The price of freedom.

[SnoopisTDI]

As tomorrow is the 229th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, I thought some of you might be interested to know what happened to the men that signed it.

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. 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.

http://emd9.medianext.com/kkgl/att/06-29-05-7.html

[Knifeblade]

Good point, what those men sacrificed for their beliefs, and so many others since so we have the freedoms we do today.

[illegal_eagle187]

ill be sure to pour out a little liqour for em' and also blow shit up!

[drewh4386]

I feel patriotic..........Woohoo!

[Muscletang]

Originally Posted by illegal_eagle187

ill be sure to pour out a little liqour for em' and also blow shit up!

No better way to celebrate your country's independence than blowing up a part of it.

[Broke_as_****]

The more dirt you get airborne the closer to heaven everyone gets.










Yes I have been drinking.

[Rally Sport]

Originally Posted by Broke_as_****

Yes I have been drinking.

[Franko914]

Originally Posted by SnoopisTDI

As tomorrow is the 229th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, I thought some of you might be interested to know what happened to the men that signed it.
<snip>
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.

I thank these patriots everyday.

Just to highlight why we have to thank these patriots, the price for no freedom: 6.5 million Jews WWII; 20-30 million Russians; 800,000 Ruwandans, etc., etc., etc.

[YogsVR4]

I'll raise my glass.

[Gotti]

Originally Posted by Franko914

I thank these patriots everyday.

Just to highlight why we have to thank these patriots, the price for no freedom: 6.5 million Jews WWII; 20-30 million Russians; 800,000 Ruwandans, etc., etc., etc.

7 million polish too. We suffered more than any other country in WW2 because we didnt want to allie with the damn nazis. But nobody really cares about that


anyways... The signing of the decleration of independance had an effect on the world not just America, it really was a great thing. The ideals of the decleration of independance are what influenced Poland to make the first written democratic constitution in Europe. And when our country was stolen from us because of that democratic constitution, we continued to fight for other peoples freedom in other countries because the decleration of independance was the right way a country was supposed to be run. Thats why our war cry was "For Your Freedom And For Ours"

I'm glad our great generals Pulaski and Kosciuszko contributed to Americas fight in the Revolutionary war.

[Franko914]

Originally Posted by Gotti

7 million polish too. We suffered more than any other country in WW2 because we didnt want to allie with the damn nazis. But nobody really cares about that


anyways... The signing of the decleration of independance had an effect on the world not just America, it really was a great thing. The ideals of the decleration of independance are what influenced Poland to make the first written democratic constitution in Europe. And when our country was stolen from us because of that democratic constitution, we continued to fight for other peoples freedom in other countries because the decleration of independance was the right way a country was supposed to be run. Thats why our war cry was "For Your Freedom And For Ours"

I'm glad our great generals Pulaski and Kosciuszko contributed to Americas fight in the Revolutionary war.

I care! A toast I will raise to the Polish heroes!!! Not just today but from now on, everyday!

[Gotti]

^ LMAO... sounds good

[SnoopisTDI]

Just as an FYI, it was just pointed out to me by a friend that this is on Snopes as being somewhat true but greatly exagerated. Not that Snopes is perfect, but they're probably right in this case.

Snopes: The Price They Paid

I just read a great book a couple months ago called "Founding Myths," by Ray Raphael. It deals with "history" like this, and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to see past some of the accepted "history" and stories we know today. These myths and exagerations hide the true greatness of our history.