Thomas FitzSimons-Signer of the Constitution

Born sometime during 1741 in Ireland and dying August 26, 1811 in Phillidelphia Thomas FitzSimons, an Irish Catholic, was a delegate from the colony of Pennsylvania.  He immigrated in the mid-1750's and in 1763 he went into business with his new brother-in-law, George Meade (Grandfather of the Civil War general).

As a business man, FitzSimons began to dislike the British oppression after the Stamp Act was implemented.  In 1771 he became the leader of a political fraternity known as the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick.  FitzSimons was part of the Revolutionary War as he formed and led a company in the Pennsylvania 3rd Battalion.  His company fought in the battle for New York, protected the coast of New Jersey, and they were with Washington when Princeton was taken back from the redcoats.  After retiring from the Army, he served on a Pennsylvanian board that oversaw the Pennsylvania Navy.  FitzSimons then served as the director of the Bank of North America from its beginning, 1781, until 1803.  He attended Continental Congress in 1782.

At the Constitutional Convention in 1787, he often spoke on the issues of commerce and finance and how they pertained to government.  FitzSimons viewed government as a logical extension of the relationship that existed among families, ethnic communities, and business groups.  He led the fight in Pennsylvania for the ratifying of the Constitution.  As one of the signers, Thomas FitzSimons as an Irish Immigrant brought his business and military knowlege to the table in the forming of our great nation.

Restoring Honor Rally

Today at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Glenn Beck held an event that I would really have loved to be at.  They had a rally were all of the proceeds, 5.5 million dollars, went to the Special Operations Warrior fund.  There were an estimated 300,000 people there.  I think it was really cool the way they did it.  It was not political, but there were religious leaders, prayers, and songs.  Martin Luther King Jr.'s niece, Alveda King, was in attendance as well as Sarah Palin. The message was: turn to God and turn back to America's founding principles.  What a great message for our country today.  I think Glenn Beck is really on the right track about our countries need for God.  It sounds like the event was absolutely amazing. Too bad it was so far away and held in a place were there were so many people.

George Clymer-Signer of the Constitution

George Clymer was born on March 16, 1739 in Philadelphia and he died January 23, 1813.  Clymer was orphaned shortly after his birth.  As such he was adopted by his uncle, William Coleman, who was a wealthy merchant and a friend of Benjamin Franklin.  He worked for his uncle as a clerk and he eventually made his way up to being his uncle's partner in the merchant firm.

In 1765 Clymer married Elizabeth Meredith, a member of a very prominent family.  Through his marriage George Clymer was able to met George Washington and other prominent Patriots.  In 1773 he led a committee of Pennsylvanians that forced the resignations of Parliament's appointed Tea Act enforcers.  He served as the Continental Congress' Treasurer from 1775 to 1776.  Clymer then became a representative in the Continental Congress for Pennsylvania were he served from 1776 to 1777 and from 1780 to 1782.  He remained with Robert Morris and George Walton in Philadelphia to run congressional affairs even after the British began to occupy the city.  Clymer worked with Morris in the organization of resupplying General Washington's Continental troops. 

At the Constitutional Convention, George Clymer was a soft-spoken man who agreed with the Federalists that a strong national government needed to be created.  His worked mainly on committee's that figured out military, commercial, and financial powers given to the new government.  George Clymer is not a founder that stands out for his bold speach or military service, but he served his own great purpose in the forming of our Constitution.

What about the Recession?

Has anyone noticed that there seems to be a lot more news stories about: immigration, gay-rights, and a mosque at Ground Zero than our steadily sinking ship, the economy?  To me it seems almost like America's attention has turned to social issues which portray conservatives as hateful, racist bigots and our attention has left our economic situation.  (By the way congress is still creating new laws that put our country into greater dept.)  I would think the economy would be the most pressing issue seeing as we still haven't recovered from this recession.  Does it seem like our attention is being diverted? To me it does.

Robert Morris-Signer of the Constitution

"The United States may command everything I have, except my integrity [i.e., commercial credit], and the loss of that would effectually disable me from serving them more."

Those words came from Robert Morris of Pennsylvania, the man who has become known to as the "financier of the Revolution".  Morris was born on January 31, 1734 in Liverpool, England and he died on May 8, 1806 in Philadelphia.

Robert Morris immigrated to Maryland in 1747 were he later worked in the tobacco export business.  He moved to Philadelphia and partnered with Charles Willing (and yes, Charles was willing) in a business firm that became one of America's leading importing/exporting businesses.  Because of this, Morris was quite well of in matters of money.  Robert Morris held a position on a local committee of businessmen who opposed the Stamp Act.

In the Pennsylvanian congress, Morris sat on the Committee of Correspondence and the Council of Safety, which organized the arming of the state.  He served in Continental Congress from 1775 through 1778.  In congress he served on the Secret Committee for Obtaining Munitions.  Most influentially, however, was his role on the Finance Committee were he secured much needed loans from wealthy businessmen for the cause of the United States.  Morris almost single handedly obtained provisions and supplies for the Continental Army, which was in dire need of anything they could get.  He also contributed much of his own wealth to the cause of Independence.  Robert Morris was one of two people to have signed The Declaration of Independence, The Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution (Roger Sherman was the other).

