Independence Day Trivia: Beyond the Fireworks

Did you know that George Washington wasn’t the first president of the United States, and that someone who had been enslaved signed the Declaration of Independence? Here’s some trivia to impress your friends this 4th of July:

• Signatures: The Declaration of Independence bears 56 signatures, each representing a brave commitment to a new nation.
• Future Presidents: Only two signers, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, went on to become president of the United States. Their leadership shaped the early republic.
• Treason: Many of the signers understood that their act of signing was considered treason by the British Crown, punishable by death, typically by hanging.
• Samuel Chase: The delegate from Maryland, Samuel Chase, was known by the colorful nickname “Old Bacon Face.” He was later appointed to the Supreme Court by George Washington but became the only justice ever to be impeached. This impeachment was viewed by some as a political maneuver by Jefferson, and Chase was acquitted by the Senate.
• First President?: Technically, Samuel Huntington of Connecticut was the first president of the United States. He was elected president of the Congress and served in that role when the Articles of Confederation were adopted in 1781, officially transforming the thirteen colonies into the United States of America. The executive office of president, as we know it, wasn’t created until the Constitution was ratified in 1787.
• Indentured Servant: One of the signers, George Taylor of Pennsylvania, had been an indentured servant, a form of slavery, though significantly different from chattel slavery. Born in Ireland, he immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1736 and worked as an iron maker until he paid off his debt.
• George Wythe: George Wythe of Virginia, the nation’s first law professor, met a tragic end. He wasn’t hanged, but he was murdered by his grandnephew, who hoped to inherit the family fortune.
• John Hart: While not hanged, John Hart of New Jersey was forced to flee his property when the British invaded. It is believed he lived in the wilderness for months, seeking shelter in caves.
• Richard Stockton: Richard Stockton, also from New Jersey, also fled his property during the British invasion but was betrayed by Loyalists and imprisoned in New York. The circumstances of his release are unclear, but he died of cancer shortly thereafter, before the end of the war.
• Captured Signers: Four other signers served as officers in the Continental Army and were captured in battle, becoming prisoners of war.
• Button Gwinnett: Button Gwinnett of Georgia was a particularly interesting character. He had a bitter feud with the commander of the Georgia militia, Colonel McIntosh. Gwinnett was wounded in a duel with McIntosh and subsequently died of gangrene. His signature is the rarest among the signers, with only about 50 known examples. One of his signatures sold for $722,500 in 2011, making it one of the most valuable signatures in history.
• Youngest and Oldest: The youngest signer was twenty-six-year-old Edward Rutledge, while the oldest was seventy-year-old Benjamin Franklin.

Have a happy and safe Independence Day!

Source: Bill O’Reilly and David Fischer, Legends and Lies, The Patriots, (Henry Holt and Company, NY, 2016), 125-130.