Give me Liberty…
…or give me death. We mutually pledge, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. The 56 men that ratified and later signed the Declaration of Independence knew that their lives would be in danger, and nearly all of them lost everything they had. Nearly all died within a few years after the signing.
One of the surprises when you read about the signers of the declaration of Independence is how young they were. They ranged in age from 26 to 70, the oldest being Ben Franklin. There were six in their 20’s, 15 in their 30’s, the oldest was Ben Franklin at the age of 70
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The man who penned these words was 33 year old Thomas Jefferson. He had been chosen by the Continental Congress to prepare a document declaring freedom for the 13 colonies.
“We must hang together, or almost surely we will hang separately.” Each signer of the declaration realized it might be his life, or most surely his family and all of his possessions. William Franklin, son of Ben and governor of New Jersey was arrested just prior to the convention in June of 1776, and used as an example by both sides.
Our founding fathers had everything to lose and only freedom to gain. 24 lawyers, nine owners of large plantations, punishment was hanging. Names were kept secret for 6 months. 56 men knew lf they won it would be a strugglea if they lost death. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy farmer, sold his entire holdings to give to the nation. Thomas Keys a wealthy plantation owner, fled to France and left everything. Richard Stockton a prominent New Jersey attorney was dragged from his bed and captured by British loyalists in November 1776. Nathan Hale was a soldier who was captured and hanged as a spy in September of 1776. Five signers were captured by the British as traders and tortured. 12 had their homes burned, two lost their sons in the war, 9 died of hardships suffered during the war.
I think this is something that should be prominently taught in our schools. I don’t remember it being emphasized. Recently we have heard many complaints about our nation. As one friend said, “lf you don’t like it here, I’ll help you pack.” I would like to see students or groups of students write stories of our country, the early wild west, or the first train robbery which took place in Indiana.
Was the document a single sheet of paper? When I was a lad the freedom train stopped in Fort Wayne and we stood in line for hours to walk through it. I probably saw the original copy.
Does Mrs Google remember the Freedom Train? She says I would have been 10 years old. I remember it was a beautiful diesel with the engine and all the cars painted white with red and blue stripes. If anyone remembers seeing it please let me know.
—James Neuhouser
