"The little-known secrets behind the men & women who shaped America"

4 signers of the Declaration of Independence were inventors

By Paul Niemann

[July 03, 2008]  In 1776, while working for our nation's independence from England, Benjamin Franklin said, "Indeed we must all hang together, otherwise we will hang separately." The penalty for treason against the British was death by hanging.

We often cover stories in this column that are timely and relevant, so we celebrate our nation's freedom by taking a look at two signers of the Declaration of Independence who were also known as inventors in their day. As regular readers of this column know, Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson -- two of the most famous among the 56 signers -- were inventors. There were two other signers who were inventors but who are unknown to most Americans. It is these two signers and inventors we introduce to you now.

Francis Hopkinson

Francis Hopkinson (1737-1791) was born in Philadelphia. His father was one of the first trustees of the College of Philadelphia, now called the University of Pennsylvania, as well as its first graduate. Hopkinson went on to become a judge.

The only "inventions" that Judge Hopkinson created were the American flag and the Great Seal of the United States. While history credits Betsy Ross with designing the flag, it was actually Hopkinson who played the larger role in its design. Betsy Ross had sewn the flag together, and this may be why she is regarded as the person who designed the flag. The journals of the Continental Congress indicate that Hopkinson designed the flag, though. In 2000, the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp in honor of Hopkinson's flag design.

Hopkinson was also an author who wrote a ballad called "The Battle of the Kegs" in 1778. The ballad was loosely based on a battle in which gunpowder kegs floated down the Delaware River toward the British at Philadelphia, and the British returned the favor by firing back. Hopkinson was also a chemist, a physicist, a musician, a composer and an artist.

George Clymer

Like Hopkinson, George Clymer (1739-1813) was born in Pennsylvania. He was an orphan who was raised by his uncle, and his paternal ancestors were among the earliest settlers of the state.

Clymer invented the Colombian printing press, which was an improvement over Ben Franklin's printing press. But the Columbian, with all its bells and whistles, never caught on in the United States.

You may have heard the story of how the signers of the Declaration of Independence were hunted by the British for treason. The 56 signers literally risked everything fighting for our nation's freedom. Each one became a marked man. Some were captured, while others, like Thomas Jefferson, escaped.

Nine of the signers died as a result of the war, but all were driven from their homes at one time or another. Five were captured, imprisoned and abused. Seventeen signers lost everything they owned, including 12 who had their homes completely burned. Several lost their wives and families. One lost all 13 of his children.

George Clymer and Francis Hopkinson both escaped with their families, but their properties were completely destroyed. Clymer was the only signer who returned to England. His reason for returning was that England presented him with a better opportunity for his Colombian printing press.

Thomas Jefferson died on the Fourth of July in 1826, exactly 50 years after the Declaration of Independence was adopted. Coincidentally, it was the same day that another signer, John Adams, died.

In the end, the 56 signers kept their word as stated at the close of the historic document: "We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor."

[By PAUL NIEMANN]

Paul Niemann's column is syndicated to more than 70 newspapers. He is the author of the "Invention Mysteries" series of books. He can be reached at [e-mail].

Copyright Paul Niemann 2008

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