The Flag

[gary mccormick]

Makes me kind of wonder if I have the same courage to take such a stand as
they did.
With so many socialist ideas subtly worming their way into our government
these days, how long will it be before we have to take a stand against our
government  as they did in 1776?
I know this doesn't have anything to do with pianos, but this is, afterall,
the Fourth of July.
Gary McCormick
----- Original Message -----
From: Jon Page <jonpage@mediaone.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2001 10:56 AM
Subject: Re: The Flag


> The 56 Patriots Who Signed
> The Declaration of Independence
>
> REMEMBERING INDEPENDENCE DAY
>
> 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 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.
>
> 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!
>
> ~ Author Unknown ~
>