Happy July 4th, we should be happy given the price that was paid for our freedom…

56 Men signed the Declaration of Independence, have you ever wondered what happened to them?

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.

Remember: Freedom is Never Free!

It’s time we remember that PATRIOTISM is NOT a sin and the Fourth of July has nothing to do with beer, picnics, and baseball games.  If you are not sure about the ideals this holiday embodies then ask someone from a country like China, Iran or North Korea how their system works for them.

In case you are wondering who these 56 men were, here are their names with links to their biographies at ushistory.org: