What the Founding Fathers were doing before their act of rebellion made them famous

The Fourth of July means summer fun, fireworks, and lots of red, white, and blue decorations, for most of us.

It also marks the day that the Second Continental Congress approved a resolution to declare independence from Britain 242 years ago.

Historians believe that most of the founders didn’t actually sign the document until about a month later. But July 4 was the date on the copies that got circulated around the colonies, so that’s what the US went with.

Many Americans learn about famous founders like Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson in school.

But many of the guys who showed up in sweltering Philadelphia during the summer of 1776 were relatively obscure. And a good number of Founding Fathers, like Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, James Madison, and John Jay, didn’t even sign the Declaration.

So let’s take a look at the lives and careers of some of these lesser known founders. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many of the signers were prominent members of their communities. They worked as lawyers, physicians, merchants, and planters before being elected to the Continental Congress. A vast majority of them also owned slaves.

Here’s a breakdown of the career paths of all 56 signers and what brought them to Philadelphia in the sweltering summer of 1776: