John Witherspoon, New Jersey

On July 2, 1776, John Witherspoon, along with many of his fellow countrymen, signed the Declaration of Independence. This document, adopted on July 4th of the same year, declared the thirteen colonies of America to be a free and sovereign nation from Britain. John Witherspoon was a great candidate to join the Second Continental Congress, the committee that signed the Declaration of Independence, for two main reasons. First, he had the unwavering respect of seemingly everyone he encountered, due to both his high education, amiable personality, and impressive life achievements. Furthermore, he was a true patriot and provocateur for the American people to stand up against their British oppressors.
During Dr. Witherspoon’s earlier years, he received the best education available to him, taking full advantage of this by receiving both his Master of Arts degree and latter his Doctorate of Divinity after spending several years as a Presbytarian minister. While still in Scotland, he received an offer to become the president of the College of New Jersey, which he eventually accepted. Upon becoming president of what is now known as Princeton, Dr. Witherspoon turned the school around, greatly improving the schools curriculum and funds. With this he also helped to create a new age of educated Americans that were receiving much the same education now as Europeans. Once the American War broke out, however, the school was broken up by the British, leading Dr. Witherspoon to become an American citizen and avid protestor against British rule. Now known to his countrymen as a very persuasive and gifted orator, he was elected to represent New Jersey in the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He proceeded to remain in congress for many years, continuing to speak his opinions on many key issues.