The Fourth of July is one of the most significant holidays in American history. It was on that day, in 1776, that the 13 American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence, one of the greatest documents in the long struggle of mankind for freedom from oppressive government.
The Declaration contained these words that made it more than just another political document:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness."
The ideas in the Declaration were not new. Indeed, they had been expressed by British thinkers such as John Locke, and similar sentiments had been used in Britain to justify rebellion against King James II in 1688. But Jefferson's words struck a chord across America, and across the world; they still reverberate today.
Fifty-six American leaders in the Continental Congress stepped forward to sign the final document, at enormous personal risk.
Tragically, many Americans today have no idea of the great sacrifices that were made by the Founders to win their freedom.
What Happened to the Signers?
Five signers were captured by the British and brutally tortured as traitors. Nine fought in the War for Independence and died from wounds or from hardships they suffered. Two lost their sons in the Continental Army. Another two had sons captured. At least a dozen of the fifty-six had their homes pillaged and burned.
What kind of men were they? Twenty-five were lawyers or jurists. Eleven were merchants. Nine were farmers or large plantation owners. One was a teacher, one a musician, and one a printer. 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.
In the face of the advancing British Army, the Continental Congress fled from Philadelphia to Baltimore on December 12, 1776. It was an especially anxious time for John Hancock, the President, as his wife had just given birth to a baby girl. Due to the complications stemming from the trip to Baltimore, the child lived only a few months.
William Ellery's signing at the risk of his fortune proved only too realistic. In December 1776, during three days of British occupation of Newport, Rhode Island, Ellery's house was burned, and all his property destroyed.
Richard Stockton, a New Jersey State Supreme Court Justice, had rushed back to his estate near Princeton after signing the Declaration of Independence to find that his wife and children were living like refugees with friends. They had been betrayed by a Tory sympathizer who also revealed Stockton's own whereabouts. British troops pulled him from his bed one night, beat him and threw him in jail where he almost starved to death. When he was finally released, he went home to find his estate had been looted, his possessions burned, and his horses stolen. Judge Stockton had been so badly treated in prison that his health was ruined and he died before the war's end. His surviving family had to live the remainder of their lives off charity.
Carter Braxton was a wealthy planter and trader. One by one his ships were captured by the British navy. He loaned a large sum of money to the American cause; it was never paid back. He was forced to sell his plantations and mortgage his other properties to pay his debts.
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 Clymer, Hall, Harrison, Hopkinson and Livingston. Seventeen lost everything they owned.
Thomas Heyward, Jr., Edward Rutledge and Arthur Middleton, all of South Carolina, were captured by the British during the Charleston Campaign in 1780. They were kept in dungeons at the St. Augustine Prison until exchanged a year later.
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 British jailed his wife for two months, and that and other hardships from the war so affected her health that she died only two years later.
"Honest John" Hart, a New Jersey farmer, 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. For over a year he eluded capture by hiding in nearby forests. He never knew where his bed would be the next night and often slept in caves. When he finally returned home, he found that his wife had died, his children disappeared, and his farm and stock were completely destroyed. Hart himself died in 1779 without ever seeing any of his family again.
Such were 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."
What an incredible story! Remember these men and their sacrifices as you celebrate this Fourth of July.
The above, author unknown, circulated around the Internet over the Fourth of July weekend, 1998. The tale it tells certainly makes one realize the great importance in standing up for one's own rights, and the rights of others, despite the cost.
Sadly, at least half of the Declaration's signers would face discrimination in America today because they have long hair. Marks above show those whose hair falls well over their collars, and some of them have ponytails. Quite a few of those that are not even marked have hair completely covering their ears. Signer "A" has hair falling well below his shoulders on both sides of his neck, and signer "B" has a long ponytail tied with a bow. This larger image (349k) will show all of this better, though with a high-powered magnifying glass on an actual bill, the long hair on these men is unmistakable.
What would these men, who gave so much, feel were they to learn the system they established would someday install judges who felt it acceptable to discriminate against so many of them? What an affront to their Creator, and His endowment of the rights of liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!
In Sunday School we learned of another Longhair who gave even more than many of these men. One can assume He would be even more displeased....