(I read this on another board, thought it was worth sharing...)
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, Rutledge, 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.
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better
than the animating contest of freedom; go home from us in peace. We
ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands
which feed you.May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity
forget that you were our countrymen.
- Samuel Adams
