Tomorrow is our independence holiday. Some thoughts on that today for tomorrow I am taking a holiday from posting. I do wish you all a happy fourth of July.
Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of
Independence on July 4th 1776. History rarely records what happened to some of
them.
Five signers were captured by the British
charged as traitors and were tortured before they died.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and
burned.
Two lost their sons who were serving in the
Revolutionary Army, and another had two sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought in the war and died
from wounds or hardships caused by the war.
These men were not ruffians or
rabble-rousers; they were well-spoken men of means and education.
Twenty-four of the 56 were lawyers and
jurists, eleven were merchants, and nine were large plantation owners.
All of them signed the Declaration of
Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were
captured.
Signer Carter Braxton, a wealthy planter
and trader, died in rags.
The properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer,
Walton, Glwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge and Middleton were looted.
Thomas Nelson Jr. and Thomas McKeam died
bankrupt.
Francis Lewis's wife was jailed and she
died there.
John Hart had to flee his dying wife's
bedside. His children fled for their lives. He died of exhaustion. Norris and
Livingston had to hide out in the forest and live in caves.
I wonder how many people today would in the
words of the Declaration of Independence, "mutually pledge to each other
our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor," all for the sake of
freedom.
Thank you patriots of the past for the
liberty we enjoy and celebrate today.
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