Roger Sherman-Signer of the Constitution

Roger Sherman was born April 19, 1721 in Newton, Massachusetts and he died on July 23, 1793 in New Haven, Connecticut.  John Adams described Sherman with these words: "an old Puritan, as honest as an angel and as firm in the cause of American Independence as Mount Atlas."

Roger Sherman was the only founder to have signed the four major documents of the Revolution: the Declaration of Rights and Grievances, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution.  Sherman started out as an apprentice to his father, who was a cobbler.  Sherman ended up becoming a county surveyor for a while.  He received little formal education Sherman became well read in theology, mathematics, law, and politics.  Sherman self-taught himself enough in law that he was admitted to the bar.  He was a member of the Continental Congress between 1774 and 1781 as well as between 1783 and 1784.

As a delegate from Connecticut,  Roger Sherman had failing health.  He, however, contributed a great deal.  Roger Sherman originally favored strengthening the Articles of Confederation rather than forming a new law and he even drafted amendments to the Articles.  He eventually realized that a new constitution needed to be formed.  In forming the new constitution he helped draft the New Jersey plan, which basically called for an equally represented legislature.  Sherman also favored the idea of having Senators voted in by their state legislatures.  Roger Sherman was on of the greatest of our founders and instrumental in the forming of our Constitution. As William Pierce put it Roger Sherman "deserves infinite praise.  No man [had] a better heart or a clearer head."

William Samuel Johnson-Signer of the Constitution

William Samuel Johnson was a very interesting founding father.  He was born October 7, 1727 in Stratford, Connecticut and he died November 14, 1819 in the same town.  His father was an Anglican clergyman who expected his son to be the same.  Johnson, however, didn't follow in his father's footsteps, but instead went to school to study law.  He received a degree from Yale as well as honorary degree's from Harvard and Oxford.

The reason why William Johnson is such an interesting founding father is this: he remained neutral during the Revolutionary War.  Johnson had many ties to England both secular (honorary degree from Oxford) and religious.  He agreed with the Colonists concerning their many redress' for representation, but he believed justice could be obtained through political means.  In fact, he served on a colonial committee that wrote an address to the king concerning the Stamp Act in 1765.  In his neutrality he spoke against extremism from both sides.  Because of his neutrality, however, he was not well liked by fellow American colonists.  An example of this is the fact that they took his twenty year commission as an officer in Connecticut's Militia away from him.  Once King George III accepted America as an independent sovereignty Johnson was glad to join in committing his knowledge of law to help form the new nation.

He attended the Constitutional Convention as a delegate from Connecticut.  As a delegate, he gave inspiring speeches on the subject of representation that weighed heavily among other delegates.  He gave support to the Connecticut Compromise which was very similar to other ideas wanting a bi-lateral congress with a Senate and House of Representatives.  Johnson also served on the Committee of Style in forming the Constitution.  William Samuel Johnson was another great founder who, while not always agreeing with the patriots during the Revolution,  gave great wisdom in the forming of the United States Constitution.

Rufus King-Signer of the Constitution

Rufus King was born in Scarbaro, Massachusetts (which is now Scarborough, Maine) on March 24, 1755 and he died April 29, 1827 in New York City.  Rufus King was introduced to the fight for freedom in a not so possitive way.  His father agreed with the Stamp Act and so one night the Sons of Liberty came and ransacked their home.  King was only 11 years old at the time.  However, this experience did not cause him to hate the colonists.  He attended Harvard and had a law practice before his involvement in the war with England.  He became a member of the Continental forces and served under John Hancock.  After Yorktown, Rufus King was appointed as a member of Massachusetts' state legislature.  He was friends with General Henry Knox, John Jay, and Robert Livingston some of America's most important men.

As a delegate from Massachusetts at the Constitutional Convention Rufus King was the first New Englander to arrive in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  In the convention he joined with James Madison to lead the fight for a strong national union, which was non-existant with the Articles of Confederation.  After King went back to gain Massachusetts' ratification he returned to help formally organize a call for the Bill of Rights.  Without Rufus King and other founders, we would most likely not have had the great nation under the Constitution that we have been blessed with for a long time.

