Have you
ever wondered what
became of the men who
signed
The Declaration OF Independence ?
THE PRICE THEY PAID
(Author Unknown) Five of the signers were captured by the British as traitors and tortured before they died.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army, another had two sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from
wounds or the hardships of the Revolutionary
War. They signed and pledged their lives,their
fortunes,and their sacred honor. What kind of men where they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants,nine were farmers and large plantation owners,men of means,and 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 his 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 Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him and poverty was his reward. Vandals or
soldiers, or both, looted the properties of
Ellery, Clymer,Hall, 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. The owner 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
grist mill 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 are 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 the
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 us a free and
independent America.
What will you do to keep it ?
Lance
R Crowe, Chairman,
American Constitutional
Campaign Committee
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