{"id":3477,"date":"2011-07-01T13:37:15","date_gmt":"2011-07-01T17:37:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/watchwomanonthewall\/?p=3477"},"modified":"2012-10-13T15:14:41","modified_gmt":"2012-10-13T19:14:41","slug":"would-you-be-this-brave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/2011\/07\/would-you-be-this-brave.html","title":{"rendered":"Would You Be This Brave?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Would You Be This Brave?<\/h1>\n
\n

July 1, 2011 by\u00a0Chip Wood<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Would <\/p>\n
PHOTOS.COM<\/div>\n
Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

On July 4, 1776, after months of heated debate, representatives of the Continental Congress voted unanimously that \u201cthese United Colonies are and of right ought to be Free and Independent States.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thirteen colonies voted to become something new: the United States of America. All they had to do was to win their independence from a government that would consider them traitors.<\/p>\n

Fifty-six men bravely affixed their signatures to the Declaration of Independence. What sort of men were they? And what became of them?<\/p>\n

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists, 11 were merchants, nine were farmers or plantation owners. They were well-educated men of means. All of them had a great deal to lose when they voted to defy what was then the most powerful nation on Earth.<\/p>\n

One of the signers was Richard Stockton, a distinguished jurist from New Jersey. At the conclusion of the meetings, he proudly affixed his signature to the Declaration, joining 55 other delegates. Each of them willingly risked everything when they pledged to each other \u201cour Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sadly, the revolution was to cost Judge Stockton the first two. But he would never surrender the third.<\/p>\n

As he returned from Philadelphia to his home in New Jersey, Judge Stockton was warned that British troops were coming to arrest him. He fled to a neighbor\u2019s house with his wife and children. But a Loyalist, a supporter of the British cause, betrayed the family\u2019s hiding place. Here is what happened next, as described in a wonderful little book\u00a0Personal Liberty<\/em> wants to give you this Fourth of July:<\/p>\n

The judge was dragged from bed and beaten, then thrown into prison. This distinguished jurist, who had worn the handsome robes of a colonial court, now shivered in a common jail, abused and all but starved.<\/p>\n

A shocked Congress arranged for his parole. Invalided by the harsh treatment he had received, he returned to (his home at) Morven to find his furniture and clothing burned, his fine horses stolen, and his library \u2014 one of the finest private collections in the country \u2014 completely destroyed. The hiding place of exquisite family silver, hastily buried, had been betrayed by a servant.<\/p>\n

The Stocktons were so destitute that they had to accept charity. For the judge\u2019s fortune was gone, too. He had pledged it and his life to his country. He lost both. He did not live to see the Revolution won.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That account comes from a wonderful little book called\u00a0They Signed For Us.<\/em> It was written half a century ago by Merle Sinclair and Annabel Douglas McArthur, two patriotic ladies who wanted to help others learn more about the remarkable men who signed the Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n

At the end of today\u2019s column, you\u2019ll find a link that will take you to a copy of the book. You may read it online or download it and print your own copy. The file also includes a list of all of the signers and the States they represented, plus the complete text of the Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

To whet your appetite a bit more, here\u2019s another excerpt from\u00a0They Signed For Us<\/em>.<\/p>\n

SUDDENLY THE BIG BELL in the State House steeple pealed joyously. The appointed signal! Cheers rose from the waiting crowds.<\/p>\n

\u2018Proclaim liberty throughout the land<\/em>\u2026.\u2019<\/p>\n

Cannon boomed, drums rolled. Church bells rang, sounding the death knell of British domination!<\/p>\n

News of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence spread like wildfire. Ready messengers leaped into their saddles to ride and spread the word. The Declaration had been ordered printed on a single large sheet, \u201845.5 x 37.5 cm.,\u2019 or approximately eighteen by fifteen inches. These broadsides were distributed with all possible speed, to be read in the provincial assemblies, pulpits, market places, and army camps.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The story continues:<\/p>\n

On July 8, the Liberty Bell summoned citizens of Philadelphia to the State House yard for a public reading of the document. Colonel John Nixon mounted a high platform and spoke the noble lines in a strong, clear voice. The crowd, now hushed, listened intently throughout.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2026for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.\u2019<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It was almost a month later that the Declaration was engrossed on parchment and ready for signing by the delegates to the Continental Congress. Members gathered on Aug. 2 for the ceremony.<\/p>\n

The only person who had signed the Declaration on July 4, 1776 was John Hancock, a delegate from Boston who had been elected president of the Continental Congress. He wrote his signature in large, bold letters and as he did, in a reference to the near-sightedness of the British king, he declared, \u201cThere! John Bull can read my name without spectacles and may now double his reward of \u00a3500 for my head.\u00a0That<\/em> is my defiance.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the delegates gathered around a desk to sign the Declaration, William Emery, one of the representatives from Rhode Island, moved as close as he could. \u201cI was determined to see how they all looked as they signed what might be their death warrants,\u201d he later wrote. \u201cI placed myself beside the secretary, Charles Thomson, and eyed each closely as he affixed his name to the document. Undaunted resolution was displayed on every countenance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Contrasting with Hancock\u2019s confident signature was the shaky scratch of Stephen Hopkins from Rhode Island. Hopkins, the second-oldest signer, suffered from palsy. As he handed the quill to the next person, he valiantly proclaimed, \u201cMy hand trembles, but my heart does not!\u201d<\/p>\n

As one or two delegates hung back, seemingly reluctant to add their signatures to such a momentous declaration, John Hancock encouraged them. \u201cWe must be unanimous,\u201d he said. \u201cThere must be no pulling different ways. We must all hang together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Legend has it that Benjamin Franklin replied, \u201cYes, we must all hang together. Or most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.\u201d<\/p>\n

Happily, none of the signers was hanged by the British. But all of them were considered traitors to the Crown. And many of them suffered terribly for the cause they so ardently supported.<\/p>\n

John Morton, a delegate from Pennsylvania, was the first of the signers to die. His last words for his family, before his death in April 1777 (just eight months after he signed the Declaration), were, \u201c\u2026tell them that they will live to see the hour when they shall acknowledge it to have been the most glorious service I ever rendered to my country.\u201d<\/p>\n

The following month, Button Gwinnett, the commander in chief of Georgia\u2019s militia, was badly wounded in a duel with a political opponent. He died a few days later \u2014 the second signer to die.<\/p>\n

But by and large, the signers of the Declaration of Independence were a hardy bunch. Three of them lived until their 90s \u2014 a remarkable accomplishment in a time when most men did not see their 50th<\/sup> birthday.<\/p>\n

Only two of the signers were bachelors. Sixteen of them married twice. Records indicate that at least two, and perhaps as many as six, were childless. But the other 50 signers were a prolific lot, having a total of 325 children between them. William Ellery of Rhode Island had 17 children; Roger Sherman of Connecticut had 15.<\/p>\n

Fifty years after the united colonies declared their independence from Britain, plans were made for jubilant celebrations on July 4, 1826. Only three of the original signers were still alive: Charles Carroll, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Here is how Sinclair and McArthur describe what occurred that day:<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a dramatic climax that even their agile minds would not have contemplated, these two principals in the struggle for Independence left the nation awestricken and touched, by dying hours apart on the Fourth of July. Jefferson died at one o\u2019clock in the afternoon, Adams toward evening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ten days earlier, Jefferson had written the mayor of Washington, expressing his regret that ill health prevented him from coming to the nation\u2019s new Capitol to join the festivities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI should, indeed, with peculiar delight, have met \u2026 with the small band, the remnant of that host of worthies, who joined with us on that day, in the bold and doubtful election we were to make for our country, between the submission or the sword.\u201d<\/p>\n

He concluded by writing, \u201cLet the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollection of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of that \u201cundiminished devotion,\u201d we are delighted to provide you with a copy of\u00a0They Signed For Us<\/em>. Please\u00a0click here<\/a> for it.<\/p>\n

And please share this copy of\u00a0Straight Talk<\/em> with others you know, so they may enjoy it as well. Just forward this column with a short note, urging them to read about the incredibly brave patriots who won our freedom for us when\u00a0They Signed For Us.<\/em><\/p>\n

Until next time, keep some powder dry.<\/p>\n

\u2013Chip Wood<\/em><\/p>\n

P.S. Happy anniversary to us! <\/strong>This weekend marks two full years of\u00a0Straight Talk<\/em> columns forPersonal Liberty<\/em>. How time flies when you\u2019re having fun! As many of you know, I also write two other, shorter features for\u00a0Personal Liberty<\/em> every week:\u00a0Chip Shots<\/em>, which appears at the bottom of each Friday email, and\u00a0This Week in Histor<\/em>y, which appears at the bottom of each Wednesday email.<\/p>\n

As it happens, my very first piece for\u00a0Personal Liberty<\/em> was about the incredible men who pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to secure liberty for us. So it seems only appropriate to share that message again today, as we prepare to celebrate 235 years of independence. Happy July the Fourth!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"ChipChip Wood<\/a><\/strong> is the geopolitical editor of PersonalLiberty.com. He is the founder of Soundview Publications, in Atlanta, where he was also the host of an award-winning radio talk show for many years. He was the publisher of several bestselling books, including\u00a0Crisis Investing<\/em> by Doug Casey,\u00a0None Dare Call It Conspiracy<\/em> by Gary Allen and Larry Abraham and\u00a0The War on Gold<\/em> by Anthony Sutton. Chip is well known on the investment conference circuit where he has served as Master of Ceremonies for\u00a0FreedomFest<\/strong>,\u00a0The New Orleans Investment Conference<\/strong>,\u00a0Sovereign Society<\/strong>, and\u00a0The Atlanta Investment Conference<\/strong>. <\/p>\n
Email this author<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Source:\u00a0http:\/\/www.personalliberty.com\/conservative-politics\/liberty\/would-you-be-this-brave\/?eiid=&rmid=2011_07_01_PLA_[P11308288]&rrid=238513755<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Would You Be This Brave? July 1, 2011 by\u00a0Chip Wood   PHOTOS.COM Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence. On July 4, 1776, after months of heated debate, representatives of the Continental Congress voted unanimously that \u201cthese United Colonies are and of right ought to be Free and Independent States.\u201d Thirteen colonies voted to become…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":403,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[151,1359,1108],"tags":[1360],"class_list":["post-3477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-holidays","category-independence","category-patriots","tag-july-4"],"yoast_head":"\nWould You Be This Brave? - Watchwoman on the Wall<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/2011\/07\/would-you-be-this-brave.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Would You Be This Brave? - Watchwoman on the Wall\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Would You Be This Brave? July 1, 2011 by\u00a0Chip Wood   PHOTOS.COM Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence. On July 4, 1776, after months of heated debate, representatives of the Continental Congress voted unanimously that \u201cthese United Colonies are and of right ought to be Free and Independent States.\u201d Thirteen colonies voted to become…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/2011\/07\/would-you-be-this-brave.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Watchwoman on the Wall\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-07-01T17:37:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2012-10-13T19:14:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.personalliberty.com\/wp-content\/themes\/redesign\/images\/dec630_image.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Donna Calvin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Would You Be This Brave? - Watchwoman on the Wall","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/2011\/07\/would-you-be-this-brave.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Would You Be This Brave? - Watchwoman on the Wall","og_description":"Would You Be This Brave? July 1, 2011 by\u00a0Chip Wood   PHOTOS.COM Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence. On July 4, 1776, after months of heated debate, representatives of the Continental Congress voted unanimously that \u201cthese United Colonies are and of right ought to be Free and Independent States.\u201d Thirteen colonies voted to become…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/2011\/07\/would-you-be-this-brave.html","og_site_name":"Watchwoman on the Wall","article_published_time":"2011-07-01T17:37:15+00:00","article_modified_time":"2012-10-13T19:14:41+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.personalliberty.com\/wp-content\/themes\/redesign\/images\/dec630_image.jpg"}],"author":"Donna Calvin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/2011\/07\/would-you-be-this-brave.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/2011\/07\/would-you-be-this-brave.html","name":"Would You Be This Brave? - Watchwoman on the Wall","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/2011\/07\/would-you-be-this-brave.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/2011\/07\/would-you-be-this-brave.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/www.personalliberty.com\/wp-content\/themes\/redesign\/images\/dec630_image.jpg","datePublished":"2011-07-01T17:37:15+00:00","dateModified":"2012-10-13T19:14:41+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/#\/schema\/person\/1470e1ef6765f8a27f970307b0835df1"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/2011\/07\/would-you-be-this-brave.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/2011\/07\/would-you-be-this-brave.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/2011\/07\/would-you-be-this-brave.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/www.personalliberty.com\/wp-content\/themes\/redesign\/images\/dec630_image.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/www.personalliberty.com\/wp-content\/themes\/redesign\/images\/dec630_image.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/2011\/07\/would-you-be-this-brave.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Would You Be This Brave?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/","name":"Watchwoman on the Wall","description":"Beliefnet Voices - Donna Calvin","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/#\/schema\/person\/1470e1ef6765f8a27f970307b0835df1","name":"Donna Calvin","description":"In sixth grade my teacher told us that we were going to be the first generation to see the year 2000 and all things would be different. He continued that God wasn't important, wasn't real, and our parents just used God to impose restrictions on us because they were inadequate to parent effectively. I knew then I was going to be involved in a war and that I would have to be in Jesus Christ's Army. Even then, I knew the United States of America would cease to exist without the vast majority of its citizens voluntarily submitting to the Perfect and Good Laws of the Holy Bible. I am a woman who loves the Lord Jesus Christ. I am tired of seeing our LORD denigrated from the school house to the White House. I search the Internet for items that ought to serve as a warning to Americans and Christians all through America, but the nation seems to be sleeping. Wake up America! You are losing your freedoms, your children and your country. Wake up and help stop it!","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/author\/dcalvin"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/403"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3477"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3477\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21159,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3477\/revisions\/21159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}