In the U.S., everybody knows a little bit about the Declaration of Independence. This document was the formal announcement of the split between the Colonies and the British Crown — ultimately creating the United States of America. Of the 56 signers, six of them were surveyors. I’ve written about one of them already — the lead author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson. Until I started researching the history of the document, I thought George Washington was also one of the signers. I’m sure he would have been, but at the time, he was in New York with his army. But he did get a copy of the Declaration soon after it was signed, sent to him by John Hancock. On the evening of July 9, 1776, he gathered his troops at the parade grounds in Lower Manhattan at 6:00 p.m. so they could listen to the Declaration of Independence … even as thousands of Hessian and British soldiers were landing on Staten Island. We all know how this story ends, but we don’t know much about the other five surveyors who signed the Declaration of Independence. Stephen Hopkins, Surveyor and Revolutionary One of them was Stephen Hopkins of Rhode Island. His signature is by far the shakiest, but it wasn’t because he was afraid. At the time he signed the Declaration at age 69, he was dealing with palsy and was reported to say, “My hand trembles, but my heart does not!” BY EMILY PIERCE, PLS, CFedS Copy of the Declaration of Independence Surveyor and Revolutionary UCLS Foresights 20
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTg3NDExNQ==