Jul 02, 2026

David Barton joins Jenny Beth Martin for a special July 4 conversation on the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence — the men most Americans can no longer name, and the extraordinary price they paid for freedom as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary. David Barton is the founder of WallBuilders, a national organization devoted to America's forgotten history and its moral, religious, and constitutional heritage. He has assembled one of the largest private collections of original founding-era documents in the country, and his new book with his son Tim Barton, "Lives, Fortunes, and Sacred Honor: The Signers of the Declaration," tells the story of all 56 men who signed. In this episode, Barton unpacks what that famous pledge actually cost: seven signers did not live to see independence, more than half lost their fortunes and were never repaid, yet not one ever took back his word. He explains why July 2 is the true Independence Day, why capture by the British was three times deadlier than the battlefield, how a divided Congress nearly failed to declare independence at all, and where the founders truly got their ideas. Along the way he makes the case for classical education, for teaching Americans to think rather than merely memorize, and for getting involved before it is too late. It is history told as a living inheritance — and a challenge for the next 250 years. Learn more at teapartypatriots.org and jennybethshow.com.

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