Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence

38°53′28.14″N 77°2′35.052″W / 38.8911500°N 77.04307000°W / 38.8911500; -77.04307000EstablishedAuthorized: 1978
Dedicated: 1984Governing bodyNational Park Service

The Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence is a memorial depicting the signatures of the 56 signatories to the United States Declaration of Independence. It is located in the Constitution Gardens on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The memorial is accessible to the public by crossing a wooden bridge onto a small island set in the lake between Constitution Avenue and the Reflecting Pool, not far from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

History

Public Law 95-260 was passed by Congress in 1978 to create a memorial to the signers of the Declaration of Independence. The memorial is a gift from the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration and consists of 56 stone blocks, each with a facsimile of the signer's actual signature, his occupation, and his home town. It was dedicated on July 4, 1984, exactly 208 years after the Congress voted to approve the Declaration of Independence.^[1]

Memorialized signers

Fifty-six delegates to the Second Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence and are honored at this Memorial:

See also

• Robert R. Livingston, who helped to draft the Declaration as a member of the Committee of Five but was recalled by the state of New York before he could sign the document
• John Rogers, Maryland delegate who voted for the Declaration of Independence but left Philadelphia before the signing.
• Matthew Tilghman, Maryland delegate who voted for the Declaration of Independence but left Philadelphia before the signing.
• Henry Wisner, New York delegate who voted for the Declaration of Independence but left Philadelphia before the signing.
• Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Continental Congress
• Timothy Matlack engrossed the Declaration of Independence, which was then signed by the Founders.
• Founding Fathers of the United States
• Physical history of the United States Declaration of Independence
  • Independence Hall
  • Syng inkstand
• List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 2
• Adams Memorial (proposed)
• Benjamin Franklin National Memorial
• Jefferson Memorial
• Signers Monument
• Washington Monument
• Architecture of Washington, D.C.

References

• Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence – Constitution Gardens – National Capital Planning Commission

External links

Media related to Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence at Wikimedia Commons

• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: The 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence Memorial