237 years ago today the Declaration of Independence was signed, setting off the Revolutionary War and eventually the birth of this nation. Its easy to forget those who started it all amidst all of the fireworks and parades, so I wanted to take a moment and share these old pictures of the individuals who started it all.

These images were taken many years after the revolution had come and gone, many of these men are in their early hundreds. But its an interesting and tangible look at those men who risked it all to give their families – and us by extension – a better life. It sort of puts things in perspective doesn’t it. Our country may be 237 years old, but it is still young enough that we have images of its founding fathers. Isn’t that a little crazy to think about?

It is also pretty cool how far the photography field has come since then. These images were taken using a daguerreotype camera, which is a direct positive image on a copper plate. It’s really neat stuff, it is said to be super sharp also. Sort of makes you wonder what people will think of our images hundreds of years from now – if they can even access them at that point.

[via Time]