• In reply to: Tom Bingaman: "Remember the Fourth of July!"
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On 6/24/01 1:10 PM Tom Bingaman wrote

> Subject:
> Remember the Fourth of July!
>
> From:
> Niimisr@aol.com
>
>
>
> FOURTH OF JULY - SOME HISTORY
>
> Freedom isn't free........
>
> 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 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 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! I hope you will show your support
> by please sending this to as many people as you can.
>
> 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.
>
>
>
> --
> YiS
> Tom Bingaman tbing19@idt.net
> I used to be a Beaver...328 (1968)
> Chief Seattle Council |>>>---|>--->|
> Green River District (Renton WA)
> Scout Leader Training Chair

• In reply to: Tom Bingaman: "Remember the Fourth of July!"
• Next in thread: Mick Cole: "Re: Remember the Fourth of July!"
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