90-Day Study Essay Schedule 2021

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Essay 1 – Introduction

• Revolutionary Importance of the Declaration of Independence by The Honorable Michael Warren, Presiding Judge, General Civil/Criminal Division of the 6th Circuit Court, Oakland County, Michigan.

Essay 2 – History of the Magna Carta and Its Influence on the Declaration of Independence

• Magna Carta’s Influence on the Declaration of Independence & U.S. Constitution by George Landrith, President, Frontiers of Freedom

Essay 3 – The Declaration of Independence in History

• The Declaration of Independence in History, and Contested Meaning of America’s Self-Evident Truths by Tony Williams, Author of six books including Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America; Senior Teaching Fellow, Bill of Rights Institute; Constituting America Fellow

Essay 4 – Opposition: The Second Continental Congress, Threat of War, and America’s Decision to Move Ahead with Declaring Independence

• Opposition: The Second Continental Congress, Threat of War, and America’s Decision to Move Ahead with Declaring Independence by Joerg Knipprath, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School; Constituting America Fellow
  

Essay 5 – Influence of the Declaration of Independence on the United States Constitution

• Apple of Gold in a Picture of Silver: Declaration of Independence Influence on the United States Constitution by Tony Williams, Author of six books including Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America; Senior Teaching Fellow, Bill of Rights Institute; Constituting America Fellow

Preamble and Founding Principles of the Declaration of Independence

Essay 6 – Necessity of Dissolving Political Bands
“IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth,”

• Declaration of Independence and Necessity of Dissolving Political Bands by Joerg Knipprath, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School; Constituting America Fellow

Essay 7 – Laws Of Nature and of Nature’s God
“the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”

• Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God, and the American Declaration of Independence by Tony Williams, Author of six books including Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America; Senior Teaching Fellow, Bill of Rights Institute; Constituting America Fellow

Essay 8 – All Men Are Created Equal
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,”

• Declaration of Independence, and Principle That All Men Are Created Equal by Tony Williams, Author of six books including Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America; Senior Teaching Fellow, Bill of Rights Institute; Constituting America Fellow.

Essay 9 – Endowed by Their Creator, Unalienable Rights and the Importance of “Among” Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
“that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

• Endowed by Their Creator: The Declaration of Independence and Unalienable Rights by Gary Porter, Executive Director, Constitution Leadership Initiative.

Essay 10 – Government Derives Powers From the Consent of the Governed
“That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –“

• Consent of the Governed, and the Declaration of Independence by Tony Williams, Author of six books including Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America; Senior Teaching Fellow, Bill of Rights Institute; Constituting America Fellow.

Essay 11 – Right of the People To Alter or Abolish Government
“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it,”

• Declaration of Independence, and the Right of the People to Alter or Abolish Destructive Government by James D. Best, Author, Tempest at Dawn, a novel about the 1787 Constitutional Convention; and Principled Action, Lessons from the Origins of the American Republic

Essay 12 – Foundation of Government on Principles
“and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

• Declaration of Independence: Purpose for Government, and Founding It on Principles by Will Morrisey, Professor Emeritus of Politics, Hillsdale College; Editor and Publisher, Will Morrisey Reviews

Essay 13 – Governments Long Established Should Not Be Changed for Light and Transient Causes
“Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”

• Caution of the Declaration of Independence: Restrain Governments Long Established From Change Due To Light and Transient Causes by The Honorable David L. Robbins, Education Commissioner, District 2, New Mexico

Essay 14 – Confronting A Long Train of Abuses and Usurpations
“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.— Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”

• Confronting a Long Train of Abuses and Usurpations: America Submits Facts To a Candid World by Val Crofts, Chief Education and Programs Officer, American Village; Former High School History, U.S. Military History, and AP U.S. Government Teacher; Member, United States Semiquincentennial Commission (America 250)

Grievances: The Abuses of King George III

Essay 15 – “He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.”

