Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
1. Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.
2. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
3. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.
4. 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?
1. Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.
2. Eleven were merchants,
3. Nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated.
Can you imagine what the patriots would have to say to our current legislators?
Still 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 and eventually sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam 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.
Thomas Nelson, Jr., lost his home to the British General Cornwallis for his headquarters. 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 weekend and silently, or not so silently, thank these patriots. It’s not much to ask for the price they paid.
Remember: Freedom is never free!
