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,
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.
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.
I hope you will show your
support by sending this to as many
people as you can. It's time we
get the word out that patriotism
is NOT a sin and it's not just
waving a flag or wearing a pin. The Fourth
of July has
more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games. It a day
to
acknowledge what wonderful benefits there are to being an American
and to
be proud to pay your taxes.
It's INDEPENDENCE DAY !
HURRAH!!!
_________________________________________________________________
Windows Live™: Keep your life in sync.
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