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Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the
Declaration of Independence?
Five signers were captured by the British and tortured and held as
prisiners of war and subjected to torture before they subsequently died,
were exchanged or released.
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 (surprised?).
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 forcing him to sell his home and
properties to pay his debts.
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 William Ellery, Hall,
Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Edward 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 who was in poor health at the time which assuredly contributed
to and accelerated her demise months later.
John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying in October
of 1776. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and
gristmill were laid to waste when the British overran the area a month
later in November. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves,
returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.
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.
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