“We hold these truths to be self-evident:
That all men created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable rights,
that among these are life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness.”
We are all familiar with these words but, not so well-known, the concluding words of the Declaration of Independence reads, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred Honor.” Fifty-six signatures of great patriots follow these profound words. These were the American heroes to the core!
And what did they get for pledging their lives, fortunes and honor for our country?
· Five signers were captured by the British as traitors and tortured before they died.
· Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
· 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 British Navy. He sold his home and property to pay his debts and died in rags.
· 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.
· 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 Cornwalls had taken over his 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 sacrifice of the great Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution. These great men were not wild-eyed, rebellious ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security…but they valued liberty more!
So… this July 4th, as we celebrate our freedoms
with family and friends,
take a few minutes to silently thank these founding fathers
who paid such a great price for America’s freedom?
Freedom is never free!
~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America. Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California. My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights.
