The Costs of Independence

Sally in Tuscaloosa sent this to me. I hope it gives you a bit of pause as it did me.

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Five signers were captured 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. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the opposing Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by search parties 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 opposing forces had taken over the Nelson home for their 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. His wife was jailed and died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled. 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 and children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates. John Hancock lost his home and possessions when Boston burned. 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. Some of us take these liberties too much for granted ... We shouldn't.

Mmm-hmm. We cannot forget. We must not forget.
Thanks, Sally, for sharing. And, before I forget, Happy Canada Day to our friends up north!