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| Founders Fate |
THE 4TH OF JULY
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.
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 sending this to as many people as you can, please. 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.