Allyn Cox
Oil on Canvas
1973-1974

In June 1776 five delegates to the Second Continental Congress drafted the Declaration of Independence. The mural depicts (from left to right) Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and John Adams. On the wall in the background is a portrait of English philosopher John Locke, whose Second Essay on Government argued that the rights of man include the right of revolution

• Left: American naval officer John Paul Jones hoists the Continental Colors, the first national United States flag.
• Right: George Washington is shown in a British officer's uniform, which he wore on a 1753 mission to challenge French troops along the Ohio River.