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Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence |
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Amazon Sales Rank: 15004
Publication Date: 2009-06-03
Publisher: Quirk Books
ISBN: 1594743304
Type: Hardcover
Number Of Pages: 256
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In July 1776, fifty-six men risked their lives and livelihood to defy the British and sign the most important document in the history of the United States and yet how many of them do we actually remember? Signing Their Lives Away introduces readers to the eclectic group of statesmen, soldiers, criminals, and crackpots who were chosen to sign this historic document and the many strange fates that awaited them. Some died from war-related injuries; others had their homes and farms seized by British soldiers; a few rose to the highest levels of U.S. government (ten signers were later elected to Congress). George Wythe was murdered by his nephew; Button Gwinnet was killed in a duel; and of course Sam Adams went on to fame and fortune as a patriot/brewer. Complete with a reversible parchment jacket (offering a facsimile of the Declaration on the reverse), Signing Their Lives Away provides an entertaining and enlightening narrative for history buffs of all ages.
Average Rating: 
Review: 2010-01-27
Little too cute
Ordered this book for Christmas for a daughter who homeschools her children and a son who is a middle school history teacher (and myself!) but had to wait because it was out of print so they just arrived last week. It's packed with wonderful information and in a format that's easy to read. I also liked the cover that transforms into a copy of the constitution. I started to read and it wasn't long before I was a little disappointed at the modern slang used by the authors but just figured it was to make it easier for the casual reader. Then I began to run across profanity and was disappointed. What could have been a real treat for 12 years olds to learn some fascinating history should now probably be off limits. I just don't understand why the authors thought it necessary to sully a good little book with words that some families do not allow. Sorry, it's such a good idea and has stories that we as Americans should all know but I can't recommend it to everybody . . . including my 91 year old mother who would be offended by the statement in the section on James Wilson ". . . he was always one damn fine lawyer." Just thought you ought to know . . .
Review: 2010-01-18
delightful little book
56 guys signed the Declaration. While me may know the famous ones - Jefferson, Adams, Franklin - the rest can be pretty obscure. In my state, for example, our 3 signers (Hooper, Hewes, and Penn) don't have a thing named after them - not a town, a county, or a state park.
Now, a lot of these guys were pretty obscure. They seemed to have been simply in the right place at the right time. Nonetheless, the mere act of signing does put them in a category all of their own, and the details and stories the authors have to relate are truly fascinating.
Did you know, for example, that two of South Carolina's signers were in their twenties? (Basically, they were sent in lieu of their dads, who were too busy.) Did you know none of North Carolina's signers were native sons (and two were Yankees!)? That the signers included one set of brothers, four sets of cousins, two sets of brothers-in-law, and one father- and son-in-law? (Indeed, it was a pretty tight group. All but one was a WASP male, with the lone exception being the millionaire Catholic Charles Carrol. And they were all pretty much wealthy lawyers, merchants, or planters.)
There's tons of great trivia. Did you know that Reese Witherspoon, Treat Williams, and David Crosby are all descendents of signers? That one of the signers was immortalized as the main character in the TV show West Wing? That only two signed the Declaration on July 4 (with some signing as late as 1782)?
The authors also do a good job of myth debunking. Only a handful of signers had their houses burned, went bankrupt, or were put in prison (and that as a natural matter of war rather than being singled out as signers). There were also lots of slave owners, even from up North, which I found rather shocking.
The authors' writing style, including a deft touch of humor, make this very easy, very enjoyable reading. And the bios are just long enough to provide interest, without becoming boring.
Review: 2009-09-25
Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence.
Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence. Author: Joseph D'Agnese. 256 pages. 2009.
This book is a collection of three and four page biographies of those individuals who signed the Declaration of Independence. Each biographies describes their birth, early life, their professions and reasons for being their at the time of the signing (though one did not sign the document until five years later), it also tells what happened to them and where they died and are buried. To make the subject interesting or tell people remember these men each is given a historical fact or oddity which best describes or exemplifies them. Typically the singular characteristic is one noted in the journals or diaries of their peers.
Their stories are interesting and often subject to myth. The reality though is often far more interesting. But beyond the men, looming always in the background, is the Declaration of Independence itself. The document you can see under glass at the National Archives is not the same document which was agreed on and then proclaimed in public reading.
Remember the document was sent to the publisher for typeset and proclamation on the fourth of July. That copy, the broadsheet, had only two typeset signatures. That document which was read aloud in public was not unanimously adopted, New York had abstained. The version viewable under glass states "unanimous" because by then New York sanctioned its delegates to vote in the affirmative.
Review: 2009-09-07
Great History Lesson!
These men who founded our country, most of them died penniless. Most, if not all, thought that public service was a privilege, to make money off of your public service was vile. Unlike today's politicians.
These were true patriots, and left England because of the church, not to found another country bases on the same religious crap.
Read this book, and it will give you a much better understanding of how our country was formed, and how far we have fallen, as a country.
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