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History Has History |
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Have you ever
wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration
of Independence? |
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Five signers
were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before
they died. |
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Twelve had
their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in
the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. |
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Nine of the
56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary
War. |
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They signed
and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred
honor. |
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What kind of
men were they? |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Vandals or
soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton,
Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. |
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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. |
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Francis Lewis
had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his
wife, and she died within a few months. |
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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. |
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Some of us
take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't. |
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Freedom is
never free! |
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Freedom must be defended or it will be taken away.... |
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Patriotism Is Not
A Sin
The US Constitution, The
Bill Of Rights, The Declaration
Of Independence, Memorial Day, and the Fourth
of July provide more than
opportunities for America-haters
to denigrate, desecrate, and despise the
United States Of America,
patriotic Americans, and
America's accomplishments. |
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