When you think young teenagers and early twenty-something men on the Fourth of July, your mind probably wanders to partying and keg stands instead of anything serious.
But it should instead remind you how shockingly young many were in America’s founding generation.
Let’s get the old folks out of the way first. Benjamin Franklin was 70-years-old in 1776, a time when many people didn’t live to be 70. The famous and fearless John Hancock was 39 and Thomas Jefferson was 33.
But after that? They were just kids, really. Jefferson was a relative elder statesman at 33.
Alexander Hamilton was 21. James Monroe was only 18-years-old!
And he wasn’t the only Founding Father who was a teenager or near teenager when the Declaration of Independence was signed.
All Things Liberty compiled a list of the ages of key people during the American Revolution (a period spanning from 1765–1783) when the Declaration of Independence was signed.
This is a list of everyone who was under 30 on July 4, 1776, and you might recognize a few of these names.
* Andrew Jackson, 9
* (Major) Thomas Young, 12
* Deborah Sampson, 15
* James Armistead, 15
* Sybil Ludington, 15
* Joseph Plumb Martin, 15
* Peter Salem, 16
* Peggy Shippen, 16
* Marquis de Lafayette, 18
* James Monroe, 18
* Charles Pinckney, 18
* Henry Lee III, 20
* Gilbert Stuart, 20
* John Trumbull, 20
* Aaron Burr, 20
* John Marshall, 20
* Nathan Hale, 21
* Banastre Tarleton, 21
* Alexander Hamilton, 21
* John Laurens, 21
* Benjamin Tallmadge, 22
* Robert Townsend, 22
* George Rogers Clark, 23
* David Humphreys, 23
* Gouveneur Morris, 24
* Betsy Ross, 24
* William Washington, 24
* James Madison, 25
* Henry Knox, 25
* John Andre, 26
* Thomas Lynch, Jr., 26
* Edward Rutledge, 26
* Abraham Woodhull, 26
* Isaiah Thomas, 27
* George Walton, 27
* John Paul Jones, 28
* Bernardo de Galvez, 29
* Thomas Heyward, Jr., 29
* Robert R. Livingston, 29
RELATED: Ron Paul’s Scorching Hot Farewell Address Could Have Been Written In 1776
So as you celebrate the independence of our still-young nation this Fourth, remember that despite the white wigs and stuffy-looking clothing, the generation who made America possible were very young too.
Now is the time to support and share the sources you trust.
The Political Insider ranks #16 on Feedspot’s “Top 70 Conservative Political Blogs, Websites & Influencers in 2021.”
By Adam Andrzejewski for RealClearPolicy The State Department recently gave $330,000 to two organizations that…
Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times is a habit. That habit…
According to a recent survey, public confidence in the banking sector has plummeted since the…
Kyrsten Sinema, the moderate Arizona senator who late last year left the Democrat Party to…
By Dr. Derek Ellerman Titletown, USA has been all over the news recently, with the Groundhog…
Far-left Democrat Representative Jamaal Bowman blasted efforts to ban the Chinese-owned social media/spying app TikTok,…
View Comments
Lest we forget
What Chaney needs to understand is that she needs to shut her 💩hole because no one who matters wants to hear from u
Happy July 4th!
This was when the "Youth"of the period, actually had a BRAIN . . . thise days have "Long Passed" . . . the youth of TODAY, makes that . . . SADLY . . . "Pretty Obvious". Most "30" Yr olds TODAY . . . "Couldn't" find their OWN AZZ, with "Both Hands, an a Seeing Eye Dog" !. Am I "Cynical" ? . . . you "Bet your Azz", I am ! ! !
At least they demonstrate to be more intelligent than this generation whose only wanted to be on the streets yelling, protesting and intimidating unarmed people. Those groups sucking themselves in loosing their lives and time instead of being more productive, professionals and kindness. So for everyone who think that only their life matter I give them a big and loud BOO and BOOT.
That is awesome to see how young and mature they were not like these idiots that we have today, young and old.
Acts like it too..
Let me know when you find out.. They've censored me several times also..
People back in those days were more mature at a younger age and understood that people had to work and be responsible for their lives. There wasn't the hand out there is today.
Though they didn't go to college they were all very scholarly.