We didn’t spend a whole lot of time talking about John Morton, who comes up as part of today’s episode, and he does have an important part in the quest for Independence.

John Morton’s father died the same year he was born. John had very little formal schooling; most of what he learned, he learned from his stepfather. They had such a good relationship that John named one of his sons after his stepfather.

Despite his relative lack of education, John Morton was able to advise his neighbors and advocate for them when needed, and help them keep their books. In 1774, while serving as Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly, he was voted to be a delegate to the First Continental Congress held in Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia. On November 4, 1775, he was elected to the Second Continental Congress which was held in the State House, later renamed Independence Hall.

In 1776 and 1777, John Morton became Chairman of the Committee of the Whole and was heavily involved in writing the Articles of Confederation, the new nation’s first form of government. Sadly, in March of 1777 John contracted tuberculosis and died on April 1, making him the first of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence to die.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed