Benjamin Rush Biography

Benjamin Rush was one of the major political leaders who participated in the American Revolution and signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence in 1776. A physician by profession, he was also an educator and writer. He was one of the leading figures of the intellectual American Enlightenment period along with Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. He believed in freedom for all and was a vocal advocate of abolishment of slavery and a supporter of women’s right to higher education. As a physician, he was very well respected and he worked towards bringing better health and hygiene facilities to the common people. He was the first doctor of his era to conduct pioneering work in the field of psychiatry, thereby earning the title, ‘"Father of American Psychiatry". Having a deep interest in political affairs, he actively participated in Sons of Liberty in Philadelphia. He was elected a delegate of the Continental congress as a representative of Pennsylvania and he signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence on 2 August 1776. He also helped Thomas Paine in writing the much celebrated ‘Common Sense’ which was a pamphlet in support of an independent America. Along with his contribution to medicine, he is also known for the social reforms he campaigned for.