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, Gwinett, 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 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 and straight, and
unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of the 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 told you a lot of 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. ~ Author Unknown