The Real Meaning of July 4th
Patriotism is NOT a sin
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The Signers
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!
*****
Credit: Author unknown. Submitted by members of the Danvers Oracle.
*****
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