Signing Their Lives Away

Description

'We must all hang together, gentleman, or else we shall most assuredly hang separately' - Benjamin Franklin, at the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In July 1776, fifty-six men risked their lives and livelihood to defy the British and sign the most important document in the history of the United States - And yet how many of them do we actually remember? Sure, everyone knows John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, but who were the other 53 signers? "Signing Their Lives Away" introduces readers to the eclectic group of statesmen, soldiers, criminals, and crackpots who were chosen to sign this historic document - and the many strange fates that awaited them. Some died in war-related injuries; a few had their homes and farms seized by British soldiers; still others rose to the highest levels of United States government (ten of the signers were later elected to Congress). Signer George Wythe was murdered by his nephew; Button Gwinnet was killed in a duel; and of course Sam Adams went on to fame and fortune as a patriot/brewer. Complete with a reversible parchment jacket (offering a facsimile of the Declaration on the opposite side) "Signing Their Lives Away" provides an entertaining and enlightening narrative for history buffs of all ages.

Denise Kiernan is a journalist, producer, and the New York Times best-selling author of the narrative nonfiction books, The Last Castle and The Girls of Atomic City. Joseph D'Agnese is a journalist, author and ghostwriter who has written for both adults and children. With his wife, Denise Kiernan, he has authored several books on U.S. history, including Signing Their Lives Away, Signing Their Rights Away, and Stuff Every American Should Know. They live in North Carolina.

Featured history title in Reader's Digest's, "Best of America" issue, 2009 "Kiernan and D'Agnese . . . succeed in stripping away preconceived notions of the more famous signers, and bringing out something of interest about the other, less well known ones."--Library Journal "Astonishing individual portraits of all the signers."--School Library Journal, starred review "Signing Their Lives Away is told in a brisk entertaining fashion."--McClatchy Newspapers