Thread: What happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of In

http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/4 ... og-103248/

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.

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!

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

In case you are unaware of what this torture included, traitors to the Crown of England were castrated, then disemboweled before being finally dispatched by the Crown.

Their bodies were often displayed in public town squares to terrorize patriots.

The account is actually riddled with errors the one thing which is generally true is that they were not in it for money and would have been better off financially had they not become involved. However they were men of conscience. Hancock seems to have gotten involved because he lost money as a result of the British.


Read this article on it from Snopes

http://www.snopes.com/history/american/pricepaid.asp

Originally Posted by Richard

The account is actually riddled with errors ..

There are too many individual accounts listed to 'correct' each one, but does a single one stand out you would like to 'correct' (if you feel they are in error)?

Also, would these men have sacrificed the way they did if they knew the border of the nation they died to establish would one day be left unguarded the way it is today?