I never say “Happy 4th”, because I want people to remember what the day is about. Without the courage and sacrifice of our forefathers, we would not have an Independence Day to celebrate. When they declared independence, that had skin in the game. “Of the 56 men who signed the declaration, 12 fought in battles as members of state militias, five were captured and imprisoned during the Revolutionary War, 17 lost property as a result of British raids, and five lost their fortunes in helping fund the Continental Army and state militias battle the redcoats.” [https://nationalinterest.org/blog/declaration-independence-shocking-sacrifices-were-made-by-16838]

When those people signed the “Declaration by the Representatives of the United States of America in General Congress assembled”, they meant it and took an oath to “mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”.

Carl Asszony relates that “Some of the delegates had their homes destroyed, families were forced to separate and hide, and some were treated harshly, as was Richard Stockton of Princeton. He was captured by the British, taken to Perth Amboy to be jailed, then transferred to Provost Prison in New York, where he was intentionally starved and tortured and forced to recant his signing of the declaration. When he gained his freedom, he renewed his oath of loyalty to the struggle for independence.” [https://www.northjersey.com/story/opinion/2021/07/02/july-4-america-mustnt-forget-sacrifices-revolution/7826459002/].

As successive waves of people have given of themselves to preserve our way of life, let us take today to remember those brave souls who signed away their peace and fortunes to give us our country As John Quincy Adams said, “you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it.”

~ Steve