'Signing of Declaration of Independence' by John Trumbull |
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.
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! We
thank these early patriots, as well as those patriots now fighting to KEEP our
freedom!
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