Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed our Declaration of Independence from the British Empire?

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 formed to fight for our freedom.
Another had two sons captured and hanged.
Nine of these 56 patriots fought and died from their wounds or from hardships of the Revolutionary War.

These 56 men signed, and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to be free of Britain, and they meant it.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.
Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners.
These were men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that their penalty would be death or ruin 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 following the signing that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.
He served in the Continental Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were confiscated, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of these eight patriots: 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 British jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside while she was gravely ill. 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.

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 these 56 men paid. Remember:   Freedom is never free!

I hope you will show your support for our freedoms by sending this to as many people as you can. It's time we get the word out that our culture values patriotism and honor. The Fourth of July represents more than beer, picnics, watermelon and baseball.