• Ideals for Legitimate Government: The Declaration of Independence, and Rule of Law by Kyle A. Scott, Ph.D., Board of Trustees, Lone Star College System; Professor of Political Science, University of Houston; Author of The Limits of Politics: Making the Case for Literature in Political Analysis, and The Federalist Papers: A Reader’s Guide

Essay 16 – “He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.”

• Open for Business: Colonial Americans’ Objection To Suspended Legislation, Furthering the Push Toward a Declaration of Independence by John Gilbert McCurdy, Professor of History, Eastern Michigan University; Author of Quarters: The Accommodation of the British Army and the Coming of the American Revolution

Essay 17 – “He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.”

• Formidable To Tyrants Only: Representation Denied the American Colonists Justified a Declaration of Independence by Kyle A. Scott, Ph.D., Board of Trustees, Lone Star College System; Professor of Political Science, University of Houston; Author of The Limits of Politics: Making the Case for Literature in Political Analysis, and The Federalist Papers: A Reader’s Guide

Essay 18 – “He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.”

• Disruption of Self-Government: Fatiguing America Into Compliance With Harsh Measures by Scot Faulkner, Served as Chief Administrative Officer, U.S. House of Representatives and as a Member of the Reagan White House Staff; Financial Adviser; President, Friends of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Essay 19 – “He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.”

• Invasions on the Rights of the People: Dissolved Legislatures, and the Declaration of Independence by Tony Williams, Author of six books including Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America; Senior Teaching Fellow, Bill of Rights Institute; Constituting America Fellow

Essay 20 – “He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.”

• Delayed Elections and Dissolved Legislatures: Threats To the Independence of Their Assemblies by Joerg Knipprath, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School; Constituting America Fellow

Essay 21 – “He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.”

• Raising Conditions of New Appropriations of Lands: Citizenship and Obstructing Economic Independence in the American Colonies by Scot Faulkner, Served as Chief Administrative Officer, U.S. House of Representatives and as a Member of the Reagan White House Staff; Financial Adviser; President, Friends of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Essay 22 – “He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.”

• The Heart and Lungs of Liberty: Representative Government and Trial by Jury by Steven H. Aden, Esq., Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel, Americans United for Life

Essay 23 – “He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.”

• Accountability of Judges, and the Declaration of Independence by Steven H. Aden, Esq., Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel, Americans United for Life

Essay 24 – “He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.”

• Eating Out Their Substance: Ever-Expanding and Intrusive Presence of Tax Collectors, and the Declaration of Independence by Scot Faulkner, Served as Chief Administrative Officer, U.S. House of Representatives and as a Member of the Reagan White House Staff; Financial Adviser; President, Friends of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Essay 25 – “He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.”

• Securing Freedom: Protecting the Colonies Amidst Mounting Aggression, Necessitating a Declaration of Independence by Val Crofts, Chief Education and Programs Officer, American Village; Former High School History, U.S. Military History, and AP U.S. Government Teacher; Member, United States Semiquincentennial Commission (America 250)

Essay 26 – “He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.”

• Attempts to Bring the American Colonists to Heel: Military Independent of and Superior to the Civil Power by Joerg Knipprath, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School; Constituting America Fellow

Essay 27 – “He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.”

• Foreign To Our Constitution: Abolishing Our Most Valuable Laws, Altering Fundamentally the Forms of Our Governments by Gary Porter, Executive Director, Constitution Leadership Initiative

Essay 28 – “He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation. He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands. He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.”

• Unworthy the Head of a Civilized Nation: Waging War Against Us by Completing the Works of Death by Gary Porter, Executive Director, Constitution Leadership Initiative

Efforts to Obtain Justice from Great Britain

Essay 29 – “In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.”

