I know this is a place for pictures, but with the 4th of July
comming up this would be the thing to read..........Mike #3441
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. 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! I hope you will show
your support by please sending this to as many people as you can. 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.