Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed theDeclaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British aerators, and tortured beforethey died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had twosons 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

Thanks to all of the veterans and those who have given themselves to make this such a great country!

 

Im 17, and I have never heard anything about that kind of stuff happening. The way I have heard it, it was all official, and it wasnt life threatening. Just goes to show you what public schools teach!

well hopefully I wont blow any fingers off, but Ill sure fold over a few coffee cans for america!(thats m80 style)

-I do not promote, nor sell or distribute any and or all illigal fireworks. america, land of the great!

 

thats the way i learned it mongoose.

 

I herd most of that story from my granpa, nothing from the public school system or college.
Mongoose, where do you get your M80's? I cant find them anywhere north of here. I checked blackjack and many others.
Joe