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In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved. Franklin D. Roosevelt Have a wonderful day! Enjoy and Celebrate!! |
This was posted by Paula Scott at Molokai Girl (http://pmondoy.blogspot.com/) I knew much of this history, but not all of it and I wanted to share it with you today. During these times we need to be reminded of how much we have and how much we owe to these heroes!
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!
Most of this is accurate, but there is a more accurate version on Snopes in regards to some of the details regarding the people and circumstances that were involved.
But regardless of these, the Fourth of July itself has more to it than beer,
picnics, and baseball games.
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!
Most of this is accurate, but there is a more accurate version on Snopes in regards to some of the details regarding the people and circumstances that were involved.
But regardless of these, the Fourth of July itself has more to it than beer,
picnics, and baseball games.
15 comments:
Great post, Sylvia... Loved re-reading this wonderful history. Thanks for sharing.
We visited the Thomas Nelson home when we visited Yorktown.
Happy 4th..
Hugs,
Betsy
thank you for this taste of history. very brave, indeed.
Happy Independence Day, Sylvia! I agree that we owe the signers a lot, for they did risk everything. A more accurate account of what actually happened to them can be found at http://www.snopes.com/history/american/pricepaid.asp.
Fantastic post Sylvia and perfect image for today..very happy 4th of July to yourself and your family, enjoy the day.
We take so much for granted. This is the best post I've seen so far this 4th of July!
I've just added a link to this post on my blog. Everyone should read this.
Thank you, Silvia,
and a wonderful Fourth to you too!
Thank you for sharing this, Sylvia. I had no idea about the tragic deaths of so many of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. I appreciate so much more those men who were brave enough to sign it, perhaps knowing that they would become targets.
this is a fantastic post!
thanks for sharing it, dear sylvia.
happy 4th of july!
xoxo
Fantastic post, Sylvia. Thanks for sharing and happy 4th of July to you. Blessings, Jo
Have a wonderful July 4th, Sylvia!
Happy 4th of July, Sylvia. Hope you have a great day!
Few people living in Western countries nowadays realize how hard it is to struggle for freedom and independence.
Thanks for this great post reminding of us what the men who signed the Declaration of Independence had to endure for their bravery and commitment.
You need to check out those facts with snopes.com
http://www.snopes.com/history/american/pricepaid.asp
As I wrote at the end of my post, there is a more accurate version of this on Snopes, regarding the people and the circumstances, but it was the basic idea that freedom is never free that we were trying to promote. If this has offended some of you, I apologize.
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