June 25, 2009
Why Celebrate the 4th
of July?
In
a few days we will celebrate the Fourth of July with cookouts and fireworks. This
is a good time to be reminded of the importance of this holiday to the course
of human history. It was on that day 233
years ago that the 13 American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain.
Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence, one of the greatest
documents in the long struggle of mankind for freedom from oppressive
government. Many people believe that
this document is the philosophical ground work for the Constitution which was
later adopted.
The
Declaration contained these words that made it far more than just another
political document:
"We
hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they
are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these
are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That, to secure these rights,
governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the
consent of the governed; that, whenever any form of government becomes
destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish
it, and to institute a new government, laying its foundation on such
principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most
likely to effect their safety and happiness."
The
ideas expressed in the Declaration were not new. Indeed, they had been
expressed by British philosophers such as John Locke, and similar sentiments
had been used in Britain
to justify rebellion against King James II in 1688. But Jefferson's words
struck a chord across America,
and across the world; they still reverberate today.
Fifty-six
American leaders in the Continental Congress stepped forward to sign the final
document, at enormous personal risk. Many Americans today have no idea of the
great sacrifices that were made by the Founders to win our freedom. What
happened to the signers?
Five
signers were captured by the British and brutally tortured as traitors. Nine
fought in the War for Independence
and died from wounds or from hardships they suffered. Two lost their sons in
the Continental Army. Another two had sons captured. At least a dozen of the
fifty-six had their homes pillaged and burned.
What
kind of men were they? Twenty-five were lawyers or jurists. Eleven were
merchants. Nine were farmers or large plantation owners. One was a teacher, one
a musician, and one a printer. These were men of means and education, yet they
signed the Declaration of Independence, knowing full well that the penalty
could be death if they were captured.
In
the face of the advancing British Army, the Continental Congress fled from Philadelphia to Baltimore
on December 12, 1776. It was an especially anxious time for John Hancock, the
President, as his wife had just given birth to a baby girl. Due to the
complications stemming from the trip to Baltimore,
the child lived only a few months.
Richard
Stockton, a New Jersey State Supreme Court Justice, had rushed back to his estate
near Princeton after signing the Declaration
of Independence to find that his wife and children were living like refugees
with friends. They had been betrayed by a Tory sympathizer who also revealed Stockton's own
whereabouts. British troops pulled him from his bed one night, beat him and
threw him in jail where he almost starved to death. When he was finally
released, he went home to find his estate had been looted, his possessions
burned, and his horses stolen. Judge Stockton had been so badly treated in
prison that his health was ruined and he died before the war's end. His
surviving family had to live the remainder of their lives off charity.
Carter
Braxton was a wealthy planter and trader. One by one his ships were captured by
the British navy. He loaned a large sum of money to the American cause; it was
never paid back. He was forced to sell his plantations and mortgage his other
properties to pay his debts.
Thomas
Heyward, Jr., Edward Rutledge and Arthur Middleton, all of South Carolina, were captured by the British
during the Charleston Campaign in 1780. They were kept in dungeons at the St.
Augustine Prison until exchanged a year later.
At
the Battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr. noted that the British General
Cornwallis had taken over the family home for his headquarters. Nelson urged
General George Washington to open fire on his own home. This was done, and the
home was destroyed. Nelson later died broke.
"Honest
John" Hart, a New Jersey
farmer, had to leave his wife's bedside when she was near death. Their thirteen
children fled for their lives. Hart's fields and his grist mill were laid
waste. For over a year he eluded capture by hiding in nearby forests. He never
knew where his bed would be the next night and often slept in caves. When he
finally returned home, he found that his wife had died, his children
disappeared, and his farm and stock were completely destroyed. Hart himself
died in 1779 without ever seeing any of his family again.
Such
were the stories and sacrifices typical of those who risked everything to sign
the Declaration of Independence. These men 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 a firm reliance on the protection of the
Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes,
and our sacred honor."
We
Americans should be inspired by the boldness and courage of these founding
fathers. With all the challenges of
their day, they resolved that human liberty was of the highest importance and
they committed their lives accordingly. We
will continue to be blessed by God if we as a nation continue to be guided by
these same principles of individual freedom and liberty. For other stories of these patriots you can go
to http://nhccs.org/Destiny.html.
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