• Answered Only by Repeated Injury: Petitions for Redress, and a Declaration of Independence by Tony Williams, Author of six books including Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America; Senior Teaching Fellow, Bill of Rights Institute; Constituting America Fellow

Birth of the American Nation

Essay 30 – “We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

• Totally Dissolved: Releasing America From All Allegiance To the British Crown Through a Declaration of Independence by Val Crofts, Chief Education and Programs Officer, American Village; Former High School History, U.S. Military History, and AP U.S. Government Teacher; Member, United States Semiquincentennial Commission (America 250)

Drafting Committee of the Declaration of Independence

Essay 31 – In June of 1776, upon finding petitions ignored and rights of the colonies would not be respected, a committee was formed by Congress to draft a Declaration of Independence after Delegate Richard Henry Lee offered a resolution declaring, for the colonies, an end to all allegiance to the British crown. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston were appointed to draft the document; Lee and each committeeman signed it except Livingston. While endeavoring to pen the document for independence for America, they would evidence the meaning of risking their lives, fortunes and sacred honor under protection of divine providence to complete the task.

• The Drafting Committee of Five, and 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence by Winfield Rose, Distinguished Professor of Political Science Emeritus, Murray State University

56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence

Note: August 2, 1776 is the actual signing day of the Declaration of Independence. John Hancock, President of the Second Continental Congress, signed on July 4, 1776 in large letters just beneath the text. The Declaration was then sent to each of the thirteen colonies to read on July 5. The regular delegates added their names on August 2 when the document was ready. Beginning with New Hampshire, the signers wrote their names beneath John Hancock’s starting on the right side of the document working geographically from the northern states to the southern states. The committee to draft the Declaration consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston of New York. Livingston played an integral role in crafting the document though he was not among the fifty-six signers. There are two differences in the signing order: John Hancock, who signed first at the top, is listed with the Massachusetts signers. Matthew Thornton of New Hampshire, who signed later, is listed with his New Hampshire counterparts. Six signers of the Declaration of Independence also signed the United States Constitution eleven years later: George Clymer, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, George Read, Roger Sherman, and James Wilson.

New Hampshire:

Essay 32 – Josiah Bartlett – New Hampshire

• Josiah Bartlett, Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Tara Ross, Nationally Recognized Expert on the Electoral College, Author of Why We Need the Electoral College; The Indispensable Electoral College: How the Founders’ Plan Saves Our Country from Mob Rule; Prager University video, Do You Understand the Electoral College?

Essay 33 – William Whipple – New Hampshire

• William Whipple of New Hampshire: Ship Captain, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Ron Meier, West Point Graduate and Vietnam War Veteran; Constituting America Senior Essay Contest Winner; Author, Common Sense Rekindled: A Rejuvenation of the American Experiment

Essay 34 – Matthew Thornton – New Hampshire

• Matthew Thornton of New Hampshire: Physician, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Tom Hand, Creator and Publisher, Americana Corner; West Point Graduate; Serves on the Board of Trustees, American Battlefield Trust and the National Park Foundation’s National Council

Massachusetts:

Essay 35 – John Hancock – Massachusetts

• John Hancock of Massachusetts: First and Largest Signature on the Declaration of Independence by Val Crofts, Chief Education and Programs Officer, American Village; Former High School History, U.S. Military History, and AP U.S. Government Teacher; Member, United States Semiquincentennial Commission (America 250)

Essay 36 – Samuel Adams – Massachusetts

• Samuel Adams of Massachusetts: Firebrand for the American Revolution, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Jeanne McKinney, Military Writer at Patriot Profiles; Award-winning Military Journalist; Winner of twelve San Diego Club “Excellence in Journalism Awards” and seven first place honors; Published, among many, in Working Dog Magazine, Homeland Security Today

Essay 37 – John Adams – Massachusetts

• John Adams of Massachusetts: Second President of the United States, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Joerg Knipprath, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School; Constituting America Fellow

Essay 38 – Robert Treat Paine – Massachusetts

• Robert Treat Paine: Pastor, Massachusetts Attorney General and Supreme Court Justice, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Tom Hand, Creator and Publisher, Americana Corner; West Point Graduate; Serves on the Board of Trustees, American Battlefield Trust and the National Park Foundation’s National Council

