[StBernard] Something about US History to think about

[Westley Annis]

		 4TH OF JULY
		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, an d 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. 
		
		Some of us take these liberties so much for granted,
		but we shouldn't.
		
		So, take a few minutes while reflecting on your 4th of
		July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not
		much to ask for the price they paid. 
		
		Remember: free dom is never free!
		
		The Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics,
		and baseball games.