Proverbs 29:18 (King James Version)
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that
keepeth the law, happy is he.
Have you ever wondered what happened to the fifty six 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 fixty six 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
death would be the cost if 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 McKean 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 thirteen 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 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 shouldn't. So, take a few minutes this year while enjoying your 4th of July
holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price
they paid.
Dear Lord we thank You for the freedoms we have. We thank
You for each man and women that have given their life so that we can have the
freedoms we have. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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