4th of July: Did you ever wonder - July 4th, 2005 at 12:24 AM
4th of July, food for thought
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. Their13
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
games
Happy fourth
This was E-Mailed to me.
Jimmy
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. Their13
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
games
Happy fourth
This was E-Mailed to me.
Jimmy