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Eleanor.... Many thanks for sharing the "Whatever happened to....." historical footnote! I found it fascinating. I couldn't help but think , tho, considering the number of lawyers that signed the Declaration of Independence and fought for our rights and for our freedom, what TODAY'S legal eagles would do if faced with similar circumstances - may a class action law suit against King George. and lotsa press releases? <sardonic grin> Barb Mallut (Res ipsa loquitor) [log in to unmask] ----Original Message----- From: Eleanor Noone <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> Date: Saturday, July 01, 2000 9:28 AM Subject: Fwd: FW: [NCLINCOL-L] 4th of July Food for Thought..... >In a message dated 7/1/00 11:02:27 AM EST, [log in to unmask] writes: > >My niece sent me this. I'd never heard any of this before and it just shows >how little we're taught of our own history in school. I don't suppose it >ever occurred to me to wonder what happened to the men who stood up for and >put their names to what they believed. Food for thought----- >Eleanor ><< > > The 4th of July > REMEMBERING INDEPENDENCE DAY > > 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 week 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 fougnt our own government! > > Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't. > > So, 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. > > Author Unknown. > > Remember: freedom is never free! > > It's time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth > of > July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games. > >> > >