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MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST LOCAL NEWS & COMMENTARY

I can't vouch for all of the "facts" in this article but it is known from

history that many "patriots" put everything they had -  homes/farms,

personal wealth, lives, and families, on the line for freedom.  At the time

of the "Declaration of Independence" things with "the people" were much as

they are today - about one-third of the people supported freedom and

independence, about one-third opposed, and about one-third just didn't care.

The following may not be completely factual but is representative of events

around the declaration of independence -  something to think about and

remember just what the "4th of July" is about - and the sacrifices have

continued through the millions who have given their lives, careers, and

families for the freedoms we enjoy -  jputnam

 

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

  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 McKean of Delaware, 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 William Ellery of Rhode Island;

George Clymer of Pennsylvania; George Walton, Lyman Hall, and Button Gwinnet

of Georgia; Thomas Heyward, Jr., Edward Rutledge, and Arthur Middleton of

South Carolina.

 

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr. of Virginia, 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 of New York, had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy

jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

 

John Hart of New Jersey 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.  A few weeks

later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.

 

Phillip Livingston and Lewis Morris of New York suffered similar fates.

Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution.  These were

not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians.  They were soft-spoken men of means

and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing

tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged:  "For the support of this

declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence,

we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred

honor."  They gave you and me a free and independent America.

 

The history books never told you a lot about what happened in the

Revolutionary War. We didn't fight just the British.  We were British

subjects at that time and we fought our own government!  Some of us take

these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't.  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 please sending this to as many people

as you can.  It's important that 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.

 

Political Action Committee For Average Citizens  - PACFAC

Madison-Huntsville, Alabama

Post Office Box 782

Madison, Alabama 35758

jputnam@pacfac.com