On August 2, 1776, members of Congress affixed their signatures
to an enlarged copy of the Declaration of Independence.
Fifty-six congressional delegates in total signed the document,
including some who were not present at the vote approving the declaration. The delegates signed by state from North to South, beginning with Josiah Bartlett of New Hampshire and ending
with George Walton of Georgia. John Dickinson of Pennsylvania
and James Duane, Robert Livingston and John Jay of New York
refused to sign. Carter Braxton of Virginia; Robert Morris of Pennsylvania; George Reed of Delaware; and Edward Rutledge
of South Carolina opposed the document but signed in order to
give the impression of a unanimous Congress. Five delegates
were absent: Generals George Washington, John Sullivan,
James Clinton and Christopher Gadsden and Virginia Governor
Patrick Henry.
The signed Declaration of Independence is displayed next to
the Constitution in the National Archives.
