The Courage of our Forefathers

M

Mikey

New member
I always knew our forefathers had courage, among other things, but I don't guess the reality of it really sank in until now.

I have posted recently trying to re-ignite the enthusiasm for the FOUP USA Today ad. One slightly paranoid member was a little anxious about having his name displayed on the ad - his right to be sure, but it caused me to think.

Over two hundred years ago, a group of men believed it was wrong to be taxed by a government that did not provide them the opportunity for representation. At first they tried to make a statement, somewhat covertly, by exercising some not-so-civil disobedience. When that didn't get the desired result, they wrote their feelings down in a statement, very much the same way we have written ours. They signed their names to it, knowing it was tantamount to a declaration of war against the most powerful nation in the world! They pledged their fortunes and their very lives to the endeavor. What manner of men were these with such courage and clarity of purpose? Where are these men today? Are we not the begotten of our ancestors?

How would these men judge us today if they saw that, when faced with near certain loss of rights they secured for us with their lives, we could not manage to assemble 1000 souls willing to give a mere $50 to voice our own declaration?

This is the last time I will post on this subject. Some will be glad to hear that I'm sure. My name will appear on the ad when it finally runs. Will yours?

Mike Maples
 
Mikey, don't give up on this, yet. We are just beginning to get the ball rolling. Check out my post "...March on DC". The grassroots are starting to swell, and we all need to be a part of it. THAT IS WHAT MADE THOSE FOREFATHERS HEROIC.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>My name will appear on the ad when it finally runs. Will yours?[/quote]

Yup! Mine'll be there too. C'mon guys, we've got to do better than this. For those of you who don't think y'all can afford $50, think about it the next time you plop down that much for a few CD's, or dinner for you and the Mrs., or an afternoon at the range.

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Kelly

Deo Vindice
 
Let's put the courage of our forefathers in context; Remember "Cato's letters"? Much of the debate about revolution, PRIOR to revolution, was conducted using pseudonyms. For much the same reason as many are fearful to go public now: They could have been charged with sedition. (Today people get charged with sedition, on the basis of their having discused revolution, and owning guns at the same time.) They put their names on the Declaration of Independence, only once the decision had been made to revolt. Not to put down their courage; They DID decide to revolt, after all. But at THIS point in the game, they weren't all that public.
 
no one out there is more paranoid than I. my name is on the list. now's the time to either s**t, or get off the pot!!!!

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fiat justitia



[This message has been edited by longhair (edited April 30, 1999).]
 
Thought this a good time to post this again. hope the formatting is OK. Please share with friends and others.

The Price They Paid
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by Garry Hildreth
Erie, Pennsylvania


Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

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 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 Dllery, 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 Washinton 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 I a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot of what happened in the revolutionary war. We didn't just fight the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government! Perhaps you can now see why our founding fathers had a hatred for standing armies, and allowed throught the second amendment for everyone to
be armed.

Best regards, M2
 
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