A friend sent me this and I thought it was very interesting. I have no idea who the original author was but I am passing it along with thanks to the writer whoever they are!
\nThe 4th of July
\nHave you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the
\nDeclaration of Independence?
\nFive signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured
\nbefore they died.
\nTwelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
\nTwo lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two
\nsons captured.
\nNine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the
\nRevolutionary War.
\nThey signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their
\nsacred lives.
\nWhat kind of men were they?
\nTwenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine
\nwere farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated,
\nbut they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that
\nthe penalty would be death if they were captured.
\nCarter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his
\nShips swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and
\nproperties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
\nThomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move
\nhis family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay,
\nand his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from
\nhim, and poverty was his reward.
\nVandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer,
\nWalton,Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
\nAt the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British
\nGeneral Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his
\nheadquarters.
\nHe quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was
\ndestroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
\nFrancis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed
\nhis wife, and she died within a few months.
\nJohn Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their
\n13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were
\nlaid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves,
\nreturning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. Some
\nof us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn’t.
\nSo, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and
\nsilently thank these patriots. It’s not much to ask for the price
\nthey paid.
\nRemember: freedom is never free!
\nPatriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than
\nbeer, picnics, and baseball games.
\nWith love and aloha,
\nSusan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A friend sent me this and I thought it was very interesting. I have no idea who the original author was but I am passing it along with thanks to the writer whoever they are! The 4th of July Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,25,13,21,5,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-beliefs","category-conscious-creation","category-love","category-miracles","category-spiritual-guidance","category-transformation"],"yoast_head":"\n