From spending 7 years in prison to battling a yellow fever epidemic, here's what the Founding Fathers were doing before their act of rebellion made them famous

America's Independence Day is upon us.

For most of us, that means summer fun, fireworks, and lots of red, white, and blue decorations.

It also means that 241 years ago, the Second Continental Congress approved a resolution to declare independence from Britain - although historians believe that most of them didn't sign it until about a month later.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, many of the signers worked as lawyers, physicians, merchants, and planters before being elected to the Continental Congress. A vast majority of them also owned slaves.

Here's a breakdown of the career paths of all 56 signers and what brought them to Philadelphia in the sweltering summer of 1776: