It has been implied (if not stated) that the signers of the Declaration were "magistrates" acting on behalf of their constituency.

I do agree with the principle of a "lesser" magistrate rising up against a "greater" magistrate in defense of the people... but I want to challenge the notion that the Founders can be properly understood as "magistrates."

Were they REALLY magistrates?

What lawfully appointed office did any of them hold in which they had a public obligation?

I think that for the most part they were wealthy, well-connected men emerging from a still aristocratic culture... but I can't think of any off the top of my head who were actual magistrates at any level at the time of the Declaration.

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Ben
Chaplain, US Army
Ft. Riley, KS
TE Ohio Valley Presbytery, PCA