250 Years Declaration of Independence: The signers of the Declaration of Independence

Den USA steht in diesem Jahr ein großes Jubiläum ins Haus: 250 Jahre Unabhängigkeitserklärung. Anlässlich dieses bedeutsamen Jahrestags gibt es in der Read On jeden Monat einen Artikel, der die Geschehnisse, die zur Gründung der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika führten, genauer beleuchtet. In der aktuellen Ausgabe der Read On stellen wir einige Unterzeichner der Unabhängigkeitserklärung vor. Dabei geht es nicht nur um große Namen wie Thomas Jefferson und Benjamin Franklin; auch weniger bekannte Persönlichkeiten sowie die Abläufe hinter den Kulissen werden thematisiert.

The signers of the Declaration of Independence

The Declaration was signed by men both great and small, but they all made history on a document that radically changed the world’s political landscape.

By John Bilstein

1                 The ambitious 1776 Declaration that later brought us the first true democracy of the early modern era was signed by 56 people. Apart from the absence of women and of any signatories from America’s non-white communities, the men who signed the Declaration came from all levels of society. Some were prominent lawyers, others were rich and influential, but most of them were neither rich nor poor, neither smart nor stupid – just normal people.

2                 The wide social spectrum of signers reflects the single most important statement of the Declaration itself, namely, that all men are created equal. In the English language, of course, “man” normally includes all humans. In the late 18th century, however, the term “human” appeared to be used only for white males.

3                 Still, the list included not a single old European aristocrat, and there were no super-rich businessmen from England to be found on it. By 18th-century standards, the document was very modern because it was signed by ordinary Englishmen transitioning into free Americans.

4                 It would be quite impossible to present all of the signers in this compact format but let us at least pick out a few important examples.

5                 The biggest names on the list would be those of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin. All three were involved in the drafting of the document itself, with Jefferson doing most of the writing.

6                 Jefferson had been born into one of Virginia’s most powerful families. He later became one of the brains behind America’s fight for independence. A brilliant lawyer, he knew how to beat the British Crown with her own laws.

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Den vollständigen Artikel lesen Sie in der aktuellen Ausgabe der Read On.

Vocabulary

0                 signer Unterzeichner(in) — Declaration of Independence Unabhängigkeitserklärung — to make history (fig) Geschichte schreiben

1                 ambitious ambitioniert — democracy Demokratie — early modern era frühe Neuzeit — absence Abwesenheit — signatory Unterzeichner(in) — from all levels of society aus allen Gesellschaftsschichten — influential einflussreich

2                 wide social spectrum breites gesellschaftliches Spektrum — to reflect s.th. etw. widerspiegeln — namely nämlich — all men are created equal alle Menschen sind gleich geschaffen — term Begriff — male Mann

3–6             to transition into s.th. zu etw. werden — drafting Entwurf — one of the brains einer der Köpfe — the British Crown die brit. Krone

Bild: Wikimedia Commons