Related Resources • Revolutionary War Genealogy Links • Genealogy Anagram Fun!

If you weren't around to sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the National Archives, home of the original Declaration of Independence, is offering you another chance. Just log on to www.archives.gov, pick up the quill pen and sign your name. WAIT!!! Before you actually sign, you may want to about the consequences of signing such a radical document -the 56 brave men who signed in 1776 suffered hardship, financial loss-some even had their homes destroyed. They were pursued by the British and threatened with treason. To learn more about these courageous men, click the mouse on the "Signers Gallery." To learn about the creation of the document, click on "Creating the Declaration." Now that you know that you are in good company, click on "Sign the Declaration of Independence." You can even choose your font, so that your signature will appear like John Hancock's-big and bold--or like Ben Franklin's--smaller, but equally firm.

 From a press release of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration