Hey Freak! How have you been? HAPPY 4TH TO ALL!!
Some thoughtful reading on our forefathers this holiday.
Have a good one...Katt
> 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.
>
> |
