PATTERSON-L Archives

From: "Judi Trenton" <>
Subject: [PATTERSON-L] Declaration of Independence
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2000 13:48:24 -0400

> 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!
> I hope you will show your support by please sending this to 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.
>

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• [PATTERSON-L] Declaration of Independence by "Judi Trenton" <>