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Have you ever wondered what happened to those men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

THE PRICE THEY PAID

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Continental Army. Another had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six signers fought and died from wounds or the hardships of the American Revolution.

What kind of men were they?

24 were lawyers or jurists
11 were merchants
9 were farmers or large plantation owners

These were men of means and education. Yet they signed the Declaration of Independence, knowing full well that the penalty could be death if they were captured.

When these courageous men signed, they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to the cause of freedom and independence.

Carter Braxton was a wealthy planter and trader. One by one his ships were captured by the British navy. He was forced to sell his plantations and mortgage his properties to pay his mounting debts. His remaining estate was finally seized by his creditors.

Thomas McKean was so hounded by the British that he had to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Continental Congress without pay, and kept his family in hiding.

Vandals or soldiers or both looted the properties of Ellery, Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Rutledge and Middleton.

At the Battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr. noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the family home for his headquarters. Nelson urged General George Washington to open fire on his own home. This was done, and the home was destroyed. Nelson later died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis also had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few minutes.

"Honest John" Hart was driven from his wife's bedside when she was near death. Their thirteen children fled for their lives. Hart's fields and his grist mill were laid waste. While eluding capture, he never knew where his bed would be the next night. He often slept in forest and caves. When he returned home in December 1777, he found that his wife had died, and his children had vanished.

Such are the stories and sacrifices typical of those who risked everything to sign The Declaration of Independence. These men 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 a firm reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

Character Does Count!

Submitted by Member Casie Fratt:
Did you know that the term "separation of church and state" did not enter any legal documents until 1947? The Supreme Court used the term in a decision for the first time in 1947. They found the term in a letter that Thomas Jefferson had written to the Baptist church. The letter was not a legal document but a personal letter. He used the term because he did not feel that the country needed a "national" church. He never intended that the state should operate without looking to God.