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REMEMBERING INDEPENDENCE DAY Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? |
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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? |
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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 McKean 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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of
this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we
mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."
They gave you and I a more free and independent America. The history books told
little of what all happened to these individuals during the Revolutionary War. They
didn't fight just the British. These brave patriots were British subjects at that
time and fought their own government! |
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What is the price of freedom? Perhaps the Fourth of July signifies more than beer, picnics, and baseball games. |
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Editor's note: I'm more than a little confident that Jerry didn't
write this, and as I got it in my e-mail "in-box" I honestly don't know
to whom credit is due on this piece. If you do, please drop me a note (there's an
e-mail link below) and I'll give proper credit. But that's not the reason for this
note. This piece so closely coincides with my own philos as a Libertarian
that I *had* to publish it. PMAco975seSandyBv
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To: Doug Thurs, 13
July 2000 From: Jerry Brady
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