To: GROUND ZERO™ who wrote (75094 ) 7/6/2012 11:35:27 AM From: Mad2 5 Recommendations Read Replies (2) | Respond to Here's a fresh perspective from a Catholic priest as well as a few thoughts about the 4th of July.stthomasmore.org This is two days late, but certainly worth reading and remembering! Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of <!--Notes ACF --><!--Notes ACF -->Independence<!--Notes ACF --><!--Notes ACF -->? -- If so hear is what happened to them: 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; and 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. They were men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of <!--Notes ACF --><!--Notes ACF -->Independence<!--Notes ACF --><!--Notes ACF --> 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 <!--Notes ACF -->Yorktown<!--Notes ACF -->, 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. 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! 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.
