Road to Liberty: William Ellery | The White House Founders Museum | PragerU
July 2, 2025
29,938
517
13
1.77%
Search the Record
IndexedEvery word spoken in this episode is indexed. Type any phrase to jump straight to the moment it was said.
Type any word or phrase that may have been spoken. Click a result to seek the player to that exact moment.
Try a name, a topic, or a quoted line
Prageru Episodes Around July 2, 2025
See what was published immediately before and after this episode.
1:57Now PlayingRoad to Liberty: William Ellery | The White House Founders Museum | PragerU
YouTube Description
as posted by the channelThis video is a part of the Road to Liberty Exhibit for The Founders Museum at the White House. Watch the full series here 👉
Born on December 22, 1727, in Newport, Rhode Island, Ellery followed in the footsteps of his father, a prominent merchant and political leader, attending Harvard at the age of 16. After graduating in 1747, he returned home and tried his hand at several occupations, eventually taking up the study of law in 1770.
Renowned for his support of Patriot causes, Ellery was selected as a delegate for the Second Continental Congress, where he earned a reputation for his witty epigrams. He’s cited as calling the Declaration of Independence a “Death Warrant.” Yet, Ellery signed with undaunted resolution. Through his epigrams, he brought humor and friendly banter to Congress. For instance, in the below epigram, Ellery criticized his colleague from Philadelphia, Andrew Allen, who was reluctant to sign the Declaration.
A Commissioner, to the people of P _ _ _ _ _ a
Attend all ye People of ev'ry degree
No longer pretend that your Country you'll free
Declare for your Treasons a hearty Contrition
Regard as you tender your lives Admonition
E're too late to flee from impending Perdition
Who like me to the King Allegiance will swear
And future Submission to Congress forbear
Leave all his old Friends to the Parliaments Fury
Let Rebels be hang'd without Judge or Jury
Escapes condemnation to gibbet or halter
Nor needs forfeiture fear unless times should alter.
Ellery lived to the age of 92, keeping active in public affairs and spending many hours in scholarly pursuits and correspondence.
🇺🇸 Celebrate America's 250th With Purpose. As our nation approaches its 250th birthday, PragerU is seizing this historic moment to educate the next generation about America’s founding, values, and greatness. Discover more 👉
📲 Watch our content adfree on our app
Donate to PragerU
Follow PragerU:
Instagram ➡️ ()
Facebook ➡️ ()
TikTok ➡️ ()
Guests & Subjects Covered
Sentinel Indexing in Progress
Metadata and chapters are available. Claim extraction for this episode is pending.
All video content is delivered via YouTube embedded players in accordance with the YouTube Terms of Service. Sentinel provides research tools that promote discovery and accountability across political media.