Did You Ever Wonder What Happened to The Signers of the Declaration of Independence?

[gpostal]

4TH OF JULY

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they?

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.

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. He never saw any of his family again.

How many of us would show such sacrifice under similar circumstances today.

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!

[Shooter45]

Good post Dan.

I wonder if the leaders of this great nation would do the same today ?

[Remington597]

Excellent thread.

[Marlin]

Very appropriate, Postal, expecially during these times.

Everyone should see this and, perhaps, it would make a difference.....

[pickenup]

Knowing what these men sacrificed, it is sad that today there are people that will not even sacrifice the time it takes to get off of their lazy butts, to go out and vote.

[gpostal]

i have been researching a time line of our rights as they are written now ,a lot of people do not realize what tyranny we where once under ,and why we fought for our freedom

example: did you know it was illegal to own a shovel made of metal in the 1700’s?
everyone is aware of our history ,but not aware of it in detail


anyway I want to make a time line of our freedom ,it will start around 1700 and end present day ,with a list of the number of laws at the time lines ,I want to show how our freedom came and is currently going away ,we are quickly regressing back to the same rule we once fought against ,for the people by the people ,is a thing of the past