James Wilson was one of the many signers of “The Declaration of Independence.” James Wilson was born on September 14th, 1742 in Carskerdo, Scotland. James immigrated to America in 1766. He came with very valuable letters of introduction. These allowed him to get into many schools and universities. Surprisingly, he never received a degree from any school until he petitioned to get a degree. Several months later, he received a degree, Master of Arts. He began to teach at the College of Philadelphia. He then studied law with, who would also become a member of the Continental Convention, John Dickinson. While in America, James stayed busy. In 1775 he was elected to the Provincial Congress, in 1775-77 he was part of the Continental Congress. He …show more content…
I chose James because I found him to be a very interesting man. I never knew how important this man was to the creation of our amazing country. The final vote was laid on his shoulders for God’s sake! He could’ve single handedly destroyed this country, or at least the thought of it. He was a very dependent man. He always agreed with the thought of John Dickinson. He never did much thinking for himself. Like I stated earlier, he backpacked off the ideas of Mr. Dickinson, but when the final question of independence came up, he voted with his mind, and soul. He no longer backpacked off his ideas anymore. He became his own man, and helped to create one of the most amazing countries on this planet. I chose James because of the wit he used when arguing against Mr. Dickinson. He stated that he didn’t want to be remembered as the man who was against independence, the man who single handedly destroyed the creation if a country. Mr. Dickinson argued that he will be remembered as one of the men who signed this document, but James stated that yes he would be, but he would be one name amongst many. He wouldn’t be the only …show more content…
Wilson as the man that he actually is. He was a very smart and important man, but unfortunately he didn’t speak his mind or have his own thoughts. Mr. Dickinson and James truly where close. They studied law together at the University of Philadelphia. They became good friends and ended up being members of the Constitutional Convention. James truly backpacked the thoughts of John Dickinson. Until the moment of truth. He thought for himself and voted yes for independence. He, Ben Franklin, and John Dickinson all represented Pennsylvania. Ben knew that if he didn’t get a pole on the topic that James would side with John and the Declaration would’ve been shot. The vote for independence had to be unanimous. If the vote was majority Pennsylvania would’ve been lost. It would’ve costed us freedom, time, and morale. Had James not thought for himself we still might be under the control of Great Britain. Let that sink in. One man, one choice. According to my research, yes, James is somewhat accurate in the movie. Smart, but not a very outspoken person. Very dependent, but none the less very smart, and educated. He even signed the Constitution. He became a major leader in American Society. He helped create the document we still live by today. Helped create the longest living governmental document in history. One of SIX, not twelve, not fifteen, six of the founding fathers to sign both. That is monumental. A lot of people in this film and
“He was the greatest diplomat America has ever had”(198), Wood bluntly wrote when describing Franklin’s achievements in France. Another theme in the text is Franklin changing his mind on things that he once felt very strongly about. Before the American revolution, Franklin was a hardcore loyalist. He praised the English Crown and thought that the King could do no wrong. When he was given the opportunity to become a lobbyist for Pennsylvania, Franklin replied that he was “too old to think of changing countries.” However, after being snubbed by various English officials, Franklin returned to America and became one of the strongest supporters of American independence. Gordon Wood has written countless novels about the American revolution. In 1993, he won the Pulitzer prize for his book The Radicalism of the American Revolution. Wood’s purpose for writing this biography of Franklin was to inform the reader about Franklin’s life and role in the American
Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers to the United States, was not a patriot but a mere loyalist to England before the dissolution between England and the colonies occurred. Sheila L. Skemp's The Making of a Patriot explores how Benjamin Franklin tried to stay loyal to the crown while taking interest in the colonies perception and their own representation in Parliament. While Ms. Skemp alludes to Franklin's loyalty, her main illustration is how the attack by Alexander Wedderburn during the Privy Council led to Franklin's disillusionment with the British crown and the greater interest in making the Thirteen Colonies their own nation. Her analysis of Franklin's history in Parliament and what occurred on the night that the council convened proves the change behind Franklin's beliefs and what lead to his involvement in the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution.
John Adams began his career as a lawyer, and he first rose to prominence as an opponent of the Stamp Act of 1765 which deprived the American colonists of two basic rights guaranteed to all Englishmen, and which all free men deserved: rights to be taxed on only by consent and to be tried only by a jury of one?s peers. Then, he successfully defended the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre (1770) with only two of the eight found guilty of manslaughter believing that it was important to ensure that innocents were protected. From 1770 ? 1774, Adams served in the Massachusetts legislature and was then elected a member of the Continental Congress. He nominated Washington to be Commander-in-Chief and was part of the committee that worked to draft the Declaration of Independence.
Born in January of 1737, John Hancock grew up to become a prominent founding father and important Patriot in American history. Filling many roles throughout his life, John Hancock shaped the course of the Revolution by standing out against the British rule. Originally a merchant and statesmen, Hancock became the president of the Second Continental Congress and helped convince all thirteen colonies to unite for their independence (History). Hancock stood for freedom in a time in which many leaders still hesitated to declare independence, and his influence convinced many colonists to unite against tyranny and still inspires many people today. To play such a significant role in the history of America, however, Hancock grew from experiences long
The conflict between Benjamin Franklin and his only living son is a microcosm of the little-understood clash between those Americans who strived for independence from British occupation and those that felt the country was either not or never would be ready for self-governance. Benjamin Franklin felt strongly enough about his son’s actions to label them betrayal; William Franklin felt strongly enough about the foolhardiness of the Revolution to suffer his father’s wrath. The actions of the loyalists are understood by Americans to constitute treason, but this is a simplification. Many loyalists felt that r...
