10 long-lost signers of the Declaration of Independence
Posted by staff / June 14, 2017
Simply putting your signature at the bottom of one of the most famous documents in U.S. history doesn’t guarantee fame.
While people like John Hancock sprawled his name so large it became a figure of speech, here are a few of the forgotten founding fathers of the country.
10. James Wilson
A successful lawyer and esteemed judge by the time he became a congressional delegate for Pennsylvania, James Wilson had lent a practical sensibility to the revolution with his 1774 pamphlet “Considerations of the Nature and Extent of Legislative Authority in British Parliament” which argued that parliament had no authority to write laws for the colonies. It had been particularly popular reading among the congressional delegates in the meetings leading up to the Declaration.
Why He’s Forgotten:
In no small part its because of how badly he disgraced himself from 1777 on with gambling, speculation, and profiteering. The fledgling nation didn’t want to draw extra attention to someone like that after he’d served his purpose…
9. William Whipple
A former sailor who’d taken part in the slave trade in the West Indies, William Whipple at least partially redeemed himself from a modern perspective by being one of the few members of Continental Congress who freed his slaves during his lifetime. During the Revolution he took the rank of brigadier general, distinguished himself at the vital American victory at Saratoga, and lost a leg from a cannon ball in 1778.
Why He’s Forgotten:
One of the contributions to his late life unpopularity was that he took a job in 1782 as the New Hampshire Superintendent of Finance, which unfortunately brought with it collecting taxes…
Full story at TopTenz.
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