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The Price They Paid |
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Have you ever wondered what happened
to those men who signed the Declaration of Independence? |
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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 in the
Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and
died from wounds or the hardships of the Revolutionary War. |
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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 and well educated.
But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that they
penalty would be death if they were captured. They signed and they pledged
their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. |
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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. |
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Thomas McKean was so
hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost
constantly. He served in Congress without pay, and his family was kept in
hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward. |
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Vandals or soldiers or
both looted the properties of Ellery, Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett,
Heyward, Rutledge, and Middleton. Francis Lewis had his home and property
destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife and she died within a few months. |
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At the Battle of
Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr. noted that the British General Cornwallis taken
over the Nelson home for his headquarters. The owner quietly urged General
George Washington to pen fire, which was done. The home was destroyed, and
Nelson died bankrupt. |
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John Hart was driven
from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their
lives. His fields and grist mill were laid waste. For more than a year he
lived in forests and caves, returning home after the war to find his wife
dead, his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a
broken heart. Morris and Livingston suffered similar fates. |
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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 a
firm reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence we mutually pledge
to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” |
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They gave us an independent America! Can we keep it?
– Christian Bacon |
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From Osterhus Pub.
House 4500 W. Boardway, Minneapolis, MN 55422.
This tract costs 75˘ of 100; $2 for 500; $3 for 1000 Postage: Add 30 per
cent (not only 30c) |
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