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| Joined: | Sun Sep 4th, 2005 |
| Location: | Florida &, Arizona USA |
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REMEMBERING INDEPENDENCE DAY
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
1. Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.
2. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
3. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.
4. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.
5. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty four were lawyers and jurist. Eleven were merchants. Nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated.
1. Presbyterian Minister John Witherspoon, founder of Princeton University, was the only clergy. But they signed the Declaration of Independence, knowing full well the penalty would be death if they were captured.
2. 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 penniless.
3. Thomas McKean 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.
4. Vandals or British Soldiers looted the properties of Dilley, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge and Middleton.
5. 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. His home was destroyed and Nelson died bankrupt.
6. Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed, the British jailed his wife and she died with-in a few months.
7. John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she lay dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in the forest and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and their children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.
8. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.
Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not a bunch of 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 the 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 too much to ask for the price they paid.
Remember, the Fourth of July is more than picnics by the lake, parties with friends, and beer. Patriotism is not a sin, and Freedom is never free.