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Declaration Of Independence Signers Changed The World
By Justice Paul Pfeifer, Ohio Supreme Court
This 4th of July we celebrate the 239th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, an event that set a new course for human histo- ry. There were 56 men who signed that document, which declared that “these United Colonies are, and of right to be, Free and Independent States ...”
The signers understood what was at stake. The declaration ends with this line: “And for the support of this decla- ration, with a firm Reliance on the Pro- tection of divine Providence, we mutu- ally pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
Those words were not added as a mere rhetorical flourish. By signing the declaration, those 56 had committed an act of treason that was punishable by death. And some who signed paid a dear price for their bold rebellion.
Consider the story of Abraham
Clark, a delegate from New Jersey. Born
in 1726, Clark was the only child in a
farming family of modest means. Clark
had a limited formal education, but, possessed a natural gift for mathematics, he learned survey- ing, a skill much in demand.
In 1748, Clark married Sarah Hatfield and to- gether they had 10 children. He also taught him- self law. Because of his willingness to help people who often couldn’t pay, Clark became known as the “Poor Man’s Counselor.”
A popular figure, Clark was soon elected to a variety of public offices. Through the years, as the patriot movement built steam in America, Clark found himself drawn to the cause of liberty. By 1774, he was a vocal supporter of independence.
In 1776, when New Jersey replaced their dele- gates to the Continental Congress with men who favored independence, Clark was named as one of the new delegates. He arrived in Philadelphia in June 1776, in time for his date with destiny.
As Clark added his name to the document that changed the world, he was well aware that the signers might face dire consequences. Shortly after signing he wrote to a friend, “As to my title, I know not yet whether it will be honorable or dishonorable; the issue of the war must settle it. Perhaps our Congress will be exalted on a high gallows ... I assure you, Sir, I see, I feel, the dan- ger we are in.”
The danger, though, wasn’t just for the signers
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