Nathaniel Gorham-Signer of the Constitution

Nathaniel Gorham was born on May 27, 1938 in Charlestown, Massachusetts and he died on June 11, 1796 in the same city.  Gorham started out in a respectable family, but he soon made his name as a self-made merchant.  Towards the beginning of the Revolutionary War, Nathaniel Gorham served in the Massachusetts legislature.  He served, during the war against England, on the Massachusetts War Board.  As a member of the war board he helped in the obtaining of manpower and the organization of Massachusetts' military.  He also served as the President of the Continental Congress for a short time.

As a delegate to the Constitutional Congress in Philadelphia, Gorham like fellow Federalists in Congress pushed for a strong federal government.  From his aspect as a businessmen he pushed for a strong enough national government to promote international trade and regulation on the use of paper money.  However, when Nathaniel Gorham returned to his home state, he helped gain Massachusetts' ratification to the Constitution by promising the inclusion of a Bill of Rights (as were many other delegates with their states).  Massachusetts was convinced and they voted to ratify the Constitution.  Gorham was a little bit pessimistic about the endurance of the newly formed nation, but because of his help towards the establishment of the United States our county has had the longest standing Constitution in world history.

Nicholas Gilman-Signer of the Constitution

Here is just another unknown founding father, Nicholas Gilman one of the delegates from New Hampshire.  Gilman was born on August 3, 1755 in Exeter, New Hampshire and he died on May 2, 1814 in Philadelphia.  Nicholas Gilman started out as a merchant, but that career was soon replaced with many others.  He served as adjutant of the 3rd New Hampshire Regiment, a regiment General Washington could always rely upon.  He then served on the staff of General Washington starting from the Continental Army's time in Valley Forge all the way up to the victory at Yorktown.  Gilman was a Federalist who later changed more for the "common man" to become a Jeffersonian Republican.

As a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Nicholas Gilman was a key persuader of his state into ratification of the Constitution.  Gilman as well as John Langdon got New Hampshire to become the ninth state to ratify the Constitution with a 57-47 vote.  As a delegate at the convention, Gilman did a great job in helping form our new countries government.  He said this about the Constitution:

[I]t was done by bargain and Compromise, yet, notwithstanding its imperfections, on the adoption of it depends (in my feeble judgment) whether we shall become a respectable nation, or a people torn to pieces . . . and rendered contemptible for ages."

John Langdon-Signer of the Constitution

Here is another founder many people may not have ever heard of.  John Langdon was on of the two delegates from New Hampshire.

John Langdon was born on June 26, 1741 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and he died September 18, 1819 in the same location.  Before becoming a delegate at the Constitutional Convention, Langdon was the captain of a cargo ship, a wealthy international trader, and one of the men involved heavily in the war effort against the largest army and navy in the world.  In New Hampshire Langdon was involved in forming and organizing the New Hampshire militia.  John Langdon was a very rich man and belonged to a militia unit that was given the nickname of the "silk-stocking" unit because of how rich it's members were.  Langdon also was on the committee that oversaw the establishment of the Continental Navy and he even provided his merchant fleet for the Navy.

As a delegate from New Hampshire, along with Nicholas Gilman, John Langdon helped persuade his state to ratify the Constitution and join the United States of America.  Because of New Hampshire's ratification the Constitution became the law governing our new nation.  Because of the indebtedness of the United States the Continental Congress didn't have enough money to pay for the delegates food and lodgings for the first little while.  Thus, John Langdon gladley payed the way for himself and his fellow delegate from New Hampshire.  John Langdon was just another great founder who really cared about the Constitution and helped establish it for the greatest country in the world.

William Jackson-Signer of the Constitution

Have you ever heard of the Secretary of the Constitutional Convention, William Jackson?  I didn't hear about him until a few weeks ago.

William Jackson was born on March 9, 1759 in England and he died December 17, 1828 in Philadelphia.  In his early years he belonged to the Continental Army which he joined at around 17 years old in South Carolina.  He soon became an officer and later served as General Benjamin Lincoln's aid. 

When the Continental Congress had a job opening as secretary, William Jackson applied and got the job over Benjamin Franklin's grandson.  Alexander Hamilton had known Jackson, who was also a Federalist, and helped him get the job.  As the Secretary of the Constitutional Convention, William Jackson served under President Washington.  Jackson was gifted as an orator and a writer.  As the secretary he signed the Constitution to attest of the proceedings and signatures even though he did not act as a delegate.  William Jackson was another founder that contributed greatly to America's independence and our greatest law, the Constitution.