Did they intend to bind themselves down with chains of the Constitution? Did they want a small limited government?
How much do we know about the men who wrote the rule of law, other than as a vague grouping of extraordinarily wise men who fought for freedom and
It occurred to me that we probably don’t know as much as we should because, as always, we’ve been short changed by revisionist text books. So it
seems like a good time to rectify this lack of knowledge since our current batch of “fathers” in Washington often act more like spoiled children
and “wise guys” than men wise enough to be somebody’s father. What happened between then and now? Did the founder’s gift of perpetual liberty
and independence die of old age, was it killed, or was it doomed from the starting gate?
Seventy four men from the thirteen colonies were chosen to attend the convention. Of that number only fifty five actually attended and just thirty
nine signed the document. Even that’s a huge number of human beings to outline, so please be patient as it will take several postings to cover even
a smattering of it.
Of the 39 signers, how many could you name without looking? Probably not very many. So here they are, with excerpts about each one, some more
detailed than others, but links have been provided for further reading.
~ was a fourth generation American, a member of an old and established New Hampshire family. With the help and guidance of
his brother and a prominent merchant named Daniel Rindge, John Langdon's career moved rapidly. He was a sea captain at the age of 22, sailing
Rindge's sloops and brigantines over the Atlantic trade routes. John Langdon enjoyed the dashing life of a sea captain and being alert and ambitious,
he did a little speculating of his own along with his regular duties. He was developing a good business mind and a start on his own fortune.
(editorial comment: “speculating on his own” is a euphemism for doing a little pirating on the side.)
John Langdon resigned from Congress to accept the lucrative position of agent of (captured) prizes for the colony of New Hampshire. He took charge of
the sale of all prizes brought into Portsmouth and amassed a fortune on the side by outfitting several privateers of his own.
~ was born into a wealthy, illustrious and politically connected family. He was a shipbuilder and merchant prior to the
revolution. During the war he served in the army six years, joining Washington's staff in 1778 as senior deputy adjutant general.
The Gilman home was purchased from Nathaniel Ladd in 1752 and it became the NH state treasury when Nicholas was appointed treasurer in 1775 by the
provincial government. It was here that bills were paid, currency signed to make it legal tender, and receipts kept in a black iron chest. This
ponderous strongbox with its huge key remains in the same room today. www.seacoastnh.com...
~ the family fortunes were devastated in 1766 when local Patriots, dubbed Sons of Liberty, ransacked the family home in
Massachusetts because of King’s father’s loyalist views.
Rufus was admitted to the bar in 1780 and opened a practice in Newburyport. Although short-lived, his military career was important to his
development as a national leader and helped him cement relations with a group of men who would become future leaders of the Federalist party.
~ was the sixth President of the United States under the Articles of Confederation.
Nathaniel Gorham's occupations included merchant, speculator, public security and real estate interests. His interests in real estate led to his
insolvency and fall from high esteem just two years after he and Oliver Phelps (and perhaps others) of Windsor, Connecticut contracted to purchase
from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts six million acres of unimproved land in western New York for one million dollars in devalued Massachusetts
scrip. They quickly cleared Indian title to 2,600,000 acres in the eastern section of the grant and sold much of it to settlers. They were unable to
make their payments by 1790 and met with financial ruin. voices.yahoo.com...
~ was born of humble origins. As a youth, he worked as a cordwainer and cobbler on the family farm in Stoughton, Mass. In
1743 he moved to New Milford, Conn., where he was variously employed as a surveyor, storekeeper, almanac compiler, and lawyer. He also began his long
career as a public official serving as juryman, deacon, town clerk, school committeeman, justice of the peace, assemblyman, and commissary officer for
the Connecticut militia.
Sherman was later a member of the upper house of the Connecticut Legislature (1766-1785) and as a judge of the superior court (1766-1789), while also
acting as treasurer of Yale College, from which he received an honorary master's degree in 1768.
Though Sherman consistently sought to strengthen the powers of Congress, he went to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 convinced that it would
suffice to "patch up" the Articles of Confederation. He fought to uphold the supremacy of state legislatures but in the end helped devise the
"Great Compromise,"(providing for a dual system of congressional representation) approved the Constitution, and defended it in the ratification
debates. (editorial note. Afterward, however, he authored the book “Caveat Against Injustice” as a warning against government encroachment. )
William Samuel Johnson
As tensions between England and the American colonies deepened, Johnson, considering himself a moderate Whig,
opposed all of the major regulatory and taxing acts of Parliament but was dismayed by the prospect of the colonies separating from The British Empire.
In 1765 he was willing to serve as a delegate to the Stamp Act Congress.
Refusing to take the required oath of allegiance to Connecticut's revolutionary and independent government, in November 1777 he was forced to
relinquish his legal practice. In 1783 he took an oath of fidelity to the state and was permitted to return to his home and family.
After peace came in 1783 he made one of the greatest political comebacks in Connecticut's history. He was chosen an assistant; Connecticut's counsel
in the settlement of the Susquehannah land dispute; delegate to Congress; member of the Connecticut delegation to the Constitutional Convention of
1787 and the Connecticut ratifying convention of 1788; and United States senator. www.connecticutsar.org...