Happy Fourth Everyone!
>From the POLITECH list:
>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 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 . . .
>
>LET'S ALL REMEMBER THAT FREEDOM IS "NEVER FREE"!!!!
>
>Author unknown.
>
>**********
Respectfully,
Jay Fenello
President, Iperdome, Inc.� 404-943-0524
-----------------------------------------------
What's your .per(sm)? http://www.iperdome.com
