Please take the time to think about this on the 4th of July.
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who
signed the Declaration of Independence?
56 Men
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and
tortured before they died.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their
sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons
captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of
the Revolutionary War.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes,
and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants,
nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means,
well educated. But they signed the Declaration of
Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be
death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader,
saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He
sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in
rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was
forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in
the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding.
His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his
reward.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall,
Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr, noted that the
British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home
for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George
Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson
died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The
enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was
dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields
and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year
he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his
wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he
died from exhaustion and a broken heart.
Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates. Such were the
stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These
were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were
soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security,
but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and
unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this
declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the
divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our
lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."
They gave you and me a free and independent America. The
history books never told you a lot about what happened in
the Revolutionary War.
Some of us take these liberties so much for
granted, but we shouldn't. So, take a few minutes while
enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these
patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.
Remember: freedom is never free!
I hope you will show your support by please sending this to
as many people as you can. It's time we get the word out
that patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has
more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games.
'''"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are
created equal, and are endowed by their creator with certain
inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness."'''