Essay 39 – Elbridge Gerry – Massachusetts

• Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts: Signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Vice President of the United States Under James Madison by Tom Hand, Creator and Publisher, Americana Corner; West Point Graduate; Serves on the Board of Trustees, American Battlefield Trust and the National Park Foundation’s National Council

Rhode Island:

Essay 40 – Stephen Hopkins – Rhode Island

• Stephen Hopkins of Rhode Island: General Assembly Speaker, Superior Court Chief Justice, Governor, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Tom Hand, Creator and Publisher, Americana Corner; West Point Graduate; Serves on the Board of Trustees, American Battlefield Trust and the National Park Foundation’s National Council

Essay 41 – William Ellery – Rhode Island

• William Ellery of Rhode Island: Merchant, Lawyer, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Tom Hand, Creator and Publisher, Americana Corner; West Point Graduate; Serves on the Board of Trustees, American Battlefield Trust and the National Park Foundation’s National Council

Connecticut:

Essay 42 – Roger Sherman – Connecticut

• Roger Sherman of Connecticut: Signer of Five Most Important United States Founding Documents Including the Declaration of Independence by Tom Hand, Creator and Publisher, Americana Corner; West Point Graduate; Serves on the Board of Trustees, American Battlefield Trust and the National Park Foundation’s National Council

Essay 43 – Samuel Huntington – Connecticut

• Samuel Huntington: Farmer, Connecticut Supreme Court Justice, Governor, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Tom Hand, Creator and Publisher, Americana Corner; West Point Graduate; Serves on the Board of Trustees, American Battlefield Trust and the National Park Foundation’s National Council

Essay 44 – William Williams – Connecticut

• William Williams of Connecticut: Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Pinch Hitting for the United States of America by J. Eric Wise, Partner, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP in New York City

Essay 45 – Oliver Wolcott – Connecticut

• Oliver Wolcott of Connecticut: Major General in the Revolutionary War, Sheriff, Governor, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Robert Brescia, Board Director, Past Chairman, Basin PBS Television; Top Leadership Roles in Education, Corporate Business, Nonprofit, and Defense; Twenty-Seven Years of Public Service as an Airborne Ranger Cavalry Soldier, NCO, Commissioned Officer, U.S. Army; Appointed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, State Board for Educator Certification

New York:

Essay 46 – William Floyd – New York

• William Floyd of New York: Major General in the Revolutionary War; Representative in the First United States Congress, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Jay McConville, Military Veteran; Aerospace and Defense Industry Executive; Founder, Emerald Collaborative Partners; Doctoral student at Virginia Commonwealth University

Essay 47 – Philip Livingston – New York

• Philip Livingston of New York: Merchant, Member of the First Continental Congress, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Richard K. Sala, Interim Director, Academic Success Program; Assistant Professor of Law, Vermont Law School

Essay 48 – Francis Lewis – New York

• Francis Lewis of New York: Businessman, Prisoner of War, Stamp Act and Second Continental Congress Delegate, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Joerg Knipprath, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School; Constituting America Fellow

Essay 49 – Lewis Morris – New York

• Lewis Morris: Major General in the New York Militia, Delegate to the Second Continental Congress, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Tom Hand, Creator and Publisher, Americana Corner; West Point Graduate; Serves on the Board of Trustees, American Battlefield Trust and the National Park Foundation’s National Council

New Jersey:

Essay 50 – Richard Stockton – New Jersey

• Richard Stockton: New Jersey Supreme Court Justice, Delegate to the Second Continental Congress, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Daniel A. Cotter, Attorney and Counselor; Author of The Chief Justices; A past president of The Chicago Bar Association

Essay 51 – John Witherspoon – New Jersey

• John Witherspoon: Presbyterian Minister, President of the College of New Jersey (Princeton), and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Tony Williams, Author of six books including Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America; Senior Teaching Fellow, Bill of Rights Institute; Constituting America Fellow

