This piece of pseudo-history below bounces around the internet every year about
this time. Like most things of its ilk, it probably has a few errors, and its author
is writing to reinforce a point with succinct and selective facts. But darn if it
doesn't strike a nerve.
As we in the U.S. chill our lite beer (ughh!) and refill
the propane tanks to burn plenty of meat for the 4th, let's not forget the stories
and sacrifices of the many proud Iraqis and Afghanis who are out there trying to
do the right thing, whether it be for their country or just for their family. Their
history, when it is finally written, looks like it will be on par with this list,
at least in terms of blood. Unfortunately, the outcome is still very much in question.
Perhaps they have underwhelmed us with a lack of 56 such bold and audacious men,
who have had all they can stands, can't stands no more, and stepped off in unison
with a flourish just begging for a remake starring Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford.
But, hey, this thing started on our schedule, not theirs. And our sterile expectations
and remote perceptions are not their ugly reality.
I, for one, shall raise at least one frothy cup on this holiday to the many patriots out there. May their journey eventually be as successful as ours was. I wish our helping them get it started had been more helpful.
----------------------------
Why we celebrate the 4th of July
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration
of Independence?
- Five 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,
Gwinett, 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 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 and straight, and
unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of the 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 told you
a lot of 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 show your support by sharing this
with 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.
~Author Unknown~
Edited to add: Read more about this bit of internet fluff, also circulated under the title The Price They Paid, on the Urban Legends Reference Pages.