Every July 4th Americans celebrate a revolutionary document - The Declaration of Independence signed July 4th, 1776.
The Declaration talks about the necessity “to dissolve the political bonds.” About “unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Most radically of all it says “That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, IT IS THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO ALTER OR ABOLISH IT, and to institute new government…”
But some people don’t want us to get that message…
If you go to the Jefferson Memorial you will see that the engraving of the first lines of the Deceleration of Independence leaves out “the consent of the governed.” and our “right to alter or abolish” government…
Then there is this movie reading of the Declaration which closes the door to Independence hall just as we get to that important phrase…
Don’t let the government and the media censor the Declaration of Independence
It’s time to celebrate the Fourth of July for what it really is…
“Right to Alter or Abolish the Government DAY!” A true people’s holiday!
The video below has gone to number one in News & Politics with YouTube has over 200,000 views in less than two days and as of the writing of this post 54 honors.
“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom; go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you.May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”
- Samuel Adams
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 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 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. Heserved 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, Rutledge, 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. 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 me a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot about what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn’t fight just the British.
We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government! Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn’t. So,take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It’s not much to ask for the price they paid.
Remember: Freedom is never free! It’s time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games.
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