www.theblessingsofliberty.com/articles/article10.html




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 of what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't just fight 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...We shouldn't. So, take a couple of minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid . . .

LET'S ALL REMEMBER THAT FREEDOM IS "NEVER FREE"!!!!

Button Gwinnett, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and one of the most valuable signatures out there, died on May 19, 1777 from his wounds recieved during a duel with his longtime political rival Lachlan McIcintosh.  Still Gwinnett was such a fixture the framing of the State of Georgia, that a county was named after him which houses the towns of Buford, Lawrenceville, and Snellville.  Gwinnett County is also known as one of the more affluent counties in Georgia.


Gwinnett

Our friend snopes.

I think the majority of them are dead.

What should we take from all of this? The signers of the Declaration of Independence did take a huge risk in daring to put their names on a document that repudiated their government, and they had every reason to believe at the time that they might well be hanged for having done so. That was a courageous act we should indeed remember and honor on the Fourth of July amidst our "beer, picnics, and baseball games." But we should also not lose sight of the fact that many men (and women) other than the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence — some famous and most not — risked and sacrificed much (including their lives) to support the revolutionary cause. The hardships and losses endured by many Americans during the struggle for independence were not visited upon the signers alone, nor were they any less ruinous for having befallen people whose names are not immortalized on a piece of parchment.

Quoted: I think the majority of them are dead.

Quoted: What should we take from all of this? The signers of the Declaration of Independence did take a huge risk in daring to put their names on a document that repudiated their government, and they had every reason to believe at the time that they might well be hanged for having done so. That was a courageous act we should indeed remember and honor on the Fourth of July amidst our "beer, picnics, and baseball games." But we should also not lose sight of the fact that many men (and women) other than the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence — some famous and most not — risked and sacrificed much (including their lives) to support the revolutionary cause. The hardships and losses endured by many Americans during the struggle for independence were not visited upon the signers alone, nor were they any less ruinous for having befallen people whose names are not immortalized on a piece of parchment.

Too true, BUT we should honor them for what they did, and not keep posting internet falsities.  They've earned enough honor on their own they don't need even well intentioned mistakes to be known as great men.

Quoted: www.theblessingsofliberty.com/articles/article10.html Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? (snip)

Ah, yes, that email glurge. I get asked about this in my job as an NPS ranger at Lexington & Concord a  lot. That, and about "The Patriot". Telling people the the straight dope on these two is akin to telling kids there is no Santa Claus.

Some people think lawyers suffered more than the troops. Sorry, but it ain't so, folks.

Quoted: . I get asked about this in my job as an NPS ranger at Lexington & Concord

Cool job. Except that whole MA thing.

How'd you get into that?

Quoted: Quoted: www.theblessingsofliberty.com/articles/article10.html Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? (snip) Ah, yes, that email glurge. I get asked about this in my job as an NPS ranger at Lexington & Concord a  lot. That, and about "The Patriot". Telling people the the straight dope on these two is akin to telling kids there is no Santa Claus. Some people think lawyers suffered more than the troops. Sorry, but it ain't so, folks.

The war starters rarely suffer as much and nearly always profit more than the war fighters. That's the big difference between men of words and men of action.

Didn`t George Wahington ream his overseer when he found out he had bought off the British who were abut to sack and burn Mount Vernon? IIRc he wrote he would rather see it a pile of smouldering ash than buy its safety. He still ranks as a great man in my book.

Anybody putting their name on the Declaration of Independence would of been doing it at the risk of their own life. If you think this isnt so I dont know what type of dope you are smoking. The remark was made at the time something to the effect that "We all stick together are we will all hang together"
  These men did have a lot to loose by signing this document. It is ashamed that there is internet articles that embellish the facts. I will be checking into the history myself on this. Snoops isnt the last word on the History of the US at least where I came from.

Quoted: I think the majority of them are dead.

You think?

Quoted: Quoted: . I get asked about this in my job as an NPS ranger at Lexington & Concord Cool job. Except that whole MA thing. How'd you get into that?

I volunteered there for years in my spare time, as a historical interpreter and just general help-out guy, learned a lot, got a good rep, lots of good feedback from staff and public, put in for a job opening when one was available. Same as many other jobs, nowadays, but my paycheck comes from the US taxpayer. As a Fed. employee, there are lots of rules and regulations I have to follow.


As for MA, yes, the irony of a revolution using guns in this gun-phobic state is not lost on me. A lot of people in the NPS are very liberal but a few gunowning NPS transferees from out West or down South have refused to come here because of MA politics. Me, I'm from MA, so I'm used to the nuttiness here.

And yes, at gun shows, I could actually tell some poseur, "So you were a SEAL, huh- guess what, I'm a Ranger....." and, unlike him, not be totally off the mark....

