The Signers

Although the final draft of the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the document wasn’t signed until nearly a month later, as described on the website of the National Archives:

On July 19th, Congress ordered that the Declaration be engrossed on parchment with a new title, “the unanimous declaration of the thirteen united states of America,” and “that the same, when engrossed, be signed by every member of Congress." Engrossing is the process of copying an official document in a large hand. The engrosser of the Declaration was probably Timothy Matlock, an assistant to Charles Thomson, secretary to the Congress.

On August 2nd, John Hancock, the President of the Congress, signed the engrossed copy with a bold signature. The other delegates, following custom, signed beginning at the right with the signatures arranged by states from northernmost New Hampshire to southernmost Georgia. Although all delegates were not present on August 2nd, 56 delegates eventually signed the document. Late signers were Elbridge Gerry, Oliver Wolcott, Lewis Morris, Thomas McKean, and Matthew Thornton, who was unable to place his signature with the other New Hampshire delegates due to a lack of space. Some delegates, including Robert R. Livingston of New York, a member of the drafting committee, never signed the Declaration.”

This exhibition displays letters and documents signed by the fifty-six men who signed the Declaration. Though the length and content of these letters and documents vary widely, from brief notes or orders to long and detailed personal letters, they all offer insight into the daily lives, activities, and concerns of the signers. One aspect of their lives that these documents don’t reveal, however, is the ownership of slaves by a great many of the signers, which is discussed in the “Race, Slavery, and Native Americans” section of the exhibition in the Lilly Library’s North Gallery, The Declaration of Independence: The Motives, The Moment.

Documents signed by fifty-four of the fifty-six signers are displayed as part of The Signers in the Lilly Library’s South Gallery. Documents signed by the two other signers—Philip Livingston of New York and James Smith of Pennsylvania—are on display in the North Gallery in The Declaration of Independence: The Motives, The Moment.

The Declaration of Independence: The Signers was curated by Joel Silver. Jenny Mack designed the exhibition with graphic design by David Orr. This exhibition is part of the America 250 initiative at Indiana University, Bloomington.