Sunday, June 28, 2009

PRICE OF FREEDOM

And now some history.  More than a good read.

              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.


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 has more to it than beer,


picnics, and baseball games.

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