This is awfully long, but since we have this topic I thought I would post this thought-provoking article which my father-in-law sent to me. I think that all will appreciate this.
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! 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.
May your dreams come true, and happiness find you always..