Essay 52 – Francis Hopkinson – New Jersey

• Francis Hopkinson of New Jersey: Merchant, Judge, Second Continental Congress Delegate, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Ron Meier, West Point Graduate and Vietnam War Veteran; Constituting America Senior Essay Contest Winner; Author, Common Sense Rekindled: A Rejuvenation of the American Experiment

Essay 53 – John Hart – New Jersey

• John Hart: Farmer, Second Continental Congress Delegate, First Speaker of the New Jersey State Legislature, and Declaration of Independence Signer by James C. Clinger, Professor of Political Science; Director, Master of Public Administration Program, Department of Political Science and Sociology, Murray State University

Essay 54 – Abraham Clark – New Jersey

• Abraham Clark of New Jersey: Surveyor, Lawyer, Second Continental Congress Delegate, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Heather B. Bailey, Real Estate Agent, Morristown, New Jersey; Descendent of Declaration of Independence Signer, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:

Essay 55 – Robert Morris – Pennsylvania

• Robert Morris of Pennsylvania: Merchant, Superintendent of Finance, Agent of Marine, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Joerg Knipprath, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School; Constituting America Fellow

Essay 56 – Benjamin Rush – Pennsylvania

• Benjamin Rush of Pennsylvania: Physician, United States Mint Treasurer, Continental Congress Member, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by William J. Federer, Nationally Known Speaker, Best-selling Author of many books including America’s God and Country Encyclopedia of Quotations; President, Amerisearch.net

Essay 57 – Benjamin Franklin – Pennsylvania

• Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania: Printer, Scientist, Postmaster, Fireman, “Committee of Five” Member, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Val Crofts, Chief Education and Programs Officer, American Village; Former High School History, U.S. Military History, and AP U.S. Government Teacher; Member, United States Semiquincentennial Commission (America 250)

Essay 58 – John Morton – Pennsylvania

• John Morton of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Assembly Speaker, First and Second Continental Congress Member, Sheriff, Judge, and Declaration of Independence Signer by Ron Meier, West Point Graduate and Vietnam War Veteran; Constituting America Senior Essay Contest Winner; Author, Common Sense Rekindled: A Rejuvenation of the American Experiment

Essay 59 – George Clymer – Pennsylvania

• George Clymer of Pennsylvania: Merchant, Continental Treasurer, Second Continental Congress Delegate, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Gordon Lloyd, Robert and Katheryn Dockson Professor of Public Policy, Pepperdine University; Senior Fellow, Ashbrook Center; Author

Essay 60 – James Smith – Pennsylvania

• James Smith: Attorney, Judge, Brigadier General of the Pennsylvania Militia, Continental Congress Delegate, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Ertis Tereziu, Attorney, Novara, Tesija, Catenacci, McDonald & Baas

Essay 61 – George Taylor – Pennsylvania

• George Taylor of Pennsylvania: Coal Worker, Ironmaster, Second Continental Congress Delegate, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Tom Hand, Creator and Publisher, Americana Corner; West Point Graduate; Serves on the Board of Trustees, American Battlefield Trust and the National Park Foundation’s National Council

Essay 62 – James Wilson – Pennsylvania

• James Wilson of Pennsylvania: Land Speculator, Lawyer, Second Continental Congress Delegate, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, and Declaration of Independence Signer by Joerg Knipprath, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School; Constituting America Fellow

Essay 63 – George Ross – Pennsylvania

• George Ross of Pennsylvania: Minister, Lawyer, Army Colonel, Continental Congress Delegate, Uncle of Betsy Ross, and Declaration of Independence Signer by Gary Porter, Executive Director, Constitution Leadership Initiative

Delaware:

Essay 64 – Caesar Rodney – Delaware

• Caesar Rodney of Delaware: Stamp Act Congress Delegate, Governor, Militia Officer, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Robert M. S. McDonald, Professor of History, United States Military Academy in West Point, New York; Author of Confounding Father: Thomas Jefferson’s Image in His Own Time

