August 2, 1776, is one of the most important but least celebrated days in American history when 56 members of the Second Continental Congress started signing the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. After voting on independence on July 2, the group needed to draft a document explaining the move to the public. It had been proposed in draft form by the Committee of Five (John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson) and it took two days for the Congress to agree on the edits. Thomas Jefferson was the main author. Once the Congress approved the actual Declaration of Independence document on July 4, it was sent to a printer named John Dunlap. About 200 copies of the Dunlap Broadside were printed, with John Hancock’s name printed at the bottom. Today, 26 copies remain. Then on July 8, 1776, Colonel John Nixon of Philadelphia read a printed Declaration of Independence to the public for the first time on what is now called Independence Square. Many members of the Continental Congress started to sign an engrossed version of the Declaration on August 2, 1776, in Philadelphia. John Hancock’s famous signature was in the middle, because of his status as President of the Congress. The other delegates signed by state delegation, starting in the upper right column, and then proceeding in five columns, arranged from the northernmost state (New Hampshire) to the southernmost (Georgia). Historian Herbert Friedenwald explained in his 1904 study of the Second Continental Congress that the signers on August 2 weren’t necessarily the same delegates at the Congress in early July when the Declaration was proposed and approved. “Attempting now to determine the names of some of those who were present on the day officially appointed for signing the engrossed document (August 2), we reach the conclusion that a far greater number than has generally been supposed were not in Philadelphia on that day either,” said Friedenwald, who determined discrepancies between the delegates perceived to sign the document on July 4 and the actual delegates who started signing the Declaration on August 2. Friedenwald said there were 49 delegates in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, but only 45 would have been able to sign the document on that day. Seven delegates were absent. New York’s eight-person delegation didn’t vote at the time, while it awaited instructions from home, so it could never have signed a document on July 4, he said. Richard Henry Lee, George Wythe, Elbridge Gerry, Oliver Wolcott, Lewis Morris, Thomas McKean, and Matthew Thornton signed the document after August 2, 1776, as well as seven new members of Congress added after July 4. Seven other members of the July 4 meeting never signed the document, Friedenwald said. However, the signers’ names weren’t released publicly until early 1777, when Congress allowed the printing of an official copy with the names attached. On January 18, 1777 printer Mary Katherine Goddard’s version printed in Baltimore indicated the delegates “desired to have the same put on record,” and there was a signature from John Hancock authenticating the printing. Scott Bomboy is the editor in chief of the National Constitution Center. This document contains the signatures of John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. So exactly how many signatures are there—and whose is most valuable?The 4th of July is a day to celebrate America’s independence from Britain. Some people celebrate by sharing 4th of July quotes on social media, whereas others brush up on their Independence Day trivia to break out at the barbecue. If you really want to impress your Independence Day company (especially the history buffs), read up on facts about the Declaration of Independence—including interesting facts about the Declaration of Independence signatures. Below, you’ll find interesting tidbits about those Founding Fathers’ signatures, including how many people actually signed the document and whose signature is most valuable (it may not be who you think!). After you read these interesting facts, read up on the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. When was the Declaration of Independence signed?The Declaration of Independence was signed on August 2, 1776. Many people may assume it was signed on July 4, the day it was officially adopted by Congress, but it took nearly a full month to get the document signed. Some reasons include politics with the New York delegates, and the fact that it took about two weeks to be formally written on parchment paper. How many signatures are on the Declaration of Independence?Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Some of them went on to become president (like John Adams and Thomas Jefferson). Others have museums, monuments, and even beers named after them. Who has the most valuable signature on the Declaration of Independence?Button Gwinnett is not one of the most famous signers, but his signature is the most valuable of the dozens on the Declaration of Independence. In a surprising twist, it’s Gwinnett’s obscurity that makes his signature so much more valuable than those of the other signers. Button Gwinnett (yes, Button was his real name) was born in England in 1735. At age 30, he moved to the American colonies. Living in Georgia, he suffered through multiple failed business endeavors, which didn’t exactly make him a celebrity. Eventually, Gwinnett got into politics and became very passionate about the colonies’ independence. And sure enough, there he was in Independence Hall in 1776, signing that Declaration, below and to the left of John Hancock’s now-famous penmanship. And then, in 1777, he was killed in a duel with a political rival. In the 1820s, very few signers of the Declaration were still alive, and history enthusiasts began searching for, and collecting, signatures of all 56 founding fathers. For the Declaration’s more well-known signers, signatures weren’t hard to find. Many of them were prominent politicians who had signed lots of documents in their day. Ben Franklin, in particular, wrote scores of letters. But that Button guy? Finding his signature wasn’t so easy. Due to his life of obscurity, and its untimely end about a year after the act that made him famous, his signature was (and still is) the rarest of the 56, by far. According to History Buff, there are only 51 known signatures in existence by this forgotten Founding Father. And the fewer the signatures, the higher the value. According to Radiolab, the value of Gwinnett’s signature surpasses those of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and many other major historical figures. His signature’s value is considered to be up there with William Shakespeare’s. Not bad for someone who spent most of his life as a failed businessman! Check out these myths about the U.S. Constitution that most Americans believe. In 2010, a Gwinnett signature sold for $722,500 in New York City. If you want to get a look at it for free, four copies currently reside at the New York Public Library. Or you can head to the National Archives in Washington, DC, to see the full Declaration in all its glory. Whose signature was the most noticeable on the Declaration of Independence?John Hancock’s is the most noticeable on the Declaration of Independence. Hancock was president of the Congress at the time of signing, and he signed the document first—with a very large, hard-to-miss signature. After all, there’s a reason his name is synonymous with “signature” today. Written with contribution from Kelly Kuehn. Sources:
Is Benjamin Franklin's signature on the Declaration of Independence?In 1776, Franklin had already accomplished many of the things he is best known for today, but would go on to sign not only the Declaration of Independence but also the Treaty of Paris, as well as the Constitution that established the United States government as we know it today.
What are the signatures on the Declaration of Independence?Signers of the Declaration of Independence. Who has the biggest signature on Declaration of Independence?The first and largest signature was that of the president of the Congress, John Hancock of Massachusetts.
Who wrote their signature on the Declaration of Independence?Thomas Jefferson was the main author. Once the Congress approved the actual Declaration of Independence document on July 4, it was sent to a printer named John Dunlap.
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Benjamin franklin signature on the declaration of independence
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