It is commonly known that John Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence. He made sure to write his name big enough so King George III would be able to read it without any problems. This cartoon shows Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Adams trying to sign a birthday card for Thomas Jefferson, but there is no more room to write their names because of the large signature of John Hancock. "John Hancock" is now a term used for a synonym for a signature.
This picture points out that women were not included in the Declaration of Independence. When the Declaration stated "All men are created equal" some interpreted that to mean just white men. It did not include black men, or women.
While the declaration was written in 1776, African American people were not freed until 1863, and women did not gain full rights until 1920.
The declaration was seen has this paper that stood for freedom and justice but it had its limitations. It only gave rights to certain people.
This picture is showing that while most Americans were for the Declaration of Independence, which would lead to war, others were not. This was a big debate during this time period because some did not feel the ends justified the means. Before the Revolution started, it was thought that the colonies did not stand a chance against the greatest troops in the world. Was freedom really worth dying for? Sending the Declaration of Independence would unquestionably lead to a war with England. It was now time for colonies to decided how badly they wanted their freedom.
These pictures show how times have changed. What worked back when these documents were written might not be true now, and some may need to be revised. While other countries have changed documents, such as their Constitutions, America has mainly held true the ones that were originally written.