Essay 65 – George Read – Delaware

• George Read: Attorney General, Acting Governor, Delaware Supreme Court Justice, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Gordon Lloyd, Robert and Katheryn Dockson Professor of Public Policy, Pepperdine University; Senior Fellow, Ashbrook Center; Author

Essay 66 – Thomas McKean – Delaware

• Thomas McKean of Delaware: Militia Colonel, State Deputy Attorney General and Chief Justice; Continental Congress President and Declaration of Independence Signer by Gordon Lloyd, Robert and Katheryn Dockson Professor of Public Policy, Pepperdine University; Senior Fellow, Ashbrook Center; Author

Maryland:

Essay 67 – Samuel Chase – Maryland

• Samuel Chase of Maryland: Attorney, United States Supreme Court Justice, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Joerg Knipprath, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School; Constituting America Fellow

Essay 68 – William Paca – Maryland

• William Paca of Maryland: Lawyer, Continental Congress Delegate, Judge, Governor, and Declaration of Independence Signer by Val Crofts, Chief Education and Programs Officer, American Village; Former High School History, U.S. Military History, and AP U.S. Government Teacher; Member, United States Semiquincentennial Commission (America 250).

Essay 69 – Thomas Stone – Maryland

• Thomas Stone of Maryland: Lawyer, Continental Congress Delegate, Committee of Correspondence Member, and Declaration of Independence Signer by Ron Meier, West Point Graduate and Vietnam War Veteran; Constituting America Senior Essay Contest Winner; Author, Common Sense Rekindled: A Rejuvenation of the American Experiment

Essay 70 – Charles Carroll of Carrollton – Maryland

• Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Maryland: State Constitution Framer, Continental Congress Member, and Signer of the Declaration of Independence by Colleen A. Sheehan, Director, Graduate Studies, School of Civic & Economic Thought & Leadership, Arizona State University

Virginia:

Essay 71 – George Wythe – Virginia

• George Wythe of Virginia: Continental Congress Delegate, Judge, Professor of Law, and Declaration of Independence Signer by Suzanne Harman Munson, Author, Jefferson’s Godfather: The Man Behind the Man, a biography of Founding Father, George Wythe; Frequent Lecturer on the Wythe-Jefferson legacy.

Essay 72 – Richard Henry Lee – Virginia

• Richard Henry Lee of Virginia: Continental Congress Delegate, Author of the Resolution That Led to the Declaration of Independence, and Signatory by Joerg Knipprath, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School; Constituting America Fellow

Essay 73 – Thomas Jefferson – Virginia

• Thomas Jefferson of Virginia: Secretary of State, Vice-President and President of the United States, Declaration of Independence Author and Signer by Tony Williams, Author of six books including Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America; Senior Teaching Fellow, Bill of Rights Institute; Constituting America Fellow

Essay 74 – Benjamin Harrison – Virginia

• Benjamin Harrison V of Virginia: State House Speaker, Governor, and Declaration of Independence Signer by William M.S. Rasmussen, Senior Curator & Lora M. Robins Curator of Art, Virginia Museum of History & Culture

Essay 75 – Thomas Nelson, Jr. – Virginia

• Thomas Nelson Jr. of Virginia: Planter, Brigadier General in the Continental Army, Governor, and Declaration of Independence Signer by Val Crofts, Chief Education and Programs Officer, American Village; Former High School History, U.S. Military History, and AP U.S. Government Teacher; Member, United States Semiquincentennial Commission (America 250)

Essay 76 – Francis Lightfoot Lee – Virginia

• Francis Lightfoot Lee of Virginia: Planter, House of Burgesses and Continental Congress Delegate, State Senator, and Declaration of Independence Signer by Andrew Langer, President, Institute for Liberty; Host, The Andrew Langer Show on WBAL NewsRadio 1090 in Baltimore

