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
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 of what
happened in the Revolutionary War. We
didn't just fight 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...We shouldn't.
So,
take a couple of minutes while
enjoying your 4th of July holiday and
silently thank these patriots. It's
not much to ask for the price they
paid . . .
LET'S
ALL REMEMBER THAT FREEDOM IS
"NEVER FREE"!
