Philadelphia

We bear witness to a time in our history, when the Constitution of these United States is being disregarded, in the form of judges "legislating from the bench," and academicians in positions of political influence flaunting that disregard. More than three decades ago, this writer took an oath to protect that Constitution. Let what follows be a testament to that oath.

In the years before that sacred document was penned, a group of men met in Philadelphia to list the grievances against their crowned ruler, such that they were left with no choice but to disassociate themselves from allegiance thereto. Those who in the present day would dismiss these men as a wealthy cabal of elitist opportunists, and who would teach such calumny to our children in schools supported by taxation upon our earnings, deny that which is verifiable as the facts of history.

Of the fifty-six men who signed the Declaration of Independence, twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. However lofty their stations in life, these men signed the Declaration, knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

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+    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 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

And now, for a closer look ...

+    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 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 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.

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The pontificating of pundits notwithstanding, history does not forget the above. Neither should those who inherit the fruits of that sacrifice. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:334) God bless America. HOO-rah!

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[H/T to Adrienne's Catholic Corner.]