Honoring Sacrifice

In an age when personal sacrifice has become relative and trifling, where we more often than not define ourselves by what we are entitled to instead of what we are willing to give, it is useful to remember what our ancestors willingly endured so that we may enjoy the blessings of liberty and freedom today.

On this 4^th of July we remember.

“And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”

That promise, daunting and consequential, was made by 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence.

It must have seemed absurd at the time.  13 mostly agrarian colonies, spread out over a 1,300 miles, declaring independence from the most powerful empire in history; a super power of its day.

As the delegates met in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776, the British had gathered the largest concentration of military power yet seen in North America just off the coast of New York. Tens of thousands of troops and hundreds of ships prepared to give George Washingtons Continental Army a taste of what highly trained and experienced European soldiers were capable of.

Moreover, the signing of the Declaration ironically marked the beginning of one of the darkest chapters of the Revolution; a time where Washington was routed from New York and chased across New Jersey into Pennsylvania, losing 90 percent of his army in the process, leaving the British within sight of Philadelphia.

It was only through military daring, and perhaps Divine providence, that saved the Revolution with Washingtons famous Delaware crossing and Christmas attack on the Germans at Trenton, that gave renewed hope to the Cause.

It took eight years for America to achieve its independence. The sacrifices to achieve it were real.

50,000 Americans were killed in battle, died of disease or were wounded in those eight years, representing 2% of the population.  Only the Civil War was more costly as a total percentage of the population among the nations wars. The physical destruction caused by war stretched the length of the new nation.

The Continental Congress approved $37 million for the war; the states an additional $114 million, most of it ultimately guaranteed by foreign powers. Combined, that would equal more than $4 billion in todays dollars, a staggering burden for a new country.

Of the original signers, many did indeed lose everything.

Robert Morris of NY, a wealthy financier who was pivotal in providing money for the Continental Army, died in poverty in 1806.  Lewis Morris, also of NY, lost all his property and wealth in NY as a result of the war. Arthur Middleton of South Carolina was captured by the British in 1781.  In poor health from his year-long imprisonment, he had lost his entire fortune and died in 1787 at the age of 45.

There were other notable facts from that historic date in our history.

9 of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence also served as delegates to the Convention eleven years later in 1787 that would ratify the Constitution.

Among the signers of the Declaration were two future presidents, John Adams of Massachusetts and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. It also included two grandfathers of future presidents; John Adams and Benjamin Harrison of Virginia.

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on the same day, only hours apart, July 4, 1826. Charles Carroll of Maryland was the last of the 56 signers to die, in 1832, at the age of 95.

At 70, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania was the oldest to sign the Declaration of Independence.  At 27, Edward Rutledge of South Carolina was the youngest.  Both would attend the Constitutional Convention. Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the Declaration, was only 33.

Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts later went on to become governor. He was harshly criticized for redistricting his State in 1811 to the advantage of Jeffersons Democratic-Republican Party. His efforts resulted in the phrase, gerrymandering.

Richard Stockton of New Jersey was the single exception among those who took the solemn pledge made in the Declaration.  Captured and imprisoned by the British in November 1776, he later recanted his call for independence and swore allegiance to King George in return for a pardon and release.  He later lost all his property and wealth and died a pauper at 51.

These are but a flavor of the many stories of our Revolution and War for Independence deserving notice.

So as you fire up the grill and watch the fireworks, take a moment to remember the very unique men who bet all they had, including their lives, to challenge an empire and birth a Republic; the men gathered in Philadelphia, but also the citizen-soldiers who fought, mostly against great odds, to make the promise of the independence real.

We collectively owe the signers a large debt of gratitude for the risks they took, but also the wisdom they committed to paper that has survived the ages to become a philosophical cornerstone in political rights, liberty and freedom round the world; a document that ultimately launched a new experiment in governance that has withstood the tests of time.

For that, we all have reason to be proud today.