4TH OF JULY

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. 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 sending this to as many people

as you can, please. 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.


Let's stand up for what Democracy truly means, especially in our time............that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. ~ Lincoln

Have a great Independence Day!
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