The state herald., 1919-07-04


adopted by congress, and the Declare.
tion was considered BY the committee
Of the whole, being taken up the next
day, July 5.
On July the Declaration, which
included the nrst paragraph Of the
resolution. was agreed to BY the COM
mittee Of the whole. reported to CON.
gresa, and adopted. The indepsnd-
ence Of the united colonies was taus
declared. and thereupon congress I'm.
mediately ordered that the Declara.
tion be authenticated and printed un-
der the supervision Of the committee
previously appointed to prepare II, and
that copies thereof be distributed to
all state assemblies and to the com.
manding officers Of the army.
In accordance with the above o..
der. the Declaration was issued % q
printed broadside on July 8. with the
heading: "In Congress. July 4, 177e.
A Declaration BY the Representatives
Of the United States Of America in
General Congress assembled" II
bore the name In print Of John Han.
cock. president Of the congress. and
was attested BY Secretary Charles
Thomson. but bore no other names.
On July 10 Il was resolved In eon-
gress:
THAT the Declaration passed ON the
fourth be fairly engrossed ON parch.
ment. with the title and stile (styls)
OF The unanimous declaration Of the
thirteen United States Of America,
and that the same. when engrossed,
he signed BY every member Of con.
gress."
1t could not have been headed
Unanimous" on July 4. for the New
York delegntes had not then been au.
thorized to agree to II, and II was not
until July 10 that II was announced
In the continental congress that the
assembly Of New York had approved
the Declaration. and thus made II
unanimous.
On August 2. ITO. the Declaration
Of Independence. being engrossed and
compared. was signed by the mem.
bers: those who were not present ou
August afiixing their signatures ai
later dates. all but one signing before
January ls, lit.
II has been ascertained that Of the
fifty-six signers. more thnn one-fourth
were not present on July 4. 1776. and
seven Of them-Thornton. williams
Rush. Clymer. Smith. Taylor and Ross
were not members on that date. On
the other hand. seven members on
that date-George Clinton. John Al.
sop. n. r. Livingston. Henry wisner,
Thomas Willing. Charles Humphreys
and John Rogers-had not the privi.
iege Of becoming ''signers." for the
membership Of all but one had ceased
prior 10 August 2
The hrst oficiai Issue Of the Dec.
larntion bearing the names Of the
signers was printed ~ . broadside In
Baltimore under the resolution Of
January 1s. TIT. ordering that copies
be sent to each Of the United States,
There are only four copies Of this 10.
sue now known to exist. one Of which
Is In the library Of congress at Wash.
ington. II IL authenticated In writing
BY John Hancock ~ president Of con.
gress and attested by Secretary Thom'
son.
Contrary to popular opinion. there.
fore. II 10 seen that the Declaration
was not signed on July 4. the day II
passed. but between August 2. 1776
and January is. i777. after II had
been enErossed and compared. and
then only by % members. all Of whom
wers ordered TO do no by the resolu.
tion passed July 10. 1776. The name
Of Thomas Mexican. which does mol
appear among the signers in ths
printed copy. was added iater-pos
sibiy not until 1881. making the nfty
sixth siKncr.
But little has ever been done Il
perpetunte the memory Of these q
early Americans. only = few Of whom
are wcll.known. but II In interesting
to know that the National Society Of
the Sons Of American Revelation. Ia
cooperation with the Society of d.
scendann Of the signcrs, 10 locating
the graves Of those patriots. and pre-.
paring 4 memorial volume 10 include
Q biography Of each individual.