While July 4 marks the day Thomas Jefferson’s revised draft of the Declaration of Independence was adopted, it would take months for the document to be signed by all 56 men who would eventually affix their names to it.
Several key figures in American history – George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, among others – don’t appear among the signatories of the Declaration of Independence at all, having been serving in military roles or other capacities at the time.
None of the 56 signers died as a result of their signature, but before the war was over, five would be captured, 12 would have their homes destroyed, and 17 would lose their entire fortunes. None of the 56 signatories ever renounced the cause of independence of their own free will.
Here’s what happened to the men who pledged “our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor” to the cause of American independence, on the basis of “self-evident … Truths” that not even a global empire – or a king – could deny.
‘The Sage Of Monticello’: Thomas Jefferson
Easily the most well-known of the Declaration’s signatories – as well as its author – Thomas Jefferson enjoyed several benefits later in life from his role in the document’s drafting.
During the war, Jefferson nearly faced capture by the British during his tenure as governor of Virginia, forcing him to flee from his Monticello estate. That led to accusations of “cowardice” that eventually prompted Virginia legislators to launch a formal inquiry, in which Jefferson was acquitted.
Later, Jefferson served in a series of key posts, first as the U.S. ambassador to France, then as secretary of state under President George Washington and vice president under President John Adams.
After he was elected president – an event dubbed the “Revolution of 1800” – Jefferson’s egalitarian vision expressed in the Declaration of Independence came to be viewed as one of the most critical documents of the American founding.
‘The First American’: Ben Franklin
While Jefferson often gets the lion’s share of the credit for drafting the Declaration, Ben Franklin is credited with one critical edit to the document.
Widely recognized as a multi-disciplinary polymath, Franklin has been dubbed “the First American” by history for his early and long-running calls for American colonial unity.
In the preamble to the Declaration, Jefferson had originally written, “We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable.”
Franklin – who served on the drafting committee – replaced this with the revision: “We hold these truths to be self-evident.”
Franklin later served as ambassador to France and lead negotiator on the deal to end the war with Great Britain, was the “president” – or governor – of Pennsylvania from 1785 to 1788, and served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
Shortly before his death in 1790, Franklin made his last political statement with his support of a petition calling on the federal government to abolish slavery.
‘The Atlas Of American Independence’: John Adams
John Adams, the future second president, was one of the first delegates to the Continental Congress to call for independence. He was also among the most outspoken in its defense, leading him to be dubbed by some as “the Atlas of American Independence.”
In February 1778, Adams was nearly captured by British warships while leaving on a diplomatic mission for Paris with his son. Adams took up a musket to fight the British vessels, but it took a mix of skillful navigation and a fortuitous storm to shake the pursuers. Had he been captured, Adams likely would have faced imprisonment in the Tower of London and execution for treason.
In one of the most remarkable coincidences in history, Adams and Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826 – 50 years after the Declaration’s adoption day. Adams’s final words, “Jefferson still lives,” were in fact mistaken: the third president had passed away at Monticello hours earlier.
‘The First Founding Father’: Richard Henry Lee
Less well-known than either Jefferson or Adams, the Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee was no less instrumental in bringing about independence, authoring the part of the Declaration stating the 13 colonies “are, and of Right ought to be, free and independent States.”
On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted this “Lee Resolution.” Adams famously predicted incorrectly that July 2, rather than July 4, would be celebrated as the American Independence Day, and would be commemorated with, “pomp and parade … from one end of this continent to the other.”
During the war, Lee faced military attacks on his property, chronic stress that took a toll on his health, and a severe hit to his finances as the war hit international shipping and the tobacco trade he relied on.
He later served as the first Virginia senator alongside William Grayson, joining the anti-Federalists in opposing a national government. Lee died in June 1794 at age 62.
The Midnight Rider: Caesar Rodney
A lesser-known but critical signatory of the Declaration was Caesar Rodney, who rode 80 miles to Philadelphia while suffering from facial cancer to cast a tie-breaking vote for Delaware’s delegation in favor of independence.
Unanimous support from all colonies was required to authorize the Lee Resolution – meaning Rodney’s vote was critical to final adoption.
Rodney later served as “president,” or governor, of Delaware until 1781, and died in 1784 of facial cancer at age 55.
The First Signer: John Hancock
John Hancock’s signature on the Declaration – the first – was so large that his name became an American idiom for one’s signature.
The Massachusetts revolutionary leader had been serving as president of the Second Continental Congress since May 24, 1775.
Hellbound and Down 