“We,
therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America. . . [a]nd for
the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of
divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and
our sacred Honor.” from The Declaration of
Independence
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.
~
unknown source
So, this 4th of
July remember: freedom is never
free! Be thankful for these early patriots, as well as those patriots who
fight now to KEEP our freedom! May God bless America, land of the free and home of the
brave. ~dho
