A member of the Continental Congress, signer of the Declaration of Independence, surgeon general of the Continental Army, treasurer of the U.S. Mint—as well as an abolitionist and a proponent of wider access to education and the rights of women—Benjamin Rush had perhaps the most varied career of any American founder. His papers, available through this digital edition, offer insights into a diverse range of issues and dramatic moments of the Revolutionary era and early republic.
A member of the Continental Congress, signer of the Declaration of Independence, surgeon general of the Continental Army, treasurer of the U.S. Mint—as well as an abolitionist and a proponent of wider access to education and the rights of women—Benjamin Rush had perhaps the most varied career of any American founder. His papers, available through this digital edition, offer insights into a diverse range of issues and dramatic moments of the Revolutionary era and early republic.


