in 1865. The earliest fac-simile is one engraved on copper by Peter Maverick, of which there are copies on vellum, as well as on paper. It is called Declaration of Independence, copied from the Original in the Department of State and published by Benjamin Owen Tyler, Professor of Penmanship. The publisher designed and executed the ornamental writing and has been particular to copy the Facsimilies exact, and has als observed the same punctuation, and copied every Capital as in the original (Washington, 1818). In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. A DECLARATION By the REPRESENTATIVES UNITED STATES W IN GENERAL of the OF AMERICA, CONGRESS ASSEMBLED. HEN in the Courfe of human Events, it becomes neceffary for one People to diffolve the Political Bands which have con. necled them with another, and to affume among the Powers of the Earth, the feperate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent Refpect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they fhould declare the Caufes which impe! thein to the feperation. We hold thefe Truths to be felf-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among thefe are Life, Liberty, and the Purfuit of Happineis.-That to fecure thefe Rights, Governments are inftituted among Alen, deriving their juft Powers from the Confint of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes deftructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to inftitute new Government, laying its foundation on fuch Principles, and organizing its Powers in luch Form, as to them fhall feem moft likely to effect their Salety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long establice thould not be changed to light and tranfient Caules; and accordingly all Experience hath thewn, that Mankind are more dif pofc.l to suffer, while Evils are fufferable, than to right themiclves by abol thing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Tram of Ahoks and Ufurpations, pursuing invariably the lane Object, evinces a Defign to reduce them under abfolute Delpotifm, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off fuch Government, ar1 to provide new Guards for their furare Security. Such has been the patient Sufe ferance of thefe Colonies, and fuch is now the Neceflity which con Brains them to alter their former Syltema of Government, The History of the prefent King of Great Britain is a fiftory of rencated Infures and Ulurpations, all having in direct Unject the Eltabliininent of an bi Jute Tyranny over thele States.. To prove this, let Facts be fubauited to a candid World. He has refufed his Affent to Laws, the most wholesome and necelary for the public Good. He has forbidden his Governors to pafs Laws of immediate and preffing Importance, unitis folpended in their Operation till his Affent fhould he obtained; and when tɔ fufpended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. For quartering large Bodies of armed Troops among us: For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Mur den which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: For cutting off our Trade with all Parts of the World For impofing Taxes on us without our Confent: Fer depriving us, in many Cafes, of the Benefits of Trial by Jury: For tranfporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended Offences: For abolishing the free fyftem of English Laws in a neighbouring Province cftablishing therein an arbitrary Government, and enlarging its Boundaries, f as to render it at once an Example and fit Inftrument for introducing the fame abfolute Rule into thefe Colonies: For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: For fulpending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with Power to legiflate for us in all Cafes whatfoever. He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. He has plundered our Seas, ravaged our Carsfi», Turat our Towns, and defroyed the Lives of our People. He is at this Tians, tranfporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to com pleat the Works of Death, Defolation and Tyranny, already begun with Circumfiances of Cruelty and Perfidy farcely paralleled in the mor barba rous Ages, and totally unworthy the lead of a civilized Nation. He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Capuve 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 called Dometic foluunctions amongst us, and has endeavoured whofe known Rule of Warfare, is an undistinguished Deftru&ion, of all Ages, Sexes and Conditions. mot hugible 1erms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by In every Stage of thefe Oppreffions we have petitioned for Redrefs, in the repeated Injury. A Prince, whof: Character is thus marked by every Act ch may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the Ruler of a free l'eople. Nor have we been wanting in Attention to our British Brethren. We have warned them from Time to Time of Attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable Juridiction over us. We have reminded them of the Circumstances of our Emigration and Settlement here. We have ap He has refufed to pafs other Laws for the Accor.modation of large Districts of People, unlets thofe People would relinquish the Right of Repealed to their native Juffice and Magnanimity, and we have conjured them meientation in the Legislature, a Right inestimable to them, and formidable to Tyrants only. He has called together Leg'flate Bodies at Places unufaal, uncomforfable, and diftant from the Depository of their public Records, for the fole Purpose of fatiguing them into Compliance with bis Mcafures. lic has diffolved Reprefentative Houses repeatedly, for oppofing with manly Firmness his Invafions on the Rights of the People. He has refufed for a long Tinie, after fuch Diffolutions, to caufe others to be elected; whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercite; the State remain ing in the mean time expofed to all the Dangers of Invafion from without, and Convulfions within. He has endeavoured to prevent the population of thefe States; for that Purpofe obftructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refuling to pass others to cooperage their Migrations hither, and railing the Conditions of new Appropriations of Lands He has obftructed the Adernistration of Jaftice by reeg his Affent 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 fent hither Swarms of Officers to harrafs our People, and eat out their Subfiance. He has kept among us, in Times of Peace, Standing Armies, without the Confent of cur Legislatures. He has affected to render the Military independent of and fuperior to the civil Power. by the Tics of our common Kindred to disavow thefe Ufurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our Connections and Correspondence. They too have been deaf to the Voice of Juffice and of Confanguinity. We must, therefore, acquicice in the Necellity which denounces our Separation, and holdahem, as we hold the relt of Mankind, Enomics in War; in Peace. Friends. We, therefore, the Reprefentatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in GENERAL CONGRESS affenibled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the Reftitude of our Intentions, do in the Name and by the Authority of the good People of thefe Colonies, folemnly Publifh and Declare, That thefe United Colonics are, and of Right ought to be, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES, that they are abfolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political Connection between thera and the State of Great Britain. is, and ought to be totally diffolved. and that a FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, cftablish Commerce, and to do alloner Afts and Things which INDEPENDENT STATES may of Right do. And for the Support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Pig tection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our facred Honor. Signed by ORDER and in BEHALF of the CONGRESS, ATTEIT. He has combined with others to fubiect vs to a Jurisdiction foreign to our of pretended Legulation: AMERICA BOSTON, Printed by JOHN GILL, and POWARS and WILLIS, in QUEEN.STALLS, |