Two hundred forty two years ago the American colonies declared independence from
Great Britain through the Declaration of Independence. Representatives from each of the colonies were sent to Philadelphia to draft and sign a legal document to sever ties with Great
Britain. 56 different men signed the declaration. Some of these famous patriots are: Francis
Lightfoot Lee, William Paca, John Witherspoon, and Button Gwinnett.
Francis Lightfoot Lee (1734-1797) was a member of the House of Burgesses, the
Continental Congress, and the Senate of Virginia. He is most notably known for signing the
Declaration of Independence and representing Loudon and Richmond counties while working at the House of Burgesses. He was born into the the notable Lee family …show more content…
He was delegate to the Maryland legislature, member to the Committee of
Correspondence, member of the Continental Congress, Chief Justice of Maryland, Governor of
Maryland, and Federal District Judge for Maryland. He studied law at Annapolis in Maryland as a judge and he attended Philadelphia College at the age of 15. He also went to england to advance his political interests. He was known mostly for all his highly held positions, signing the
Declaration of Indepence, and organized against a royal poll-tax enforced by the royal governor.
Button Gwinnett (1735-1777) was one of the three Georgia signers of the Declaration of
Independence. He was first born in England then migrated to Georgia to and became a merchant.
1769 was the year he began his active role in politics. The Revolutionary Crisis brought him back to politics. He united coastal and rural dissidents into a loose coalition that elected him as
Georgia’s Continental battalion. That later became controversial and he stepped aside and accepted his appointment to Continental Congress. He then meets in Philadelphia supporting separation from England, voted for independence in July, and signed the Declaration in August. John Witherspoon (1723-1794) was born in Scotland and immigrated to the