Freedom is never Free

[artimrj]

Be thankful and
have
a SAFE Fourth of July...



The Signers of The Declaration of Independence

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.

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.

Remember: freedom is never free! We thank these early patriots, as well as those patriots now fighting to KEEP our freedom!

It's time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more MEANING to it than beer, fireworks, HOT DOGS, and picnics.

[NStrains]

Well put Bob!

And thank you and everyone else who has served this great country, in any capacity, to help keep it free for us! We all might complain about how things are going these days, but we still have things far better then our forefathers did. And for that we all owe them our gratitude!

[bpetit]

Well said!

[ZekTheKid]

+5

[JOHNtheREDNECK]

Too bad its a shame this country is just a little speck on the world stage compared to what it used to be. We don't do anything ourselves anymore. We outsource it to China and India so we can have more time to fight like children over stupid laws and culture when there's a lot of people around the world right now that want this country to burn in the ashes of hell.

Be appreciative of what we are given and how we got here, I completely agree with Bob. However, its just not at the peak performance level we sustained for so long in previous generations and its hard to be proud of where we are now. Its more of an embarrassment really to see where we used to be and where we went.

[NStrains]

Too bad its a shame this country is just a little speck on the world stage compared to what it used to be. We don't do anything ourselves anymore. We outsource it to China and India so we can have more time to fight like children over stupid laws and culture when there's a lot of people around the world right now that want this country to burn in the ashes of hell.

Be appreciative of what we are given and how we got here, I completely agree with Bob. However, its just not at the peak performance level we sustained for so long in previous generations and its hard to be proud of where we are now. Its more of an embarrassment really to see where we used to be and where we went.

Sad, but very true words!