Of the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence, about two-thirds of these men were lawyers, judges, and merchants, but about ten of them had what down-to-earth vocation?

While many of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence were urban professionals, a significant portion came from an agricultural background. At least ten of the fifty-six signers derived their primary wealth and identity from cultivating the land. These individuals ranged from owners of vast plantations, like Thomas Jefferson of Virginia and Arthur Middleton of South Carolina, to more modest landowners. For these delegates, their connection to the land was not just a source of income but also a symbol of the independence and self-sufficiency they were fighting for.

This agrarian representation was crucial, as the colonial economy was overwhelmingly based on farming. The presence of these planters and landowners ensured that the interests of the agricultural majority were woven into the fabric of the new nation's founding principles. They embodied the Jeffersonian ideal of the "yeoman farmer" as the bedrock of a virtuous republic. By pledging their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor, these men risked losing the very land that defined them, demonstrating a profound commitment to the cause of liberty that resonated with the everyday colonists they represented.