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, Gwinett, 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 to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.
Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall and straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of the declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor."
They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books told you a lot of what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't fight just the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government!
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 show your support by sharing this with as many people as you can. 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.
~Author Unknown~
Contributed by: Harry Updegraff, Jr.
COMMENTS:
Labels: Price of Freedom
I'll keep you and son on prayer, positive thoughts list. I understand your position all too well. Grandson Gene is on his 4th foreign deployment, now in Afghanistan after 2 in Iraq and 1 in Korea. Our government/military needs more warm bodies and do not care about physical or medical conditions nor any home front needs. If Bush manages to attack Iran (or his successor) look for more of the same.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008 12:40:00 AM
P.S. Granny, how about posting some photos of your son? Seeing him makes the connection more personal.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008 12:48:00 AM
48:00 AM
"I'm not sure why our Government thought a slightly overweight, 40 year old National Guard sergeant should be in Iraq"
Neither is anybody else, but the criminal activities continue.
I think cookies are a way of touching home and Mother at the same time, with your hands. They are a personal touch, usually made with a Mother's hands, and there's nothing quite like those hands in this world. Us men run the place, or at least try to make you believe we do, but I'm a firm believer that The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, Rules The World!
I remember one time I called home. They were setting off some old ordinance to dispose of it, and it sounded like we were under a pounding attack. I never gave it a thought when I called, but when Mom answered the phone and heard all the commotion, she started crying and asked "Are you OK?" Thinking she was crying because she was so glad to hear from me, I said: "No I'm not, Mom! I ran out of cookies last week!!!!" The tears quickly turned to laughter. Up until he died, Dad almost always called me "cookies" after that. Mom just said I was nuts.:)
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 3:58:00 AM
One of a Mother's way to continue nurturing her young. When my Horde of children, grandchildren, in-law children, out-law children (my "kids" of no blood nor legal status),neighbor kids, throw-away kids would descend upon me, they always headed for the fridge to gorge themselves, even if they had just had a meal before coming.
I called it "lactation from the pantry". There was just something special about Mom's cooking/food that gave them that nurtured feeling.
"...a Mother's hands, and there's nothing quite like those hands in this world."
P.S. Care packages from anyone are greatly appreciated by our men and women in the military.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 10:51:00 AM
Future's comment reminded me of when Jim was first in the Army (almost 20 years ago) and stationed in Germany. I can't remember exactly what happened but he suffered a rather serious injury to his hand.
So who did this tough, macho, soldier call first? His mommy.
Friday, August 01, 2008 9:37:00 PM