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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!
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