[ravenmore]

I posted this on the 4th of July but thought I'd post it again in light of recent events:

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, 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. Some of us take
these liberties so much for granted, but we should not.

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!

[schrocat]

Thanks ravenmore...

Even better the second time around.

[ravenmore]

I think it tells us what we're about, what we SHOULD be about, and frankly, what is expected of us.

You know, I think we've gotten so cynical as a society that we look back on things like the American Revolution and don't understand it. Riiiight - sure they risked their lives just for "freedom" - wink wink. But you know, the more I think about it, the more I'm amazed about it. There is no other reason than the alturistic one why they did what they did. Why else would they do it? Why else would they put their money, their lives, and EVEN THEIR FAMILIES LIVES, on the line? Was it for money, property, or power? Was it for greed? Social Standing? When you look at the people who risked everything(and who for the most part lost everything), you see that they were already wealthy, powerfull men. And they lost that.

When you apply logic and cynicism, you can't come up with a good reason for it. You're left with face value - that they fought, died, and watched their loved ones die for the right to govern themselves and the right to be free.

We've got some damn big shoes to fill folks......