Oliver Wolcott

Foreign. I am Oliver Wolcott, soldier, judge and son of Connecticut. I was the 14th of 15 raised on Northern strength and Puritan discipline. When the war for Independence came, I answered both callings. Serving in Congress by pen and on the battlefield by sword. I wrote in 1776 a final separation between the countries I consider unavoidable. I was not in Philadelphia on July 4th. Illness kept me away. But on July 9th, I was in New York City when General George Washington read the Declaration to his troops. In the aftermath, I witnessed the King's statue at Bowing Green being toppled by Patriots. What was left of the statue was moved to my orchard back in Litchfield. There we melted the lead into bullets. Over 42,000. They say my wife and children helped forge them. We took a symbol of tyranny and turned it into ammunition for liberty. When I returned to Philadelphia in the autumn, I signed the Declaration with full conviction. I had already seen enough to know we would not go back. In war and in peace. I served my state as Congressman, General and eventually governor. But I never forgot that moment in my orchard. Even now, I believe what we tear down must serve to build something better. Let your hands be ready for labor and liberty both.