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!

  I hope you will show your support by please sending this to as many
  people as you can. It's time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT
  a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and
  baseball  games.

  HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY TO ALL OF YOU !!!!!