Which one of these people did not sign the Declaration of Independence: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin?

While the Second Continental Congress debated and adopted the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia during the summer of 1776, George Washington was more than a hundred miles away. As the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, his duty was not in the legislative chamber but on the front lines. At that very moment, he was in New York City, actively organizing his troops and preparing for the imminent arrival of the British fleet, a confrontation that would become the Battle of Long Island.

The signers of the Declaration were all delegates to the Congress, fulfilling a political role. Thomas Jefferson, for instance, was the document's principal author, while the esteemed Benjamin Franklin served on the committee that helped draft it. Their presence in Philadelphia was essential for the political act of declaring independence. Washington's role was military; he was tasked with leading the fight to make that declaration a reality.

Despite his absence from the signing, Washington was a fervent supporter of the cause. On July 9, 1776, he received a copy of the Declaration and ordered it to be read aloud to his soldiers. This act was meant to inspire them and solidify the purpose of their struggle, transforming their fight from a rebellion for rights into a war for the birth of a new nation.