G
Guest
·Some of you may recall my post asking you to realize the true meaning of Memorial Day. Well, in that same patriotic spirit...
REMEMBERING INDEPENDENCE DAY
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. 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, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this 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 never told you a lot about 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! Fly your flags on the fourth. 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.
------------------
Pete
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to skid across the line broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, shouting GERONIMO!"
REMEMBERING INDEPENDENCE DAY
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. 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, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this 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 never told you a lot about 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! Fly your flags on the fourth. 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.
------------------
Pete
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to skid across the line broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, shouting GERONIMO!"
