North Carolina’s
by B. J. Davis*
ehances are you're familiar with the
names of some of America's found¬
ing fathers: Benjamin Franklin, John
Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. I'm
sure you have read about James
Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George
Washington. But who were North Carolina's
founding fathers? One was a scientist, doctor,
and preacher. Another got thrown out of the
U.S. Senate. And a third died from wounds suf¬
fered in a duel. They were merchants, lawyers,
and soldiers — yet all of them shared a deep
commitment to the values and promise of a
republic based on freedom, independence, and a
new type of government.
During the difficult times of the 1770s, the
American colonies struggled with the issue of
independence from Great Britain. So starting in
1774, the thirteen colonies sent representatives
to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for a special
meeting. They formed a group called the
Continental Congress. After months of debating
and trying to resolve their differences with the
English government and King George III, the
leaders of the colonies decided to declare their
independence in July 1776. Joseph Hewes,
William Hooper, and John Penn represented
North Carolina. The next month, they — along
with fifty-three other men — officially signed the
Declaration of Independence.
The three men worked closely with some of
American history's most famous names. There are
many interesting stories and facts that you proba¬
bly don't know about these Tar Heel patriots.
Hooper (1742-1790) was born in Boston,
Massachusetts. After attending Harvard Univer¬
sity, he
moved to
Wilmington
and became
successful in
law and poli¬
tics. In 1776,
as a member
of the
Continental
William Hooper [left) resigned from the Continental Congress in 1776
because of health and financial problems, but he remained active in
state politics. John Penn [right) is one of sixteen men who signed both
the Articles of Confederation and the Declaration of Independence.
Images courtesy of the North Carolina Museum of History.
*B. J. Davis is the chief of the Education Section at the North Carolina Museum
of History.
Founding Fathers
Congress, Hooper correspond¬
ed with John Adams. He
worked alongside Benjamin
Franklin and Robert
Livingston, two of the five
members of Congress asked to
write the Declaration of
Independence. In 1781, after
General Charles Cornwallis
captured Wilmington, the
British tried to capture Hooper.
Unable to find him, they
destroyed his plantation.
Hooper and his family man¬
aged to make their way to
Hillsborough, where he later
died and was buried. In 1894
Hooper's remains were moved
to a monument honoring the
declaration signers at Guilford
Courthouse National Military
Park near Greensboro.
Penn (1741-1788) was bom
in Virginia to a well-to-do fam¬
ily. Although he did not attend
university, he trained as a
lawyer. He moved to Granville
County in 1774 and was elect¬
ed to the Provincial Congress
in 1775 before the Continental
Congress. A tireless worker,
Penn remained in the
Continental Congress until
1780. He served on fourteen
committees and eight standing
boards. One story has it that Perm was chal¬
lenged to a duel, but while assisting his much
older challenger across a street to the dueling
site, convinced him that they should settle their
differences. The duel never happened. After his
political career, Penn practiced law. His remains
also were later moved and reburied next to
Hooper's at the declaration signers' monument.
Hewes (1730-1779) is known as one of the
founders of the Continental Navy, along with
his colleague John Adams. Born in Princeton,
New Jersey, Hewes attended Princeton College.
He moved to North Carolina and had a success¬
ful shipping business in Wilmington before being
elected to the Continental Congress. While in
A statue of Joseph Hewes was created for a
1926 Philadelphia exhibition observing the
anniversary of the signing of the
Declaration of Independence. Hewes lent
his own ships to the colonies' struggling
military. Image courtesy of the North Carolina
Museum of History.
THJH, Fall 2008
