Francis Hopkinson

Claire Doll
Class of 2024

(7/2022) Little do we think about how famous people from the past—individuals who have a role in shaping our nation’s history as we know it—are humans, just like us.

While scrolling down the list of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, one word stuck out to me: musician. One of these signers, one of these men who had a hand in freeing our country, was a musician. He represented the state of New Jersey, was born in Philadelphia, PA, and, along with being a lawyer, loved music.

In fact, this signer—Francis Hopkinson—enjoyed all forms of art: writing, painting, music, and design. A player of the harpsichord and the organ, and even a composer of several pieces himself, Hopkinson was said to have practiced music for the love of it. He even performed at his graduation ceremony at the College of Philadelphia—now known as the University of Pennsylvania. In a poem he composed, "The Raising: A Song for Federal Mechanics," Hopkinson wrote, "For our roof we will raise, and our song still shall be / A Federal Head, o’er a people still free." This satiric poem was to promote ratification of the U.S. Constitution, and it used the metaphor of our country needing a new roof entirely, rather than simple and continuous repairs to a current roof. He was being humorous. Can you imagine, a historical figure, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, with a sense of humor?

Francis Hopkinson was in fact the only American-born composer of secular music that we know has written songs before 1800. He wrote the music for "My Days Have Been So Wondrous Free," with the words by Thomas Parnell. The song starts with a graceful and flowing piano melody, corresponding to the natural imagery conveyed by the words: "My days have been so wondrous free, / the little birds that fly / with careless ease from tree / to tree were but as blest as I." Ending in a slow yet beautiful run of notes, this song makes you feel as if you are in a trance, residing in the simplicity of the music, resonating with the last ringing tone.

"’Twas early day, as Poets say, / Just when the sun was rising; / A soldier stood on a log of wood / And saw a sight surprising." Hopkinson included these words in his ballad, "The Battle of the Kegs," which dramatically depicts the attempted attack upon the British Fleet during the American Revolutionary War. This ballad, which can be recited along to the tune of "Yankee Doodle," memorialized this event, preserved it in words. Francis Hopkinson’s ability to write about such historical happenings that shaped our nation is inspiring and fascinating. This is the purpose of poetry: using art to build understanding and using art as a vehicle for higher meaning.

Francis Hopkinson also designed the Orrery Seal of the University of Pennsylvania, and he took part in designing the seal of the state of New Jersey and the Great Seal of the United States as well. There have been rumors that he helped design the flag of the United States of America, too. It is clear, through his musical, designing, and literary accomplishments, that Francis Hopkinson had an artistic eye.

Typically, we don’t recall historical figures by their passions or hobbies, and I find this interesting. We remember Francis Hopkinson because he signed the Declaration of Independence. We also remember him in dates. Search him up online, and in a matter of seconds, you’ll know that he was born on October 2nd, 1737, and died on May 9th, 1791. You’ll know that he attended the College of Philadelphia, that he was an American judge, and that he notoriously signed the very document that freed our nation. Isn’t that the case with anyone? How are we meant to take these facts, these tidbits of information, and piece together a person?

I wanted to study Francis Hopkinson because, like him, I love the arts. I study English and creative writing, and I also play the flute. In fact, I have been reading music since fifth grade. At Mount St. Mary’s, we are promised a liberal arts education, one that shapes us into knowledgeable, free, and respectable thinkers. We read texts and analyze what it means to be human. As I take a closer look at Francis Hopkinson, I find myself attracted more towards the whole of his personality—his sense of humor, his musical ear, how he was called "the artful rebel" for combining his artistic talents with his patriotism—rather than the few facts we are meant to define him as. In fact, in a letter to Benjamin Franklin, Hopkinson wrote, "I have not the abilities to assist our righteous Cause by personal Prowess & Force of Arms, but I have done it all the Service I could with my Pen-throwing in my Mite at Times in Prose & Verse, serious and satirical Essays." In short, his pen was mightier than the sword. His words influenced the shaping of our nation, and his music elevated our country’s artistic identity.

To circle back to my very first thought while writing this, we have no idea that historical figures are humans, just like us. It is a fact that Francis Hopkinson signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, that he made the sacrifice to enable American independence and freedom from British rule. But it is also a fact that Francis Hopkinson was a human, with passions and abilities and hobbies, just like us. He composed songs, he wrote poems, and he designed images, using art to shape our nation. He played the organ, sang, and held a love for music that did not require recognition. Yet, as people in 2022, maybe we should start recognizing humans as humans, start celebrating their passions. We can look at history from the perspective that individuals, while notorious for their accomplishments and duties, should also be notorious for their humanity as well.

Read other articles by Claire Doll