Quotations
for the Fourth of July
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. - Thomas Jefferson (Declaration of Independence)
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. - The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves and under a just God cannot long retain it. - Abraham Lincoln
The 4th of July
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 un-wavering, 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!