Wishing you the best
4th of July .......EVER !!!!!!!!!
The Declaration of Independence
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 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 McKean 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 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
this year 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!
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