[ back ]
What happened to the signers of the Declaration of Independence?
(by Luigi Luciano - July 03, 2007)
Across this great land we just celebrated the Fourth of July, the signing of the Declaration of Independence and our freedom from British rule. They signed pledging their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. Who were these brave people who signed knowing what could happen to them? What would they think of today’s politicians who are afraid to take a stance on issues because they fear they might lose the next election? Our politicians of today should be ashamed of the way the vote, debate and look at issues. The only thing that matters to them today is getting reelected. There were 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence did you ever wondered what happened to them
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.
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, while 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. A few weeks later, he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.
Norris and Livingston 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!
Today is a whole different story. We are fighting a war on terror and some politicians like John Edwards have the nerve to call it a “Bumper Sticker” war. Others see some failures and want to surrender. All I can say is thank God for the men we had back then who in the face of losing everything they had including their lives stood up for what is right. Not like the politicians of today.
America is a great country no matter what some people say. We may not do everything 100% correctly but we do it better than most. We cannot imagine what it was like for these people back in 1776 who took a stand for what they believed in and didn’t care about the consequences. I wish I could say the same about most of our current government officials.
Take Luigi’s poll at www.mtoliveweekly.com
Visit Luigi on the web at www.listentoluigi.com. Luigi wants to know what you think and will be happy to answer e-mails sent to him at luigi@listentoluigi.com. Some e-mail may be published in The Weekly or on theweb.
[ back ]
