The fourth of July

God bless America !
Have 

you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men 

who signed the 

Declaration of Independence ? Their story. . .

  

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. 

 

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 means more 

than beer, 

picnics, and baseball games. True "reflection" is a 

part of this country's

greatness. 

Please be a participant.