Signing their lives away : the fame and misfortune of the men who signed The Declaration of Independence
(Book)
Author
Contributors
D'Agnese, Joseph, author.
Published
Philadelphia, PA : Quirk Books, [2019].
Appears on list
Status
Shirlington - Adult Nonfiction
973.313 KIERN
1 available
973.313 KIERN
1 available
Copies
| Location | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Shirlington - Adult Nonfiction | 973.313 KIERN | Available |
Description
In the summer of 1776, fifty-six men risked their lives and livelihood to defy King George III and sign the Declaration of Independence—yet how many of them do we actually remember? Signing Their Lives Away introduces readers to the eclectic group of statesmen, soldiers, slaveholders, and scoundrels who signed this historic document—and the many strange fates that awaited them. Some prospered and rose to the highest levels of United States government, while others had their homes and farms seized by British soldiers. Signer George Wythe was poisoned by his nephew; Button Gwinnett was killed in a duel; Robert Morris went to prison; Thomas Lynch was lost at sea; and of course Sam Adams achieved fame as a patriot/brewer. Complete with portraits of the signers as well as a facsimile of the Declaration of Independence, Signing Their Lives Away provides an entertaining and enlightening narrative for history buffs of all ages.
More Details
Published
Philadelphia, PA : Quirk Books, [2019].
Format
Book
Physical Desc
303 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 20 cm
Language
English
Notes
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 295-300) and index.
Description
Introduces readers to the lives of the fifty-six men who signed the Declaration of Independence, describing who they were, their professions, and how their lives changed in the years that followed.
Table of Contents
Introduction. A clarification: the real Independence Day
New Hampshire. Josiah Bartlett: the signer immortalized on The West Wing
William Whipple: the singer who fought for freedom
Matthew Thornton: the singer who led "The nation of New Hampshire"
Massachusetts. John Adams: the signer everyone loved to hate
Samuel Adams: the signer whose bravery went bust
Elbridge Gerry: the signer who gave us gerrymandering
John Hancock: the signer who signed first
Robert Treat Paine: the signer who objected to, well, everything
Rhode Island. William Ellery: the signer who is two degrees from Kevin Bacon
Stephen Hopkins: the signer with the worst penmanship
Connecticut. Samuel Huntington: the signer who became the first U.S. President, sort of...
Roger Sherman: the signer who signed everything
William Williams: the signer who was certain he would hang
Oliver Wolcott: the signer who melted King George's heart (and then some)
New York. Philip Livingston: the prince of New York
William Floyd: the signer whose home was turned into a stable
Francis Lewis: the signer whose wife was imprisoned
Lewis Morris: the signer buried in one of America's poorest neighborhoods
New Jersey. Abraham Clark: the signer whose sons were imprisoned
John Hart: the signer who slept in caves
Francis Hopkinson: the signer who designed the U.S. flag
Richard Stockton: the only signer who recanted the Declaration
John Witherspoon: the signer who was also a minister
Pennsylvania. John Morton: the first signer to die
Benjamin Franklin: the signer known throughout the world
James Wilson: the signer who went broke on shady land deals
Robert Morris: the signer who financed the war, and ended up in debtors' prison
George Clymer: the signer whose homes were targeted by the British
George Ross: the signer related to America's most famous seamstress
Benjamin Rush: the signer who loved to gossip about other signers
George Taylor: the signer who started out as an indentured servant
James Smith: the signer who was coy about his age
Delaware. Caesar Rodney: Delaware's famous midnight rider
George Read: the only signer who voted against Independence
Thomas McKean: the signer who waited five years to sign
Maryland. Charles Carroll of Carrollton: the last signer to die
Samuel Chase: the signer better remembered as "Old Bacon Face"
William Paca: the signer who dared to acknowledge his illegitimate child
Thomas Stone: the signer who died of a broken heart
Virginia. Carter Braxton: the signer who had eighteen children
Benjamin Harrison: the singer who played Falstaff to Congress
Thomas Jefferson: the signer who wrote the Declaration
Richard Henry Lee: the six-fingered signer
Francis Lightfoot Lee: the signer who lived in his brother's shadow
Thomas Nelson Jr.: the signer who ordered troops to fire on his own home
George Wythe: the signer who was poisoned by his nephew
North Carolina. Joseph Hewes: the signer who worked himself to death
William Hooper: the signer who feared democracy
John Penn: the signer who taught himself how to read and write
South Carolina. Thomas Lynch Jr.: the signer buried at the bottom of the sea
Arthur Middleton: the signer also known as Andrew Marvell
Edward Rutledge: the signer who delayed Independence by a month
Thomas Heyward Jr.: the signer-songwriter
Georgia. Lyman Hall: the signer who dragged Georgia into the Union
George Walton: the signer who was orphaned, impoverished, abused, shot, and imprisoned
Button Gwinnett: the signer with the $7000,000 autograph
Appendixes. Text of the Declaration of Independence
Timeline
The miscellany of independence
Selected bibliography
Index.
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Citations
APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)
Kiernan, D., & D'Agnese, J. (2019). Signing their lives away: the fame and misfortune of the men who signed The Declaration of Independence . Quirk Books.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Kiernan, Denise and Joseph, D'Agnese. 2019. Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed The Declaration of Independence. Philadelphia, PA: Quirk Books.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Kiernan, Denise and Joseph, D'Agnese. Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed The Declaration of Independence Philadelphia, PA: Quirk Books, 2019.
Harvard Citation (style guide)Kiernan, D. and D'Agnese, J. (2019). Signing their lives away: the fame and misfortune of the men who signed the declaration of independence. Philadelphia, PA: Quirk Books.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)Kiernan, Denise, and Joseph D'Agnese. Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed The Declaration of Independence Quirk Books, 2019.
Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.
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