From:
Lee955
The Fourth of July is more than a day for fireworks and cook-outs. It was on that day, in
1776, that the 13 American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain. Thomas
Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence, one of the greatest documents in the
long struggle of mankind for freedom from oppressive government. The Declaration contained
these words that made it far more than just another political document:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men
are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights;
that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That, to secure these
rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent
of the governed; that, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends,
it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new
government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such
form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness."
The ideas in the Declaration were not new. Indeed, they had been expressed by British
thinkers such as John Locke, and similar sentiments had been used in Britain to justify
rebellion against King James II in 1688. But Jefferson's words struck a chord across
America, and across the world; they still reverberate today. Fifty-six American leaders in
the Continental Congress stepped forward to sign the final document, at enormous personal
risk. Tragically, many Americans today have no idea of the great sacrifices that
were made by the Founders to win our freedom.
Last year we shared with Liberator Online readers the amazing, little-known story of what
happened to these men. That story touched and inspired a lot of people. It was reprinted
in several publications, and many people shared it with friends and family. I'm pleased to
bring it to you again. There are several versions of the story, but this one is our
favorite. Though we searched diligently, we could not find the author's name.
What Happened to the Signers?
Five signers were captured by the British and brutally
tortured as traitors. Nine fought in the War for Independence and died from wounds or from
hardships they suffered. Two lost their sons in the Continental Army. Another two had sons
captured. At least a dozen of the fifty-six had their homes pillaged and burned.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty-five were lawyers or jurists. Eleven were merchants. Nine were farmers or
large plantation owners. One was a teacher, one a musician, and one a printer.
These were men of means and education, yet they signed the Declaration of Independence,
knowing full well that the penalty could be death if they were captured. In the face of
the advancing British Army, the Continental Congress fled from Philadelphia to Baltimore
on December 12, 1776. It was an especially anxious time for John Hancock, the President,
as his wife had just given birth to a baby girl. Due to the complications from the trip to
Baltimore, the child lived only a few months. William Ellery's signing at the risk of his
fortune proved only too realistic. In December 1776, during three days of British
occupation of Newport, Rhode Island, Ellery's house was burned, and all his property
destroyed. Richard Stockton, a New Jersey State Supreme Court Justice, had rushed back to
his estate near Princeton after signing the Declaration of Independence to find that his
wife and children were living like refugees with friends. They had been betrayed by a Tory
sympathizer who also revealed Stockton's own whereabouts. British troops pulled him from
his bed one night, beat him and threw him in jail where he almost starved to death. When
he was finally released, he went home to find his estate had been looted, his possessions
burned, and his horses stolen. Judge Stockton had been so badly treated in prison that his
health was ruined and he died before the war's end. His surviving family had to live the
remainder of their lives off charity. Carter Braxton was a wealthy planter and trader. One
by one his ships were captured by the British navy. He loaned a large sum of money to the
American cause; it was never paid back. He was forced to sell his plantations and mortgage
his other properties to pay his debts. Thomas McKean was so hounded by the British that he
had to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Continental Congress without
pay, and kept his family in hiding. Vandals or soldiers or both looted the properties of
Clymer, Hall, Harrison, Hopkinson and Livingston. Seventeen lost everything they owned.
Thomas Heyward, Jr., Edward Rutledge and Arthur Middleton, all of South Carolina, were
captured by the British during the Charleston Campaign in 1780. They were kept in dungeons
at the St. Augustine Prison until exchanged a year later. At the Battle of Yorktown,
Thomas Nelson, Jr. noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the family
home for his headquarters. Nelson urged General George Washington to open fire on his own
home. This was done, and the home was destroyed. Nelson later died bankrupt. Francis Lewis
also had his home and properties destroyed. The British jailed his wife for two months,
and that and other hardships from the war so affected her health that she died only two
years later. "Honest John" Hart, a New Jersey farmer, was driven from his wife's
bedside when she was near death. Their thirteen children fled for their lives. Hart's
fields and his grist mill were laid waste. For over a year he eluded capture by hiding in
nearby forests. He never knew where his bed would be the next night and often slept in
caves. When he finally returned home, he found that his wife had died, his children
disappeared, and his farm and stock were completely destroyed. Hart himself died in 1779
without ever seeing any of his family again.
Such were the stories and sacrifices typical of those who risked everything to sign the
Declaration of Independence. These men 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 a firm
reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our
lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
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