Abraham Baldwin

Abraham Baldwin

State: Georgia
Age at the Convention: 32
Year of Death: 1807
Schooling: Yale
Occupation: Public Security Interests, Lawyer, Office Holder, Chaplain, Educator
Most significant political experiences prior to the convention: Lower House of Georgia State Legislature, Confederation Congress
Convention Contributions: Was present when the Constitution was signed, rarely spoke, but created the committee that drafted the Connecticut Compromise
Did he sign?: Yes
What did he do after the convention?: Served as a Representative and Senator, presided as President pro tem of Georgia
Most interesting things about him: When his father died, Baldwin assumed custody of his six younger siblings and housed and educated them at his own expense
Quote about Baldwin: "Mr. Baldwin is a Gentleman of superior abilities and joins in a public debate with great art and eloquence."

Baldwin is pictured vaguely on the far left of the painting.

I am Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was portrayed accurately for the most part in the movie. The film portrayed Jefferson as a prominent figure in both the First and Second Continental Congress. This was a very accurate representation as he was very influential. He was also chosen as the main writer of the Declaration of Independence. This was also accurate because Jefferson was well-known as a competent writer. After reading Jefferson's biography, I found that he was an outspoken patriot. Some even refer to his ideas as radical. I thought the film distorted this somewhat. Jefferson seemed very soft-spoken in the movie. His vote was always weighed heavily, but he never really voiced his opinion to the Congress. This seemed to contradict the background I read about him. As previously mentioned, Jefferson was the primary writer of the Declaration of Independence. His approval of the Declaration also acted to sway many of the questionable votes such as South Carolina and Delaware. Some interesting things I learned surround the death of Jefferson. He died on July 4, 1826, fifty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He also died hours before John Adams, one of his close friends and also a prominent figure in the signing of the Declaration of Independence.