The Signers: The 56 Stories Behind the Declaration of Independence
The Signers: The 56 Stories Behind the Declaration of Independence introduces you to the brave men who risked their lives to sign our nation’s Declaration of Independence!
There can be no doubt that when the words of the Declaration of Independence were read out loud to the people for the first time, many of those who were listening must have been astonished and perhaps even shocked.
No one had ever written anything quite like it before! It expressed so perfectly how the people of America felt. It also made clear that Americans were no longer willing to be governed by the English crown.
The fifty-six men who signed the document were therefore, in the eyes of the English, committing treason. Who were these men, and why did they risk their lives in this way? Why was signing the document so important to them?
Meet These Courageous Men by Journeying Through Their States
In this very special book we will come to know these men. Divided up by state, this book groups signers with their fellow delegates, their neighbors, and their friends.
We begin our journey of discovery in Massachusetts. This state, the third largest in the colony, had five signatories, one of which was the famous Samuel Adams. Another was John Hancock who was the first person to sign the Declaration. John Hancock made the conscious decision to write his name in large letters. He wanted to show his fellow Americans that he was not afraid of the English and their threats.
Next is Virginia with seven signatories. Thomas Jefferson was the man who was given “the honor of creating the Declaration of Independence.” He worked diligently on this task, and it produced such great effect.
Benjamin Harrison would become the father of one President and the great-grandfather of another. He told John Adams, another signatory, that he would have walked two hundred miles to the 1774 Philadelphia Congress if he had had to.
From state to state we travel meeting these extraordinary men. We discover what they were like and what they did with their lives. We also discover why they gave so much to add their names to the Declaration.
An Excellent Read with Special Illustrations
Superbly written, and illustrated with unique black and white woodcuts, this book gives the reader a fascinating overall view of the revolutionary years and of the men who gave the struggle direction and strength.
- We highly recommended this book for use as the resource for the weekly research assignments on the lives of the signers scheduled within Revival to Revolution. If students do not use this resource, they need to either use internet sites or a different source to complete their notebook entries on the signers. You have the option of whether to include this book within your Economy Package.
