July 4, 1776

The Declaration of Independence was famously signed on this day in 1776, marking the end of the American Revolution and forming a free nation. John Hancock’s signature is perhaps the most famous, however there were several Irish born patriots who signed the declaration. George Taylor, Matthew Thornton and James Smith attended as delegates at the Constitutional Convention. Taylor, who was a merchant from Pennsylvania, was originally born in Ireland in 1716. Smith, a lawyer, originally came from Ulster, born there in 1719. Thornton, a physician and militiaman representing New Hampshire, was born in Ireland in 1714.