Quoted: Anybody putting their name on the Declaration of Independence would of been doing it at the risk of their own life. If you think this isnt so I dont know what type of dope you are smoking. The remark was made at the time something to the effect that "We all stick together are we will all hang together"   These men did have a lot to loose by signing this document. It is ashamed that there is internet articles that embellish the facts. I will be checking into the history myself on this. Snoops isnt the last word on the History of the US at least where I came from.

Go for it. I've checked it out myself, and Snopes is pretty much on the mark. I don't think many of these guys sat through Valley Forge, nor were many at Bunker Hill or Yorktown. Probably the greatest sacrifice by a non-combatant participant would have been the financier Robert Morris, who went utterly bankrupt aiding the Continental cause, and never got a shilling back from Congress*. He lost everything.

*Nor did most Continental soldiers. Many never got paid.

Quoted: What should we take from all of this?

I don't know about "we" but it's obvious what you should take away from all this is to stop reposting every stupid piece of crap that pops up in your inbox.

Quoted: I think the majority of them are dead.

Quoted: Quoted: I think the majority of them are dead. You think?

I'm still here.

Quoted: guess what, I'm a Ranger.....

Nice

This is something to think about next time someone says that they would never open fire on .gov to protect their rights because they have a family that would be in danger.

Quoted: Quoted: I think the majority of them are dead.

So the British had the last laugh?

Quoted: 9 of them were also Freemasons.

Twenty four of them were Perry Masons.

Quoted: 9 of them were also Freemasons.

So why the fuck did the buildings in DC cost so much to build?

Quoted: Quoted: 9 of them were also Freemasons. So why the fuck did the buildings in DC cost so much to build?

Unions, duh.

Quoted: Quoted: www.theblessingsofliberty.com/articles/article10.html Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? (snip) Ah, yes, that email glurge. I get asked about this in my job as an NPS ranger at Lexington & Concord a  lot. That, and about "The Patriot". Telling people the the straight dope on these two is akin to telling kids there is no Santa Claus.

Sweet.  I did the Battle Road tour last October in the rain.  Very cool.  The production that was put on in the little theater was very well done.  It was my first time back east and one of my MUST SEE parts of the trip.

Quoted: 9 of them were also Freemasons.

The rest were Stonecutters!

Quoted: (snip) Sweet.  I did the Battle Road tour last October in the rain.  Very cool.  The production that was put on in the little theater was very well done.  It was my first time back east and one of my MUST SEE parts of the trip.

Our park's webpage: Minute Man NHP

Glad you enjoyed your visit. It's truly an amazing place, and I feel privileged to work there.

We try to make the park, the place where America was born, a place that everybody can come away with a better understanding of just how difficult America's birth was, and of the sacrifices our forefathers went through. We get people from all over the world who come to the place that is hallowed ground, consecrated by the blood of those fighting and dying for freedom.

It's possible, I might have spoken with you. I talk with hundreds of people every day, and do talks, demonstrations, shoot muskets, etc, usually dressed as a British Redcoat when I'm not wearing my regular NPS uniform with the Stetson.

Hanscom AFB is next door, and we get officers' and enlisted personnel groups from all the service branches who stay and work there. They come in and we love to give them the full tour, complete with touring the battlefields and discussing the tactics and weaponry of both sides.

I'm also proud to say I'm in that multimedia production you saw, "The Road to Revolution", as one of the Redcoats at the North Bridge.

Hey, in my job, as I tell the public, esp. when I'm dressed up as a Redcoat, "Hi- I'm from the government- and I'm here to help!"

Quoted: Quoted: Anybody putting their name on the Declaration of Independence would of been doing it at the risk of their own life. If you think this isnt so I dont know what type of dope you are smoking. The remark was made at the time something to the effect that "We all stick together are we will all hang together"   These men did have a lot to loose by signing this document. It is ashamed that there is internet articles that embellish the facts. I will be checking into the history myself on this. Snoops isnt the last word on the History of the US at least where I came from. Go for it. I've checked it out myself, and Snopes is pretty much on the mark. I don't think many of these guys sat through Valley Forge, nor were many at Bunker Hill or Yorktown. Probably the greatest sacrifice by a non-combatant participant would have been the financier Robert Morris, who went utterly bankrupt aiding the Continental cause, and never got a shilling back from Congress*. He lost everything. *Nor did most Continental soldiers. Many never got paid.

You and sitting here now, in this free nation is their payment.  That is what they envisioned.  Freedom is not free and you cannot buy it with money.  

Read the book 1776.  We almost didnt make it that first year.

