America 250: 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence on Aug. 2, not July 4

Fifty-six men risked their lives to sign the Declaration of Independence – not on July 4 but on August 2, 1776.

The only two men to sign the Declaration on July 4 were Continental Congress President John Hancock and Secretary Charles Thomson.

Virginia’s Richard Henry Lee proposed independence in the Lee Resolution on June 11. There was no consensus, the vote got pushed back several weeks and the first vote on July 1 failed. South Carolina and Pennsylvania voted no. New York abstained and Delaware was deadlocked. Only 9 colonies voted yes.

By July 2, 12 of the 13 colonies voted yes with New York abstaining. This was made possible after several twists of providence. One involved two Pennsylvania delegates who opposed independence skipping the vote. This enabled three who supported independence to outvote the remaining two naysayers. Another was the Paul Revere of Delaware, sickly Caesar Rodney. After learning that Delaware was de...