At the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Robert Morris didn't contribute much in terms of open debate in front of the congress.  In fact he only spoke once at the convention.  Instead, Morris would have discussions with some of his greatest friends: Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, and Gouverneur Morris.  Robert Morris is known, however, to have nominated George Washington as the President of the Convention in Philadelphia, in Benjamin Franklin's absence.  Morris, the owner of perhaps the finest three-story mansion in Philadelphia, persuaded George Washington to reside in his home during his time as President of the Congress. William Pierce wrote that, "Robert Morris is a merchant of great eminence and wealth, an able financier, and a worthy patriot.  He has an understanding equal to any public object, and possesses an energy of mind that few men can boast of."  Without Robert Morris, America would not have had the money and to secure such a supreme law as our great Constitution.

Thomas Mifflin-Signer of the Constitution

"There can be no Right to Power, except what is either founded upon, or speedily obtains the hearty Consent of the Body of the People."

The above words were written by Thomas Mifflin as a student.  Mifflin was a delegate from Pennsylvania in the Constitutional Convention.  He was born January 10, 1744 in Philadelphia; he died January 20, 1800 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Thomas Mifflin was born as a fourth generation Pennsylvania Quaker.  He graduated from the College of Philadelphia in 1760.  Mifflin apprenticed as a merchant and later started a business of imports and exports with a younger brother.  In 1768 Mifflin joined the American Philosophical Society.  He also was a delegate in Pennsylvania's colonial legislature and he was especially concerned with Parliament's taxation policies.

In 1774 he was elected to the first Continental Congress in Philadelphia.  His second term was cut short, however, when he was commissioned as the senior major in Philadelphia's Third Battalion.  Because of this he was kicked out of his Quaker church.  Mifflin went on to serve as one of Washington's aides in the Continental Army.  In 1775 he was appointed to be Quartermaster General of the Continental Army were he served for quite some time getting supplies and figuring out logistics for General Washington.  After the victories at Trenton and Princeton he was promoted as Major General.

He went back to the Continental Congress and served as its president in 1780.  When time came for the Constitutional Convention, Thomas Mifflin was prepared for his job as delegate.  From his military experience he knew that a country needed to have a strong government in order to survive.  However, at the convention he pushed for a balance between the state and federal government.  When he went back to convince his state to ratify the Constitution he was a great influence.  A man who served as a soldier and as a statesman, Thomas Mufflin was a key figure in the forming of America.  

Benjamin Franklin-Signer of the Constitution

"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.  As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."

These are just a few short words of wisdom from Benjamin Franklin, a man who every American should know about because of his great efforts in the creation of the United States.  (Yes, you should know more about him than the fact that he is on the hundred dollar bill.)

Benjamin Franklin was a man who was known throughout the United States and Europe as being a writer, scientist, philosopher, statesman, and newspaper publisher.  He was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts and he died April 17, 1790 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Franklin was the tenth son of a soap and candle maker.  He self-taught himself in about everything he knew.  He began as a printer who started publishing the New England Courant, one of the colonies four major papers.  Franklin moved to Philadelphia, after a falling out with one of his brothers, were he served in Pennsylvania's legislature from 1736 to 1764.  During that time he began publishing the Pennsylvania Gazette and, one of the best selling publications of its time, Poor Richard's Almanac.  Through his publications he was able to become quite a philanthropist who contributed to many causes such as public education, the building of libraries, and the building of street lamps.  Franklin also contributed a great deal to the starting of the American Philosophical Society, of which many founders like Washington, Jefferson, and Adams were members. Ben Franklin served in London as an agent in representing Pennsylvania and he later represented Georgia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.

At the start of the Revolutionary War, Benjamin Franklin helped develop the Declaration of Independence as he served on the committee to draft it.  He also signed the Declaration of Independence and said to his fellow signers, "Gentlemen, we must now all hang together, or we shall most assuredly all hang separately." 

One of the most important roles Franklin played was during the war as an ambassador to France.  In France he became well respected and well liked, which gave him a lot of sway with the French government.  Because of Franklin, France committed loans, supplies, and some of their military to the Patriots efforts in the United States.  At the end of the war, Franklin was there in Paris with John Adams and John Jay to negotiate the Treaty of Paris.

At the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was the oldest and perhaps wisest member at the age of eighty-one.  He was a delegate from Pennsylvania along with seven others.  Concerning Dr. Franklin's character William Pierce classified him as "the greatest philosopher of the present age.  He is [eighty-one] years old, and possesses an activity of mind equal to a youth of twenty-five."  Franklin was instrumental in helping mash out compromises, but none of his major ideas such as: an executive board rather than a president, a single-chambered legislature, and public service without pay were implemented into the Constitution.  Concerning compromises, Franklin was most influential in dealing with the compromise on representation.  He used his prestige, humor, and diplomatic powers to soothe disputes and encourage compromise.  Relating to the Virginia/New Jersey plan compromise Franklin said, "If a property representation takes place, the small states contend their liberties will be in danger. If an equality of votes takes place, the large states say their money will be in danger. When a broad table is to be made, and the planks do not fit, the artist takes a little from both, and makes a good joint."  As a wise old statesman, among other things, Benjamin Franklin was able to contribute great wisdom and knowledge to the Constitutional Convention.  Franklin exemplified a self-made man as he rose to become one of America's greatest men.