{"id": "<a href="https://primal.net/e/note1zlvdhugghrvegh6c2qfcy8zzghuxq96wf50tk5j7k0qr8xzu3t7sqrkzgg">17d8dbf108b8d9945f585013821c4245f860174e4d1ebb525eb3c033985c8afd</a>", "pubkey": "c9dd2f54ad27e1975436d9789117d760d76d45c923f0902b05432a5f440aa5db", "created_at": 1751748297, "kind": 1, "tags": [], "content": "56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. nnWhat kind of men were they? nn24 were lawyers and jurists, 11 were merchants, 9 were farmers and large plantation owners. Men of means, well educated, and they signed the Declaration of independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.nnCarton 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 off his debts and he died in rags. He was one of the signers.nnThomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward. nnBritish soldiers looted the properties of Ellery, Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge and Middleton.nnAt the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr. noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. The owner quietly urged General George Washington to open fire, which was done. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.nnFrancis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The British jailed his wife, and soon after she died. nnJohn Hart was driven from his wifeu2019s bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his grist mill were laid waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home after the war to find his wife dead, his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion. nn7 signers were caught and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned, two lost their sons in the revolutionary army, another had 2 sons captured, nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardship. nnThis was the price of being a signer. They get criticized today as men of privilege or multiple other reasons because of their times. nnThey were mainly wealthy individuals and still put their privilege to service. They put their wealth to the service of others. Every single one of them put their lives on the line for the hope and the dream that is America. nnFor the hope and the fight for something called liberty. They risked their lives and it cost them their lives. ", "sig": "3446dba4484cd5c4a9c578b07e1d64ca011808fff5b9b4284623a3afbef13136d205b3803cc6ada669e71fc152d88e880564fb6d67d2262cc9882f5a5394f8b1"}