Francis Lightfoot Lee was a person who risked his life by signing the Declaration of Independence, served in the Virginia senate and, served about a decade in the house of burgess. Francis was born October 14, 1734. His only known parant was Richard Lee II. He was born in Stanford hall, Virginia. Francis had 3 older brothers who often had the same job as he did. Francis got old and soon died on his parents farm. He did in 1797.
Thomas Jefferson, an educated, well respected career man, served as governor of Virginia, secretary of state, and president of the United States. The Revolutionary era, during the 1770's, proved to be one of America's most victorious times. Despite the casualties the American colonies suffered, they proved to be stronger than their ruling land, Britain, and won the right to be a free land, becoming the United States of America. Living through this difficult turning point in history inspired Jefferson to write "The Declaration of Independence." Once again, nearly two hundred years later, America faced yet another turning point in history.
One of the greatest conflicts in the history of the United State of America, the Revolutionary War, was started when the colonies of North America declared themselves independent from British rule. A group of men known as the Founding Fathers, which included George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John and Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and others, formed the Continental Congress to rule their new nation. They chose Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence, which they would send to King George III to make their independence official. Jefferson knew that he needed to use strong language to make a solid agrument against British rule in the colonies and to convince the colonists that independence was the only choice to maintain their freedom as human beings. The powerful use of parallelism, ethos, pathos, and logos helpd Thomas Jefferson to convey his idea that all men are created equal with unalienable rights and that it is the duty of the government to protect those rights.
A- John Adams- A Massachusetts lawyer and politician, John Adams was the one that defended the British shooters at the Boston Massacre. He went on to join the meeting at the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1774. Adams and the rest of the Congress wanted there to be an end to the Intolerable acts that were put on the Colonies by the British, and they wanted to have their own government, instead of the British governing them. This lead to the start of the Revolutionary War. John Adams was one of the delegates from Massachusetts to sign the Declaration of Independence.
Thomas Jefferson played a key part in the beginning of America’s Independence from Great Britain. He took part in the sig...
and his troops would be in danger. Another act was passed and this was the Tea Act. The British thought that this was a very good idea, but it was a double threat10to him. It worried him that the British were using this as an opening to acquire other trade. To him, the more important thing was the political implications. Americans were being asked to financethe destruction of their own rights. That fateful night, in which the throwing of the tea occurred, was one that will always be remembered. Before the unloading of the tea, a meeting was held, in which they decided to do, what they did. John Hancock was able say, in a period of order, "Let every man do what is right in his own eyes."11 Shortly afterwards, Samuel Adams gave the signal for the men to go on the ship, after declaring " this meeting can do nothingmore to save the country."John Hancock would go on to be the first signer of the Declaration Of Independence. John was a very smart, intriguing man. He was well-liked and known by all.John Hancock, in my eyes, is a true patriot. He will always been known to Americans, in
However, the author 's interpretations of Jefferson 's decisions and their connection to modern politics are intriguing, to say the least. In 1774, Jefferson penned A Summary View of the Rights of British America and, later, in 1775, drafted the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms (Ellis 32-44). According to Ellis, the documents act as proof that Jefferson was insensitive to the constitutional complexities a Revolution held as his interpretation of otherwise important matters revolved around his “pattern of juvenile romanticism” (38). Evidently, the American colonies’ desire for independence from the mother country was a momentous decision that affected all thirteen colonies. However, in Ellis’ arguments, Thomas Jefferson’s writing at the time showed either his failure to acknowledge the severity of the situation or his disregard of the same. Accordingly, as written in the American Sphinx, Jefferson’s mannerisms in the first Continental Congress and Virginia evokes the picture of an adolescent instead of the thirty-year-old man he was at the time (Ellis 38). It is no wonder Ellis observes Thomas Jefferson as a founding father who was not only “wildly idealistic” but also possessed “extraordinary naivete” while advocating the notions of a Jeffersonian utopia that unrestrained
In the first two decades of the twentieth century the national political scene reflected a growing American belief in the ideas of the Progressive movement. This movement was concerned with fundamental social and economic reforms and gained in popularity under two presidents. Yet Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson espoused two different approaches to progressive reform. And each one was able to prevail upon congress to pass legislation in keeping with his own version of the progressive dream. These two people, although they had different principles in mind, had one goal: to make changes to the nation for the better of the people and the country. Setting out to reach this goal, Roosevelt came to be a president of the common man while Wilson became the “better” progressive president.
“[T]he man on the ten-dollar bill is the father of the American treasury system, a signer of the Constitution, one of the primary authors of the Federalist Papers, and the loser of the infamous duel with Vice President Aaron Burr. Alexander Hamilton's earlier career as a Continental Army officer is less well known. Yet Hamilton's first experience in public service is important, not only because it was the springboard to his later career, but because it also deeply influenced his values and thinking” (Hamilton).
One of the signers that sign the Declaration of Independence was Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson was an American lawyer and Founding Father, and principal author of the Declaration of Independence. He was elected the second Vice President of the United States and the third President. He was also the one who started the Declaration of Independence with Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams. He signed the Declaration of Independence because he was the one who started it and also he was the one who wanted to change The United States of America to be a better place for people to live also to have freedom of speech, because other countries don’t have what The United States has and he was also the most wanted man in Great Britain just for saying these words.