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 ha d their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons
serving
in the Continental 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 for tunes, 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 f ull 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 s
oldiers 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 week s 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 tim e, 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 th ey 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."
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