Some came to bad ends one lived to the age of 95. The majority owned slaves – 41 of the 56, according to one study – though there were also ardent abolitionists among their number. Some of the signers are world famous – among them Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams – and some are obscure. It was on July 4, however, that the Continental Congress approved the final text of the Declaration – after jointly making some 86 changes in the draft composed by Thomas Jefferson and four colleagues. We drew on sources such as, the website of the non-profit Philadelphia-based Independence Hall Association to compile our list. is taking a look at who the 56 signers of the Declaration were. The colonists formally declared their independence on July 2, which John Adams promptly called “the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America,” predicting that it “will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival.”Īs Independence Day draws near, 24/7 Wall St.
Photo credit: Oliver Collet.Everybody knows that the Fourth of July celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the historic document by means of which the 13 American colonies severed their political connections with Great Britain and declared themselves to be the United States of America.Įxcept that the Declaration wasn’t signed on the Fourth of July. Protest art to George Floyd in Montreal, Canada. Remember Louisville, Kentucky resident, Breonna Tayler, killed in a no-knock warrant raid by local police department. Photo credit: BP Miller.īlack Lives Matter plaza and thoroughfare in Washington DC. Torched and graffiti’ed car in Los Angeles. Photo credit: Munshots.ĭedication wall in Portland. George Floyd mural and public shrine in Minneapolis. Minneapolis mural of African Americans killed by police. Photo credit: Mercedes Mehling.ĭiversity mural in La Jolla, California. George Floyd mural and shrine in Portland. George Floyd mural in Burbank, California. George Floyd mural and shrine, Minneapolis. This photo story is a collection of photographs capturing art at rallies and demonstrations that started in late May, and continue. Morrison’s idea situates protesters and art at the center of its importance and salience. Toni Morrison in conversation with Ta-Nehisi Coates and Sonia Sanchez You have to know it before you start, and do it under those circumstances, because it is one of the most important things that human beings do. But when you enter that field, no matter whether that’s Sonia’s poetry or Ta-Nehisi’s rather startlingly clear prose, it’s a dangerous pursuit. And that is something that society has got to protect. The history of art, whether it’s in music or written or what have you, has always been bloody, because dictators and people in office and people who want to control and deceive know exactly the people who will disturb their plans.Īnd those people are artists. I want to remind you of the history of artists who have been murdered, slaughtered, imprisoned, chopped up, refused entrance. I want to remind us all that art is dangerous. On the other, she explains the danger of art. Before famed writer Toni Morrison passed away, she spoke about the importance of the artist on one hand. From shrines to murals, protest art is captured throughout the world. With demonstrations against anti-Black violence and racism, comes protest art. This story captures some of the visual art that creates the current movement against anti-Black violence and racism.