Phoenix
More trivia from Smarty . . .
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
Five were captured by the British as traitors and were 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. They signed and 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.
Most were men of means and well educated.
All signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty for doing so 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. His 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 gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home only to find his wife dead and his children vanished.
Some of us take our liberties for granted, but we should not – we must not!
I urge you to take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday to silently thank these patriots and to pray for our nation.
We all know that Independence Day is more than picnics, beer and baseball. But we must never forget that freedom is never free and the price of our freedom is eternal vigilance!
Warm Regards
Smarty1101
The Story of Independence Day
and America's Birthday
Independence Day is the national holiday of the United States of America, commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
At the time of the signing, the U.S. consisted of 13 colonies under the rule of England's King George III. There was growing unrest in the colonies concerning the taxes that had to be paid to England. This was commonly referred to as "Taxation without Representation" because the colonists did not have any representation in the English Parliament and had no say in what went on. As the unrest grew in the colonies, King George sent extra troops to help control any rebellion. In 1774 the 13 colonies sent delegates to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to form the First Continental Congress. The delegates were unhappy with England, but were not yet ready to declare war.
In April 1775, as the King's troops advanced on Concord, Massachusetts, Paul Revere would sound the alarm that "The British are coming, the British are coming" as he rode his horse through the late-night streets. The battle of Concord and its "shot heard round the world" would mark the unofficial beginning of the colonies war for Independence.
The following May, the colonies again sent delegates to the Second Continental Congress. For almost a year the congress tried to work out its differences with England, again without formally declaring war.
By June 1776 their efforts had become hopeless and a committee was formed to compose a formal declaration of independence. Headed by Thomas Jefferson, the committee included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Philip Livingston and Roger Sherman. Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write the first draft which was presented to the congress on June 28. After various changes a vote was taken late in the afternoon of July 4th. Of the 13 colonies, nine voted in favor of the Declaration. Two of these (Pennsylvania and South Carolina) voted No, Delaware undecided and New York abstained.
To make it official, John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence. It is said that John Hancock signed his name "with a great flourish" so "King George can read that without spectacles!"
The following day, copies of the Declaration were distributed. The first newspaper to print the Declaration was the Pennsylvania Evening Post on July 6, 1776. On July 8th, the Declaration had its first public reading in Philadelphia's Independence Square. Twice that day the Declaration was read to cheering crowds and pealing church bells. Even the bell in Independence Hall was rung. The "Province Bell" would later be renamed "Liberty Bell" after its inscription, "Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants Thereof."
And although the signing of the Declaration was not completed until August, the 4th of July has been accepted as the official anniversary of United States independence. The first Independence Day celebration took place the following year - July 4 1777. By the early 1800s the traditions of parades, picnics and fireworks were established as the way to celebrate America's birthday. And although fireworks have been banned in most places because of their danger, most towns and cities usually have big firework displays for all to see and enjoy.
I hope I got it correct.
Happy 4th, everyone!
Hugs,
Ciara
Great post. Something we should be reminded of each year so as to continue to appreciate this wonderful country. Thanks for the history lesson,parts of which I am sure we have all forgotton over the years.
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
Five were captured by the British as traitors and were 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. They signed and 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.
Most were men of means and well educated.
All signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty for doing so 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. His 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 gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home only to find his wife dead and his children vanished.
Some of us take our liberties for granted, but we should not – we must not!
I urge you to take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday to silently thank these patriots and to pray for our nation.
We all know that Independence Day is more than picnics, beer and baseball. But we must never forget that freedom is never free and the price of our freedom is eternal vigilance!
Warm Regards
Smarty1101
Take a look at www.snopes.com -- you'll see that your info, while inspiring, is not all that accurate. The email you copied that from has been going around the 'net for about 8 years...
Thought it was interesting but thank you for pointing that out to me.
Hugs,
ciara
What makes you think that snoops.com is that accurate ?
Thank You
2007=27
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