249 years ago, 56 men signed on the dotted line. This Declaration of Independence would put those men in jeopardy. If caught they could get hanged. All of them had families.. Took a lot of guts to do what they did. Twelve signers had their houses ransacked and burnt to the ground. Five of them were captured. They were eventually released or exchanged in prisoner swaps with the British.
Robert Morris was a wealthy merchant who helped finance the war. After the war he went into real estate which led to his downfall and dying in poverty. James Wilson would spend some time in debtors prison. Carter Braxton was s planter & trader. His ships were harresed by the British constantly. He also dies in poverty. Thomas McKean was constantly hounded by the British and was forced to move his family on a regular basis. A lot of his things were taken from him and he too dies in poverty. Ellery, Hall, Walton, Clever, Guinness, Hayward, Rutledge & Middleton. The Brits and Torries loot their properties
Thomas Nelson Jr, he urged G Washington to open fire on his house at Yorktown, that was occupied by Cornwalis. His house burnt to the ground. He dies in poverty too. Francis Lewis, his home and grounds are destroyed. His wife is put in jail and she dies a couple months later. And now on to the saddest fate of all. John Hart. He is driven from his dying wife's bedside. Their 13 kids are scattered as his homestead is laid waste. On the run for more than a year, iving in the woods and caves. He returns home to no kids or wife. He dies frwom exhaustion 2 weeks later.
Other signers were B Franrklin, B Harrison, T Jefferson, Francis Lightfoot Lee, J Hancock, Adams and Samuel Adams.t
I'm surprised that none of the richer signers helped the other signers when they struggled. After all they were all in it together. The US didn't help them either.
Was it worth it? Only those who signed can tell you. Alot of these men lost everything. But their sacrifice created the United States. It would go on to combat evil in the world. Think on these men who lost everything. This is their day.
