“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 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 or both, looted the properties of Ellery, Clymer, Hall, 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. The owner 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.’” Michael W Smith
@TRHLofficial And Trump and the Jan 6ers tried to undo all of it.
"Out of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, 41 of them owned slaves at some point in their lives. Here is a list of the slave-owning signers, organized by their respective colonies: Connecticut: Oliver Wolcott Delaware: George Read, Thomas McKean Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton Maryland: Samuel Chase, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll Massachusetts: John Hancock New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark New York: Lewis Morris, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn Pennsylvania: Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, George Clymer, James Wilson, George Ross Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward Jr., Thomas Lynch Jr., Arthur Middleton Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton, George Washington, and James Madison" (and shit i love america but quit worshipping people without complete context like damn)
@TRHLofficial “They had security, but they valued liberty more.” 💥
@TRHLofficial I thank them for their bravery & courage. Reminds me of #trump and what he’s going through. In this day and age, our federal government is the British. Trump represents the spirit, fight, courage of the founding fathers.
@TRHLofficial And here I am worried about which mustard to put on my hot dog. Grateful is not a strong enough sentiment!
@TRHLofficial No one ever said this would be easy, thank god some had the strength to sign and fight for what the believe in.
@TRHLofficial Perfect post for today. Thank you.
@TRHLofficial @kawasook You expounded on what I went over in this morning’s article on my blog 😎 regularguyguns.com/2023/07/04/Ind…
@TRHLofficial @mariamcbean Pledges and Oaths actually meant something in that era.