Independence Day

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America the Beautiful Star Spangeled Banner
National Anthem Battle hymn of the Republic

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 
because British troops were using it as shelter. 
The home was damaged by cannonballs stuck in the 
brick walls.  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!  Patriotism is 
NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it 
than beer, picnics, and baseball games.

provided by Charles McCabe

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