Those Who Signed That Declaration

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
We have about arrived at the fourthof July, the Grand American holiday remembering
and celebrating how the country was born. In twenty twenty three, it will
be Independence Day plus two hundred andforty seven. And what will you be
thinking about this Independence Day? JoeBiden, Donald Trump, American veterans,

(00:20):
parades, fireworks, China, Russia, Transsex. It was the late Wally
McNaught, my history teacher at SoutheastHigh School, from whom I first learned
the true meaning of Independence Day.For it was in the remarkable courage of
fifty six men, the signers.Now just who were they? Well,

(00:40):
it was those just fifty six whostarted history's greatest revolution, giving birth to
history's greatest nation. The last lineon the Declaration of Independence, which rests
today for all of us to seein The Smithsonian, authored by Thomas Jefferson,
reads, we mutually pledged to eachother our lives, our fortunes,

(01:00):
and our sacred honor. And thenone by one they signed their names.
What is the condition of sacred honorin America? Today? Would you do
that for our country today? Ithink I would. And then again,
other than my life and my family, I don't have a lot to lose.

(01:21):
They did. Virtually all of themlost four more. Virtually all of
them lost far more than their fortunes. Nine of the fifty six lost of
their lives fighting for it. Seventeenof them lost every penny and every parcel
of property. Would you give upevery penny you have and everything you own

(01:41):
for your country? They did beforethere was anything known as unemployment benefits,
medicaid, federal bailouts, reparations.These fifty six were real people, flesh
and blood, with loving families anddear friends, who built everything they had
with their bare hands. William Elleryof Rhode Island, his entire estate was
burned to the ground by the BritishArmy. Francis Lewis of New York was

(02:05):
destroyed, His wife was captured anddied in a British prison. Philip Livingston
of New York, his signature onthat paper invited the British to seize everything
he had his estate plundered, diedin abject poverty. Just two years after
the war. New Jersey's John Hartsigned the declaration and rushed home to be
by his dying wife's side. Hedidn't make it. The British forced them

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to flee. He never saw heror any of his thirteen children again.
Robert Morris of Pennsylvania gave his entirefortune to finance the war was never repaid.
Thomas Nelson of Virginia lived in Yorktown, which was the war's final battle.
There, the American guns were shellingthe British army positions. When Nelson
noticed that they were sparing his considerablehouse just then, he personally ordered the

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cannon to be trained on its Nelsonwas no less willing to sacrifice than any
of his fellow Virginians. He loanedthe country all of his two million dollar
estate and was never repaid. Allof the members of the South Carolina delegation
were captured by the British at Charleston, beaten, humiliated by them, finally

(03:14):
released to their plantations, only tofind them burned to the ground. John
adams house was looted. Thomas Jeffersonwas forced to flee his home to avoid
capture. Each had committed high treasonagainst King George the Third, which made
them fugitives. It was as ifyou and I were to renounce our citizenship.
We look back now two hundred fortyseven years later, knowing how it

(03:36):
turned out how we won that war. But these men had no premonition.
In fact, their wisdom was loston the reality that it was likely the
British would prevail. The English Empireat that time stretched across two oceans,
enjoyed the greatest army and most robusteconomy on the globe. Yet not a
single one renigged on their pledge tostand in support of the declaration. Not

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one of the fifty six ever recanted, nor did they apologize. It may
be history's greatest test and triumph ofcourage. They gave it all up to
be free and ensure that all whofollowed would too be free.