Essay 77 – Carter Braxton – Virginia

• Carter Braxton of Virginia: Planter, Merchant, House of Burgesses and Continental Congress Delegate, and Declaration of Independence Signer by Jay McConville, Military Veteran; Aerospace and Defense Industry Executive; Founder, Emerald Collaborative Partners; Doctoral student at Virginia Commonwealth University

North Carolina:

Essay 78 – William Hooper – North Carolina

• William Hooper of North Carolina: Lawyer, Salisbury Deputy Attorney General, Continental Congress Delegate, and Declaration of Independence Signer by Jeff Broadwater, Professor Emeritus of History, Barton College

Essay 79 – Joseph Hewes – North Carolina

• Joseph Hewes of North Carolina: Merchant, State Legislature and Continental Congress Delegate, and Declaration of Independence Signer by Jeff Broadwater, Professor Emeritus of History, Barton College

Essay 80 – John Penn – North Carolina

• John Penn of North Carolina: Lawyer, Continental Congress Delegate, Board of War Member, and Declaration of Independence Signer by Barb Zakszewski, Wife, Mother and Grandmother, Lifelong Conservative, Regular Civic Volunteer, Writer

South Carolina:

Essay 81 – Edward Rutledge – South Carolina

• Edward Rutledge of South Carolina: Lawyer, Captain of Artillery in the Revolutionary War, Governor, and Declaration of Independence Signer by Dr. Edward Lee, Professor of History, Winthrop University; Former Mayor, City of York, South Carolina

Essay 82 – Thomas Heyward, Jr. – South Carolina

• Thomas Heyward, Jr. of South Carolina: Lawyer, Judge, Continental Congress Delegate, and Declaration of Independence Signer by Dr. Edward Lee, Professor of History, Winthrop University; Former Mayor, City of York, South Carolina

Essay 83 – Thomas Lynch, Jr. – South Carolina

• Thomas Lynch, Jr. of South Carolina: Planter, Company Commander, Second Continental Congress Delegate, and Declaration of Independence Signer by Dr. Edward Lee, Professor of History, Winthrop University; Former Mayor, City of York, South Carolina

Essay 84 – Arthur Middleton – South Carolina

• Arthur Middleton of South Carolina: Planter, Continental Congress Delegate, Militia and Council of Safety Member, and Declaration of Independence Signer by Dr. Edward Lee, Professor of History, Winthrop University; Former Mayor, City of York, South Carolina

Georgia:

Essay 85 – Button Gwinnett – Georgia

• Button Gwinnett of Georgia: Merchant, Planter, Second Continental Congress Delegate, Council of Safety Member, and Declaration of Independence Signer by James C. Clinger, Professor of Political Science; Director, Master of Public Administration Program, Department of Political Science and Sociology, Murray State University

Essay 86 – Lyman Hall – Georgia

• Lyman Hall of Georgia: Clergyman, Physician, Second Continental Congress Delegate, Governor, and Declaration of Independence Signer by James C. Clinger, Professor of Political Science; Director, Master of Public Administration Program, Department of Political Science and Sociology, Murray State University

Essay 87 – George Walton – Georgia

• George Walton of Georgia: Lawyer, Second Continental Congress Delegate, Council of Safety Member, State Supreme Court Chief Justice, Governor, and Declaration of Independence Signer by James C. Clinger, Professor of Political Science; Director, Master of Public Administration Program, Department of Political Science and Sociology, Murray State University

Essay 88 – Why Some Founders Did Not Sign the Declaration of Independence

• Weighing a Decisive Break, Preparing Defenses, and Why Some Founders Did Not Sign the Declaration of Independence by Tony Williams, Author of six books including Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America; Senior Teaching Fellow, Bill of Rights Institute; Constituting America Fellow

Essay 89 – “We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

• With a Firm Reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence by Michael P. Farris, President and CEO, Alliance Defending Freedom

Essay 90 – Conclusion

• Best Friends: The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution by William B. Allen, Emeritus Dean and Professor, Michigan State University

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