What Happened After:
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 of what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't just fight 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 ...We shouldn't. So, take a couple of 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
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