preview

George Clymer's Declaration Of Independence

Better Essays

The United States had a very amazing journey to independence from King George III and Great Britain. One of the men who signed his life away on the Declaration of Independence was Pennsylvanian politician and merchant George Clymer. Clymer was an example for declaring independence and forming a new country built on the beliefs of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the ideals in which our country is built on. Clymer was one of the only people who signed both the declaration of independence and the Constitution of the United States of America. (ushistory.org) George Clymer was born in Philadelphia, PA, on March 16, 1739 (ushistory.org). He was orphaned only a year later and was brought up by his aunt Hannah Coleman and uncle William …show more content…

Later, Clymer would order a boycott of the Townsend Duties. Clymer wrote a myriad of pamphlets under a pseudonym (writing pamphlets under false names was common during this period). Clymer’s anti-British attitude and voice came before that of most other revolting colonists, so when he started voicing against the British crown, he lacked most support. In 1773, Clymer went to Boston for aid to a chest injury. This is where Clymer a forefront revolutionary by the name of Josiah Quincy. This later led Clymer to meeting fellow signers and revolutionaries Samuel Adams and John Hancock. In a letter, Clymer stated that he liked the aggressiveness of the Boston revolutionaries who saw greediness and selfishness in the New York and Philadelphia merchants. Boston patriots often communicated with Philadelphia Whig-party radicals: Thomas Mifflin and George Clymer. The Philadelphia Whigs and Boston patriots would create a committee of correspondence to resist and revolt against the British. On December 26, a ship arrived in the harbor in Philadelphia, the captain was convinced to return to Great Britain with the tea that was to be sold to the colonists. with These was similar to the Boston Tea Party, which led British Parliament to pass the …show more content…

Concerned mainly with land, Clymer received a large sum of acreage from his father-in-law. At this time, the army was running low on supplies and General George Washington doubted they could make it through the upcoming winter season. In Philadelphia, a privately-funded bank was co-founded by Clymer. This bank used money to produce the essential materials for the army’s survival. General Washington stated that without the bank’s help, the army would have dissolved. Due to Clymer’s actions with the Pennsylvania Bank, he was appointed a member of Congress; however, upon his return, Clymer observed that Congress was in great financial debt. Robert Morris made George Clymer head of the Finance Committee in 1781, the objective being to establish and charter a new national bank, in which Clymer was successful in. Clymer served on many other Congressional committees, the most monumental being the one that granted Vermont statehood. In 1782, Clymer left Congress and relocated his family to Princeton, officially retiring. But Clymer couldn’t help himself, and two years later in 1784, he moved back to Philadelphia and re-entered the political landscape. Clymer was appointed to the Standing Commercial Committee of Thirteen in 1785. When Clymer joined, the committee was in a financial depression. Clymer believed that the only hope for the states was a Federal Union which could levy taxes. This led Clymer to becoming

Get Access