If you ask Americans to name the signers of the Declaration of Independence, they will probably mention John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams. But what about the other 52 delegates from the 13 colonies who signed the document? Men like Thomas McKean, Lyman Hall, George Walton, Francis Lewis, Benjamin Rush, and Roger Sherman? Historian Carol Berkin, one of the nation's leading scholars of the founding era and the author of the National Constitution Center's definitive short biographies of all 56 signers, joins the Center to explore the stories of these lesser-known signers. Berkin reveals these figures not as distant icons, but as real people whose lives were marked by ambition, sacrifice, hardship, resilience, and public service. As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, Berkin explains why understanding the full cast of characters behind American independence can deepen our appreciation of the nation’s founding and the ongoing work of constitutional self-government. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.
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This episode was produced and mixed by Bill Pollock. With production support from Charles Sahm. Research was provided by Anna Salvatore, Trey Sullivan, and Tristan Worsham.
Participants
Carol Berkin is Presidential Professor of History, Emerita, of Baruch College and The Graduate Center, CUNY. She has written extensively on the creation of the Constitution and the politics of the early Republic. She is the author of many acclaimed books, including A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution, The Bill of Rights: The Struggle to Secure America’s Liberties, and most recently, A Sovereign People: The Crisis of the 1790s and the Birth of American Nationalism. Her book, Jonathan Sewall: Odyssey of an American Loyalist was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
Julie Silverbrook is chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, where she leads the strategy, development, and delivery of the Center’s content, public programs, and educational initiatives, advancing its mission of nonpartisan constitutional education and civil dialogue. She oversees the creation of public-facing constitutional content and works to ensure the Center’s programs, scholarly engagement, and educational resources operate as a coordinated national strategy serving students, educators, families, and lifelong learners across the country.
Additional Resources
- Josiah Bartlett (New Hampshire), National Constitution Center
- Elbridge Gerry (Massachusetts), National Constitution Center
- Button Gwinnett (Georgia), National Constitution Center
- Lyman Hall (Georgia), National Constitution Center
- Francis Lewis (New York), National Constitution Center
- Thomas McKean (Delaware), National Constitution Center
- Robert Morris, Jr. (Pennsylvania), National Constitution Center
- Benjamin Rush (Pennsylvania), National Constitution Center
- Roger Sherman (Connecticut), National Constitution Center
- Richard Stockton (New Jersey), National Constitution Center
- George Walton (Georgia), National Constitution Center
- Biographies of all the Declaration’s Signers, National Constitution Center
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