Declaration of Independence - The Signatories

To see Jefferson's Rough Draft of the Declaration, click here.

Study Questions (read these questions before examining the list of names):

(1) Why, exactly, is John Hancock's name given special attention?  Does it deserve such attention?  Why did Hancock emphasize his name?

(2) Who are the 10 most significant of these 55 men?  What about them makes them to be considered significant? Why are they significant? (in other words, is that a valid reason for noting someone's significance?) 

(3) If popular culture or historians or students can point to the most significant among them, who would be the least significant?  On what basis could you make that claim?

(4) What date was the Declaration of Independence signed?  By whom (what group, not names) was it signed?  (Hint: you will have to research this one - the obvious answer is not the correct answer, without justification.)

(5) Should this document be studied by American school children?  Why/why not?  Should it be studied in other countries?  Why/why not?  At what age(s) should it be studied, if at all?  (Explain)  What should it be studied for?  Is studying it patriotic or unpatriotic?

The Following Questions are Specifically for the Individually Assigned Signatories - You will report these findings to the class

(6) When and where was your signatory born; how old were they at the time of the signing of the Declaration?

(7) What had they accomplished which made them a member of the 2nd Continental Congress?

(8) What did they achieve after signing the Declaration?

(9) When, where, and how did they die?

(10) On a scale of 1 - 100 (1 being lowest and least important, 100 being highest and most important), how do you rate the overall significance of your signatory?  Chose two other Americans (dead or living) and rate them on a similar scale.

1. John Hancock.
GEORGIA, 2. Button Gwinnett, 3. Lyman Hall, 4. Geo. Walton.
NORTH-CAROLINA, 5. Wm. Hooper, 6. Joseph Hewes, 7. John Penn.
SOUTH-CAROLINA, 8. Edward Rutledge, 9. Thos Heyward, junr., 10. Thomas Lynch, junr., 11. Arthur Middleton.
MARYLAND, 12. Samuel Chase, 13. Wm. Paca, 14. Thos. Stone, 15. Charles Carroll, of Carrollton.
VIRGINIA, 16. George Wythe, 17. Richard Henry Lee, 18. Ths. Jefferson, 19. Benja. Harrison, 20. Thos. Nelson, jr., 21. Francis Lightfoot Lee, 22. Carter Braxton.
PENNSYLVANIA, 23. Robt. Morris, 24. Benjamin Rush, 25. Benja. Franklin, 26. John Morton, 27. Geo. Clymer, 28. Jas. Smith, 29. Geo. Taylor, 30. James Wilson, 31. Geo. Ross.
DELAWARE, 32. Caesar Rodney, 33. Geo. Read.
NEW-YORK, 34. Wm. Floyd, 35. Phil. Livingston, 36. Frank Lewis, 37. Lewis Morris.
NEW-JERSEY, 38. Richd. Stockton, 39. Jno. Witherspoon, 40. Fras. Hopkinson, 41. John Hart, 42. Abra. Clark.
NEW-HAMPSHIRE, 43. Josiah Bartlett, 44. Wm. Whipple, 45. Matthew Thornton.
MASSACHUSETTS-BAY, 46. Saml. Adams, 47. John Adams, 48. Robt. Treat Paine, 49. Elbridge Gerry.
RHODE-ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE, 50. C. Step. Hopkins, 51. William Ellery.
CONNECTICUT, 52. Roger Sherman, 53. Saml. Huntington, 54. Wm. Williams, 55. Oliver Wolcott.

IN CONGRESS, JANUARY 18, 1777.