They Signed: The Signers of the Declaration of Independence
Summary: From the host of My History Can Beat Up Your Politics, the story of the greatest argument for liberty ever written is told through the lives of the 56 men who committed their lives property and honor to the document. Carlson discusses not just Jefferson and Adams, but all of them even the less well known like the prisoner Richard Stockton, confused merchant Joesph Hewes, the dueler Gwinnett, brewer-philosopher Samuel Adams and the ultimate founder Richard Henry Lee. Many of the Signers suffered for their commitment, but some of the most incredible stories have been exaggerated. This podcast strives to make those distinctions between fact and fiction based on what we know. Learn a bit about the American Revolution and American History, and hopefully have a good time.
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- Artist: Bruce Carlson
- Copyright: 2012 Bruce Carlson
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It's a style of the time that makes the Signers seem so different than us moderners: the headwear that we associate with Founding Fathers. Wigs and Powder. In this episode we discuss it a bit in the course of talking about some more of the Signers. Not all of the Signers wore them, and the type that was most often worn was a modernized version, a sign that this tradition was on its way out and the 1776 was right before the end of the fashion trend. In the course of discussing this topic we go over the lives of some of the Connecticut signers and Pennsylvania's Doctor Benjamin Rush.
A bit about the events that would cause two Signers and friends, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, to stop talking. And stop writing. and the event that almost broke the silence.
A legendary ride is brought to dramatic life in this episode, as we discuss the Delaware delegation and the last-minute vote that switched Delaware from reconciliation to independence. We also go to England to look at some precedents for the Declaration including the famous "Great Letter" of King John.
Who were the people who signed the document Americans celebrate on July 4th? A small part of that question is answered in this episode. An introduction to the Declaration of Independence, its importance in American history and the history of the American Revolution, makes up the bulk of this first podcast episode. Facts that many Americans would get wrong (though not a sizable amount of history buffs). Did we need a Declaration to have independence? When was it written? When was it approved? and When was it signed? Any look at the Signers of the Declaration of Independence should begin with those well known signers, but instead we start with some of the least known. John Hart, Thomas Nelson, Richard Henry Lee and Richard Stockton are featured, among others.
