Thanks Don for the insight and the reminder of our freedoms to which we
should be thanking these men and women every day.   Have a nice 4th!

On Sat, 01 Jul 2000 18:03:44 -0700 Don Hammer <donh7@earthlink.net>
writes:
> Histonetters,
> 
> I just received this and altho not Histology, I found it interesting 
> and
> hope you all do as well.  Have a great Holiday.  This info sure 
> wasn't in my
> History Books.
> 
> Don Hammer, Retired Guy
> 
> > THOUGHTS FOR THE FOURTH
> >
> >
> > 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. 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,
> > 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 about 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!
> >
> > Happy 4th of July----
> 
> 
>