The 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence knew what they were getting into. As we celebrated the Fourth of July 245 years later with flags and fireworks, itâs easy to forget that these patriots risked death to give a new nation life. If youâve never read the Declaration of Independence in its entirety, this is a good time to do that. More than two centuries later, itâs still a good read. These rebels, who would be accused of treason by Great Britain, wrote the document in a reasoned manner, attempting to convey to the world that their cause was a just one.