Happy 4th of July

by | Jul 4, 2015 | Jim's Take on the Market | 4 comments

Hat tip to daytrip for sending in these visitors to San Diego responding to 4th of July questions (they have to be from out of town, right?):


4 Comments

  1. Jim the Realtor
    Jim the Realtor on July 4, 2015 at 7:43 am

    The 4th of July!!

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

    Their story. . 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 plantation (farmers)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 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 was tortured and 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.

    So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these great patriots. It’s not much to ask for the price they paid. Remember: freedom is never free!

  2. Eddie89
    Eddie89 on July 6, 2015 at 10:11 am

    Indeed. And they left us a great legacy. To make this republic better than any had been before. And 239 years later, much progress has been made and more work is still left to be done.

    To ensure that “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is guaranteed to all. Regardless of any differentiating human characteristic or belief or lack thereof.

    Equal justice under the law.

    So sad that so many people were unable to answer these questions.

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