To celebrate July—the month of Independence Day, we thought it would be fun to see what some of the more famous signers of the Declaration of Independence were like. Following are a few brief sentences that tell us some of the more common traits of their personalities.

John Adams
Adams was known to be impetuous, intense and often vehement. Adams was, at his core, an author, communicator and defender often arguing unpopular opinions merely to see if he could bend his mind to the task in such a way as to unnerve his opponents and ultimately win the day.

Thomas Jefferson
Known as the “Silent Member” of Congress, he was a reluctant candidate for President. Jefferson was a quiet, but effective manager. He preferred working in the privacy of his own office rather than in the public eye. He did not like to give public addresses, but was more comfortable using his pen than his voice.

Benjamin Franklin
Because of his prodigious writing, much is known about this great man. He was a printer, a scientist, an inventor, a writer, a diplomat, and much more. We also know that he was a satirist, had many, many friends, and was a social butterfly. Franklin was quite a character — known as quite a bit of a party animal, especially when in France

John Hancock
Hancock is best remembered for his flamboyant signature on the Declaration of Indolence. He was quite gregarious, and well liked and therefore he was especially influential in high society, which was important in securing support for the revolution.

Benjamin Rush
Dr. Rush was handsome, well spoken, and a very attractive figure and was beloved by the community where he practiced medicine–extensively amongst the poor. A popular and much loved man, he was nonetheless a fallible character–he liked to gossip and was quick to rush to judgement about others.