Have you ever wondered what happened
to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? 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
Continental 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. We didn't fight just the British. We
were British subjects at that time, and we fought our own government! 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! 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."
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