"We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator 
with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty,
and the pursuit of Happiness."

For more than 225 years, men and women the world over have been inspired to risk everything in pursuit of the ideals embodied in these words. When they first appeared in our nation's birth certificate, the Declaration of Independence, they were a call to action for a colony at the point of rebellion. The fifty-six men who dared to sign their name to this revolutionary document knew they were putting their reputations, their fortunes, and their very lives on the line by boldly and publicly declaring their support for liberty and freedom. As Benjamin Franklin said as he signed his name, "We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately!"

Who were these men who are the first heroes of our nation? The award-winning team of author Dennis Brindell Fradin and illustrator Michael McCurdy brings its considerable talent to the fore to illuminate the lives of these valiant men whose dauntless example gave thousands of colonists the courage to risk all for freedom.

From the dust jacket