For you, jcn59 this fourth of July, 2009
> 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!
>
> 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.
>
