There were 56 men that signed the Declaration of Independence and are considered to be the Founding Fathers of America. There were 56 men that signed the Declaration of Independence and are considered to be the Founding Fathers of America. One notable person who did not sign the declaration was George Washington.
George Washington? What’s the difference between a duck and George Washington? One has a bill on his face and the other has his face on a bill. Washington isn‘t depicted smiling in his portrait but according to Mountvernon.org, Washington told a lot of jokes. He said, “It is assuredly better to go laughing than crying thro’ the rough journey of life.” Washington had a funny bone.
Bone? Dog’s love a bone and the names of Washington’s dogs give us a glimpse into his sense of humor. Just ask Sweetlips, Madame Moose, Countess, Maiden, Lady, Dutchess, Drunkard, Truelove, Mopsy, Pilot, Musick, Lawlor, Stately or Jupiter. Those are funny names.
Names? Thomas Jefferson has been described as: agriculturalist, anthropologist, architect, astronomer, bibliophile, botanist, classicist, diplomat, educator, ethnologist, farmer, geographer, gourmet, horseman, horticulturist, inventor, lawyer, lexicographer, linguist, mathematician, meteorologist, musician, naturalist, numismatist, paleontologist, philosopher, political philosopher, scientist, statesman, violinist and writer. He was also fluent in Greek, Latin, French, Spanish, Italian and German. That’s a lot of education!
Education? Upon graduating from Harvard, John Adams became a grammar school teacher. He said, “My little school, like the great world, is made up of kings, politicians, divines, fops, buffoons, fiddlers, fools, coxcombs, sycophants, chimney sweeps and every other character I see in the world. I would rather sit in school and consider which of my pupils will turn out be a hero, and which a rake, which a philosopher and which a parasite, than to have an income of a thousand pounds a year.” That’s a lot of money.
Money? Jefferson died broke. Before his death, Jefferson was able to alleviate part of his financial problems by accepting $25,000 for his books from Congress. Those books were used to begin the Library of Congress. Friends even tried to organize a lottery to sell part of his land to help, but it was not enough. Tough way to go out.
Go out? Three Founding Fathers who became presidents — John Adams, Jefferson, and James Monroe — died on July 4.Adams and Jefferson died on the same day, July 4, 1826. Jefferson‘s last words were: “Is it the Fourth? I resign my spirit to God, my daughter and my country.” He died at age 83, 50 years after he wrote the Declaration of Independence.
The Declaration of Independence? Do you know where it was signed? At the bottom. John Hancock is famous for his large signature. When his father died in 1744, his mother, who felt she was too poor to raise her children on her own, sent John to live with his wealthy and childless aunt and uncle in Massachusetts. When he was 27, his uncle, who’d adopted him, died and left him his shipping business, making him one of the richest men in New England. On the night of Paul Revere’s famous ride, Hancock escaped the British and went to Philadelphia.
Philadelphia? Benjamin Franklin was there at the time Hancock became the president of the Second Continental Congress. Franklin had a common-law marriage to Deborah Read and they had two children. One died at 4 from smallpox. Franklin also took custody of another son he had out of wedlock.
Wedlock? In 2023, The median age for marriage had reached its highest point on record: 30 years for men and 28 years for women, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. People are waiting longer.
Waiting longer? The average age of men becoming a father in the U.S. is 30.9, up about three years since the 1970s. and that’s no joke.
Joke? What do you call someone who isn’t a dad but tells dad jokes? A faux pa.In 2023, “Hi Hungry, I’m Dad” was the most prevalent dad-ism in the U.S and 51% of women enjoy dad jokes.
