What was the Cost of Our Freedom

Written By: Jim Swanson  |  Posted: Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? They had said, "We pledge our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor, " i.e. our reputations. Various trumped up versions of these facts have circulated on the Internet. Based on Snopes research, this seems to be the accurate version, as far as we can tell.

Fifty-six men from each of the original 13 colonies signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Nine of the signers were immigrants, two were brothers and two were cousins. One was an orphan. The average age of a signer was 45. Benjamin Franklin was the oldest delegate at 70. The youngest was Thomas Lynch Jr. of South Carolina at 27. Eighteen of the signers were merchants or businessmen, 14 were farmers, and four were doctors. Twenty-two were lawyers - although William Hooper of North Carolina was "disbarred" when he spoke out against the king - and nine were judges. Stephen Hopkins had been governor of Rhode Island. Forty-two signers had served in their colonial legislatures.

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