john witherspoon declaration of independence family tree

Rev. As of Fall 2022, the petition has garnered over 250 signatures in support of removing the statue on the basis that it is a distraction to the University's mission and makes community members uncomfortable because of Witherspoon's racist history. Collection Overview . Witherspoon instituted a number of reforms, including modeling the syllabus and university structure after that used at the University of St. Andrews and other Scottish universities. The 47 year-old son of a plantation owner, he was first elected to the colonial legislature in 1761, and sent to the first and second Continental Congresses. When John Witherspoon was born in 1730, in County Down, Ireland, his father, Robert Witherspoon, was 25 and his mother, Mary Stuart, was 21. -----------------------------------------------------------------. His handsome features and highly polished manners made him very popular. Philadelphia, July 22, 1782. John attended the preparatory school in Haddington Scotland. He opposed slavery, advocated free public schools, and sought improved education for women and a more enlightened penal system. Seventeen signers lost everything they owned, and all of them were hunted as traitors, with most separated from their homes and families. His efforts helped the Continental Army drive back Lord Cornwallis' army in retreat in 1780. This is the same day, just the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars. He remained at the university to study divinity. Some are superior to others in mental powers and intellectual improvementsome by the great increase of their property through their own, or their predecessors industry, and some make it their choice, finding they cannot live otherwise better, to let out their labor to others for hire. Such was the caliber of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, the men who risked their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to establish the American Republic and guarantee our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Nine died of wounds or hardships during the war. He died in 1794 on his farm Tusculum, just outside Princeton, and is buried along Presidents Row in Princeton Cemetery. Declaration of Independence, printed by John Dunlap, July 4, 1776, Records of the Continental and Confederation, Congresses and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789, Record Group 360; National Archives. Consistent with his Presbyterian theology, Witherspoon believed that God was the author of freedom, and he did not think that the state, which was administered by imperfect individuals, had the right to dictate personal religious beliefs. That reaction deeply hurt Morton, particularly when he was ignored even after he fell gravely ill early in 1777. A bronze statue at Princeton University by Scottish sculptor Alexander Stoddart is the twin of one outside The University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, Scotland. Stockton became an eminent Lawyer with one of the largest practices in the colonies. Elias Boudinot is responsible for our Thanksgiving Holiday, he proposed in 1789 in the United States House of Representatives, a resolution that we officially celebrate a day of public thanksgiving. View Transcript The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. An advocate of natural law within a Christian and republican cosmology, Witherspoon considered moral philosophy vital for ministers, lawyers, and those holding positions in government (magistrates). [26] That spring, Phagan took a job with the National Pencil Company, where she earned ten cents an hour operating a knurling machine that inserted rubber erasers into the metal tips of pencils, and worked 55 hours per week. In John Trumbull's famous painting Declaration of Independence, Witherspoon is among those shown in the background facing the large table, the second seated figure from the viewer's right. John Hancock of Massachusetts, the president of the Congress, had been the first to sign. They knew they were committing high treason against the Crown and that the penalty for doing so was death by hanging. It was a storm which had been building for more than a decade as the British Parliament and King George III imposed one oppressive measure after another on the colonies, increasing their taxes and decreasing their freedoms. The Witherspoon Institute is an independent research center that works to enhance public understanding of the moral foundations of free and democratic societies. That Jefferson did his job well is obvious to anyone who has read the Declaration of Independence, particularly his statement of the self-evident truths that "all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. Login to find your connection. John Witherspoon arrived in Philadelphia to take their place as new members of Congress meeting at the State House (now Independence Hall). He died October 24, 1821. The Howe Brothers and the American Revolution; Ira D. Gruber; W.S. Seat 7 to which the Hon. Philip STOCKTON, Susanna STOCKTON, Hannah STOCKTON, Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, British Colonial America, Princeton, Mercer County, NJ, United States, Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, British America, Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, Morven, Princeton Township, Mercer, New Jersey, United States, Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey, United States, Patriots - Daughters of the American Revolution, Richard Signer of US Declaration of Independence Stockton, Judge Richard Stockton (Signer of Declaration of Independence), Richard, Signer Of The Declaration Of Independence Stockton, Richard Signer Of Us Declaration Of Independence STOCKTON, http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/stockton.htm, http://www.dsdi1776.com/signers-by-state/richard-stockton. After nearly five weeks of brutal treatment, Stockton was released on parole, his health ruined. There is not a single shoe or stocking to be had in this part of the world, or I would ride a hundred miles thought the woods, and purchase them with my own moneyfor youll consider that the weather here must be different from that in New Jersey; it is very cold now I assure you. Boudinot also served as Director of the Mint, and became the first president of the American Bible Society in 1816. Princeton University Press, 1954, p. 43.Sanderson, John. He was a member of the New Jersey convention that ratified the US Constitution, making New Jersey the third state to approve the Constitution. [29], Witherspoon was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1789[35]. He studied law with David Ogden of Newark. Some had left Congress; others were away and had to sign later; and several new delegates had since been elected. Charles A. Goodrich, 1856, Convening Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Witherspoon&oldid=1132410668. Behind that fleet were all the wealth and power of the British Empire. Witherspoon had been a prominent evangelical Presbyterian minister in Scotland before accepting the Princeton position. [4]. 