July 4, 1776-
“The Meaning for Those Who Signed ON……."
by, Richard C. Diradourian
Have you ever wondered what happened to the men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors to the crown. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Continental Army. Another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 signers fought and died from wounds or the hardships of the American Revolution.
What kind of men were they? Twenty-five were lawyers or jurists. Eleven were merchants. Nine were farmers or large plantation owners. These were men of means and education. Yet, they signed the Declaration of Independence, knowing full well that the penalty could be death if they were captured.
When these courageous men signed, they pledged their lives, their fortune, and their sacred honor to the cause of freedom and independence.
Carter Braxton was a wealthy planter and trader. One by one his ships were captured by the British Navy. He was forced to sell his plantations and mortgage his properties to pay his mounting debts. His remaining estate was finally seized by his creditors.
Thomas McKean was so hounded by the British that he had to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Continental Congress without pay, and kept his family in hiding.
Vandals or soldiers, or both, looted the properties of William Ellery, George Clymer, Lyman Hall, George Walton, Button Gwinnett, Thomas Heyward, Edward Rutledge and Arthur Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr. noted that the British General Charles Cornwallis had taken over the family home for his headquarters. Nelson urged General George Washington to open fire on his own home. This was done, and the home was destroyed. Nelson later died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis also had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy captured and jailed his wife, who later died within a few months.
“Honest John” was driven from his wife’s bedside when she was near death. Their thirteen children fled for their lives. Hart’s fields and gristmill were laid to waste. While eluding capture, he never knew where his bed would be the next night. He often slept in forests and caves. When he returned home in December of 1777, he found that his wife had died, and his children had vanished.
Such are the stories and sacrifices of those who risked everything to sign The Declaration of Independence. These men were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing, fanatical, anti-government ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education, who did not need unnecessary aggravation in their life. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged:
“For the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor. Today’s Americans have benefited because of that sacrifice.”