One pertinent point which everybody has failed to mention yet is that in a revolution there is a BIG difference in what becomes of the ringleaders of the revolution whether you win or loose. When these men signed the Declaration of Independence the chances of actual winning a war with Great Britain looked pretty slim.
  If the revolution would of failed I imagine these signers of the Declaration of Independence futures would of been pretty bleak. Weather they were are at Valley Forge or not mean nothing to myself. These men had property and money and by signing that document risked it all. If anybody can't see the significance of this act I feel sorry for you. Here is the biography of Robert Morris one signer of the document. I would say this man actively supported Washington and his Army. Even with his own money.

www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/morris_r.htm


Robert Morris
1734-1806


Here is the biography of another signer.


Carter Braxton
1736-1797
Representing Virginia at the Continental Congress

Born: September 10, 1736
Birthplace: Newington Plantation, Va.
Education: William and Mary College (Farmer)
Work: Virginia House of Burgesses, 1770-85; Delegate to the Continental Congress, 1774-75; Member, Virginia patriot's Committee of Safety, 1774; Signer of the Declaration of Independence, 1776.
Died: October 10, 1797

Carter Braxton was born of a wealthy family in Newington Plantation Virginia. He lost nearly all of his wealth in the course of the revolution, partly through his support of the Union, and partly through attack by the British forces. He was educated at William and Mary College. He married at age 19, but his wife died about two years after. He then went to England for a little more than two years. In 1760 he returned, married again, and was appointed to represent King William county in the Virginia House of Burgesses. He was in attendance 1765, when Patrick Henry's Stamp Act resolutions agitated the Assembly. In 1769 he joined the "radical" faction of the Burgesses in support of Virginia's sole right to tax inhabitants. When the house was dissolved in 1774 he joined the patriot's Committee of Safety in Virginia, and represented his county in the Virginia Convention. In 1775, upon the sudden death of •Peyton Randolph, Braxton was selected to assume his place in the Continental Congress. He attended two years, after which he returned to Virginia to continue service to the House of Burgesses. During the War, he had loaned £10,000 sterling to support the revolutionary cause. He had also used his wealth to sponsor shipping and privateering during the conflict, the losses from which eventually resulted in debt. He never recovered, and, in 1786, was forced to leave his inherited country estate for simple quarters in Richmond. He died at age 61.
Representing Pennsylvania at the Continental Congress

Born: January 20, 1734
Birthplace: Lancashire, England
Education: Private & Apprenticeship (Merchant)
Work: Delegate to the Continental Congress, 1775, Appointed Special Commissioner of Finance, 1776; Author of the plan for a National Bank, 1781; Financial Agent of the United States, 1781; Delegate to the Pennsylvania Legislature, ca. 1783; Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, 1787; United States Senator, 1789-95; Appointed Secretary of the Treasury, 1789.
Died: May 9, 1806

Portrait of Robert Morris Robert Morris was a man of wealth and integrity in Philadelphia during the revolutionary period. though not a scholar or a soldier, he was to play an essential role in the success of the War against England, and in placing the new United States on a firm footing in the world. Morris, almost single handed, saw to the financing of the Revolutionary War, and the establishment of the Bank of the United States after.

Born in England in 1734, he came to the Chesapeake Bay in 1744 and attended school in Philadelphia. Young Robert, who seemed ill suited to formal education and too quick for his teacher in any case, was soon apprenticed to the counting room of Charles Willing at the age of sixteen. Two years later his employer died and Morris entered a partnership with the gentleman's son. In the succeeding thirty nine years that business flourished, and Robert Morris' wealth and reputation were secured. Being an importer, the business was hit hard by the Stamp Act and the colonial revolt against it. Morris and his partner choose the side of the colonials and Robert engaged in the movements against British rule.

Elected to the Continental Congress in 1775, he participated on many of the committees involved in raising capital and provisions for the Continental Army. Early in 1776, he was given a special commission by congress, with authority to negotiate bills of exchange for, and to solicit money by other means for the operation of the war. One of the most successful such devices were the lotteries. In late 1776, with the Continental Army in a state of severe deprivation because of a shortage of capital and the failure of several of the colonies in paying for the war, Morris loaned $10,000 of his own money to the government. This money provisioned the desperate troops a Valley Forge, who went on to win the Battle of Trenton and turn the course of the war. Throughout the war he personally underwrote the operations of privateers, ships that ran the British Blockades at great risk and thus brought needed supplies and capital into the colonies.

In 1781 he devised a plan for a National Bank and submitted it to Congress. It was approved and became The Bank of North America, an institution that brought stability to the colonial economy, facilitated continued finance of the War effort, and would ultimately establish the credit of the United States with the nations of Europe. Morris was immediately appointed Financial Agent (Secretary of Treasury) of the United States, in order to direct the operation of the new bank.

