Happy July 4th, we should be happy given the price that was paid for our freedom…<\/p>\n
56 Men signed the Declaration of Independence, have you ever wondered what happened to them?<\/p>\n
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.\u00a0 Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.<\/p>\n
Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.\u00a0\u00a0 Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.<\/p>\n
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.\u00a0 What kind of men were they?<\/p>\n
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and\u00a0 trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the\u00a0 British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.<\/p>\n
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British\u00a0 that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.\u00a0 He served in the Congress without pay, and his family\u00a0 was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.<\/p>\n
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer,\u00a0 Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.<\/p>\n
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home\u00a0 for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed,\u00a0 and Nelson died bankrupt.<\/p>\n
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.<\/p>\n
John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying.\u00a0 Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and\u00a0 silently thank these patriots. It’s not much to ask for the price they paid.<\/p>\n
Remember: Freedom is Never Free!<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
In case you are wondering who these 56 men were, here are their names with links to their biographies at ushistory.org<\/a>:<\/p>\n