2009. "John Witherspoon." John Knox Witherspoon (February 5, 1723 - November 15, 1794) was a Scots Presbyterian minister and a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence [1] as a representative of New Jersey. 67179. At the age of 13, he entered college and at age 20, he was licensed to preach. Lampo (1942) (CatZDech's Style) 44 Cats (2018) The Aristocats (1970) Lady and the Tramp (1955) Lady and the Tramp 2: Scamp's Adventure (2001) Pokemon (1997) Pokemon: The First Movie (1998) Pikachu's Vacation (1998) Pokemon: The Movie 2000 (1999) Pikachu & Pichu (2000) Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters out of the Gate (2006) Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983) Sport Goofy in Soccermania . Witherspoon became prominent within the church as an Evangelical opponent of the Moderate Party. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. John Witherspoon arrived in Philadelphia to take their place as new members of Congress meeting at the State House (now Independence Hall). Woods, David Walker. He also signed the 1774 Petition to the King. "The remains of a man who hath been long among the foremost of his country, for power, for wisdom, and for fortune; and who, if what honors this young country can bestow, if many and great personal talents, could save man from the grave, would not thus have been lamented here by you. BYU Law Review 2003 (2003): 891-940. Two weeks later, on August 2, 1776, the Congress met again at the State House in Philadelphia to formalize with their legislatures what they had adopted a month before. HE was involved in New Jersey committees of correspondence, and he also signed the Declaration of Independence and served on over a hundred congressional committees. The wife of William Floyd escaped with her children by boat across Long Island Sound into Connecticut and died in 1781 without ever again seeing her home. Although he was released unharmed a few days later, he later had trouble sleeping, and would often faint in broad-daylight. John Few was elected in February 3 . According to the petition, "paying such honor to someone who participated actively in the enslavement of human beings, and used his scholarly gifts to defend the practice, is today a distraction from . Annis was descended from French Huguenots; her grandfather fled France at the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 and settled in New York. The Board had previously voted not to make the change, but reversed itself after local residents submitted a petition with more than 1,500 signatures and input gathered at two public forums, temporarily changing the name to the Princeton Unified Middle School until a permanent new name is identified. In 1774, he was appointed Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Despite personal setbacks Witherspoon never lost his belief that America would prevail in the struggle for independence. His estate, Morven, in Princeton was occupied by General Cornwallis during Stockton's imprisonment; his furniture, all household belongings, crops and livestock were taken or destroyed by the British. [23] An inventory of Witherspoon's possessions taken at his death included "two slaves valued at a hundred dollars each".[24]. Arms, as a last resort, must decide the contest.". The British offered freedom for the boys if he would abandon the cause, but Abraham Clark refused. The British occupied the area and did much damage to the college, nearly destroyed it. New England was unanimously for independence. On July 1, 1776, Richard Stockton and his good friend Rev. At the College of New Jersey, Witherspoon revised the moral philosophy curriculum, strengthened the college's commitment to natural philosophy, and positioned Princeton in the larger transatlantic world of the republic of letters. John Witherspoon wrote in a letter to his son David. All three were captured, refused a British offer of amnesty if they would repudiate the American cause, and were shipped to the Crown stockade at St. Augustine, Florida. Persuaded by Stockton and Benjamin Rush (a medical student in Edinburgh) Witherspoon accepted and became the president of the College, and ten years later signed the Declaration of Independence alongside Stockton and Dr. Benjamin Rush (then Stocktons son-in-law). In November 1777, as British forces neared, Witherspoon closed and evacuated the College of New Jersey. Whenever I can serve my native country, I leave no occasion untried. He frequently attended Westminster Hall and advised all who would listen that the colonies would never submit to be taxed by the British parliament without representation. He was elected to the Continental Congress from 1776-1782, elected to the state legislature in New Jersey from 1783-1789 and was the president of the College of New Jersey from 1768-1792. The signers were public spirited and patriotic citizens who had for years been important in the affairs of their local communities and governments. How far this subjection extends. Therefore, public religion was a vital necessity in maintaining the public morals. Although he remained in prison for only a month, his health was broken. Witherspoon immediately declared "It is not only ripe for the measure, but in danger of rotting for the want of it." Philip Livingston lost two homes and much of his business property, but was able to sell some of his remaining holdings to help maintain the credit of the United States. Born in Scotland, John lived there for the first half of his adult life, marrying and having children there, and becoming a Presbyterian minister. While there, on November 30, 1776, he and Covenhoven were captured in the middle of the night, dragged from their beds by loyalists, stripped of their property and marched to Perth Amboy and turned over to the British. "Let my trade perish. Her parents are still legally married, although they separated in 1996. Wrong username or password. Witherspoon was a proponent of Christian values, his common sense approach to the public morality of civil magistrates was influenced by the ethics of Scottish philosophers Francis Hutcheson and Reid rather than Jonathan Edwards. Page 130Glynn, John C., His Sacred Honor Judge Richard Stockton A Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Eveready Press, 2006. 1972Sanderson, John, Biography of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. His parents were James Witherspoon and Anna Walker. The colonies' most respected doctors, educators, and clergymen were numbered among their ranks. Daniel L. Dreisbach, Mark D. Hall, and Jeffry H. Morrison, 11672146. In June 1766, Richard Stockton sailed to London and for fifteen months traveled in England, Scotland and Ireland. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. 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