Following the war, he served in the Pennsylvania Legislature. He was also a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and thereafter an advocate for the new constitution. He was then sent as a Senator for Pennsylvania when that constitution was ratified. In 1789, President Gorge Washington appointed Morris Secretary of the Treasury, but he declined the office and suggested Alexander Hamilton instead. Morris completed his office as Senator and then retired from public service. He never recovered the wealth that he enjoyed before the revolution. What was left of his fortune was soon lost to land speculation in the western part of New York state. He died in 1806, in relative poverty, at the age of seventy three.


Robert Morris
1734-1806
Representing Pennsylvania at the Continental Congress

Born: January 20, 1734
Birthplace: Lancashire, England
Education: Private & Apprenticeship (Merchant)
Work: Delegate to the Continental Congress, 1775, Appointed Special Commissioner of Finance, 1776; Author of the plan for a National Bank, 1781; Financial Agent of the United States, 1781; Delegate to the Pennsylvania Legislature, ca. 1783; Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, 1787; United States Senator, 1789-95; Appointed Secretary of the Treasury, 1789.
Died: May 9, 1806

Portrait of Robert Morris Robert Morris was a man of wealth and integrity in Philadelphia during the revolutionary period. though not a scholar or a soldier, he was to play an essential role in the success of the War against England, and in placing the new United States on a firm footing in the world. Morris, almost single handed, saw to the financing of the Revolutionary War, and the establishment of the Bank of the United States after.

Born in England in 1734, he came to the Chesapeake Bay in 1744 and attended school in Philadelphia. Young Robert, who seemed ill suited to formal education and too quick for his teacher in any case, was soon apprenticed to the counting room of Charles Willing at the age of sixteen. Two years later his employer died and Morris entered a partnership with the gentleman's son. In the succeeding thirty nine years that business flourished, and Robert Morris' wealth and reputation were secured. Being an importer, the business was hit hard by the Stamp Act and the colonial revolt against it. Morris and his partner choose the side of the colonials and Robert engaged in the movements against British rule.

Elected to the Continental Congress in 1775, he participated on many of the committees involved in raising capital and provisions for the Continental Army. Early in 1776, he was given a special commission by congress, with authority to negotiate bills of exchange for, and to solicit money by other means for the operation of the war. One of the most successful such devices were the lotteries. In late 1776, with the Continental Army in a state of severe deprivation because of a shortage of capital and the failure of several of the colonies in paying for the war, Morris loaned $10,000 of his own money to the government. This money provisioned the desperate troops a Valley Forge, who went on to win the Battle of Trenton and turn the course of the war. Throughout the war he personally underwrote the operations of privateers, ships that ran the British Blockades at great risk and thus brought needed supplies and capital into the colonies.

In 1781 he devised a plan for a National Bank and submitted it to Congress. It was approved and became The Bank of North America, an institution that brought stability to the colonial economy, facilitated continued finance of the War effort, and would ultimately establish the credit of the United States with the nations of Europe. Morris was immediately appointed Financial Agent (Secretary of Treasury) of the United States, in order to direct the operation of the new bank.

Following the war, he served in the Pennsylvania Legislature. He was also a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and thereafter an advocate for the new constitution. He was then sent as a Senator for Pennsylvania when that constitution was ratified. In 1789, President Gorge Washington appointed Morris Secretary of the Treasury, but he declined the office and suggested Alexander Hamilton instead. Morris completed his office as Senator and then retired from public service. He never recovered the wealth that he enjoyed before the revolution. What was left of his fortune was soon lost to land speculation in the western part of New York state. He died in 1806, in relative poverty, at the age of seventy three.

OK, we get it. They risked everything they had, more material goods, but not in terms of life or family, than some bumkin farmer.

That doesn't mean that this bullshit story about them needs to keep living on.  You aren't honoring anybody with lies, even ones that make them look good.  The truth is all that is needed.  So stop being so damn defensive.  You posted something that was bs, get over it and move on.

Part of the story was BS. Did I write it-No. Sorry as hell for posting a post which isn't about catching my dick in my zipper last nite or other important topics which get beat into the ground here. I am over it but I didn't want people getting the wrong idea about the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Next History post I post off of the internet will be authenticated better by myself. Some people may think that this doesn't matter because these men died over 200 years ago but it is the heritage of every citizen of the US. Main thing wrong with embellishing facts about important men of our country is that most of the time no rewriting of history is necessary. After posting this article I felt it was my job to try to set the record straight. Sorry I bored you with the details.
  More pissed off at myself for getting stung by a internet article. I have been taught to do better research  
than that.