Have you ever truly grasped the cost of signing the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were seized by the British and died after brutal torture.
Twelve had their homes plundered and incinerated.
Two lost their sons to the Revolutionary Army, while another saw both his sons captured.

Nine signers fought and succumbed to the hardships and wounds of the war. These men signed away their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor for an uncertain future of liberty.

Who were these courageous individuals? They weren’t radicals or rabble-rousers. Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants. Nine were wealthy farmers and plantation owners.

They were men of education and means, but they willingly risked everything.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a prosperous planter and trader, witnessed his fleet decimated by the British navy. Left destitute, he sold his home and properties to cover debts and died in poverty.

Thomas McKeam was relentlessly pursued by the British, forcing his family into a constant state of flight. He served in Congress without compensation, his belongings confiscated, and was left in penury.

Men like Ellery, Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Rutledge, and Middleton saw their properties ravaged.

Thomas Nelson Jr., seeing British General Cornwallis using his home as a headquarters, urged George Washington to open fire, leading to the destruction of his estate and his eventual death in bankruptcy.

Francis Lewis's estate was demolished, his wife imprisoned, and dead within months.

John Hart was driven from his dying wife’s side, his thirteen children in flight, his fields and mill destroyed. He hid in forests and caves for over a year, returning home to find his wife dead and children vanished, dying shortly after from exhaustion and sorrow. Norris and Livingston faced similar tragedies.

These men weren’t seeking fame or fortune. They stood for a principle, believing liberty was worth more than their own security. They embodied resolve, pledging to one another: “For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”

This Independence Day, remember their sacrifice—not as a distant historical fact, but as a vivid testament to the price of freedom.