Editor’s note: U.S. Constitution Week is celebrated Sept.17-23.

Do you know how many signers signed the Declaration of Independence? If your answer is 56, well done! Now take a closer look at the picture alongside this article: How many of those faces can you name? If you recognize more than five, consider yourself among the most knowledgeable about Revolutionary history. Most readers can identify Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson—but few go much further.

Yet, John Adams once wrote that Benjamin Rush was “one of America’s three most notable Founding Fathers,” placing him just behind George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. And still, today his name is largely forgotten. His story is one worth remembering.

Physician, educator and nation builder

Born in 1746 in Pennsylvania, Benjami

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