Description
William Ellery was a representative from Rhode Island and a signatory on the Declaration of Independence. He graduated from Harvard at the age of 15 and worked as a merchant, as a collector of customs and as a lawyer. Ellery was active in the Sons of Liberty and in 1776 was sent to the Continental Congress, where he served on the marine and foreign relations committees. By 1785 Ellery had become a strong and vocal advocate for the abolition of slavery.
This William Ellery mug is part of our Declaration of Independence series profiling the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence. It was on June 11, 1776, that the Second Continental Congress appointed a “Committee of Five” which included: John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Robert Livingston of New York and Roger Sherman of Connecticut to create this declaration. A third reading of the draft text was reviewed by the “Committee of the Whole” on July 3, 1776, which resulted in the removal of two passages, most notably the passage that included a denunciation of slavery and the slave trade. The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, and signed by two of the appointed members of the “Committee of Five”. Most of the 56 men signed it on August 2, 1776. Six of these men were also signatories on the US Constitution in 1787: George Clymer, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, George Read, Roger Sherman, and James Wilson.
The biographical History Mugs were created to teach and inspire individuals to learn about our diverse and interesting history. The biographies were researched and written by history enthusiast, Robert Compton. He colorized most of the historic photos and images used on the mugs, which were originally black and white or sepia-tone. The images and biographies are imprinted on mugs at his studio in rural Vermont.
- Mugs are food and microwave safe.
- To preserve photographic quality we recommend hand washing.
- Mugs are usually shipped within 3-5 days.
