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!
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4 comments:
Michelle, WOW! Thanks for posting this. I read it and sat and cried. What amazing men. And yes, we do take it for granted all too often. I only wish our government today had an ounce of the courage and morals that the signers of the Declaration had. What a different world we would be living in.
I am finally getting into the blogging world and have discovered this one. As much as I enjoy reading about you and your life, I find this intellectually stimulating and gives me reason to pause and reflect on my core values. Thanks for going through the effort!
There are errors in this purported essay. The following is from The Connecticut Society Sons of the American Revolution website:
http://www.connecticutsar.org/articles/price_paid.htm#rebuttal
Please read this additional information from Prof. E. Brooke Harlowe; Asst. Prof. and Coordinator, Intl Studies major/minor Dept. of Political Science Susquehanna University
Selinsgrove PA 17870
See also the Snopes analysis of this inaccurate piece:
http://www.snopes.com/history/american/pricepaid.asp
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