Friday, July 03, 2015

4th of July 2015

Freedom is Never Free!

Good morning my fellow Rotarians.  Let me share some thoughts about our upcoming Independence Day holiday. 

You may have heard this before, but freedom is never free!  Consider the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence and what happened to them in the following months:

§  Five were captured by the British as traitors and tortured before they died.
§  Twelve had their homes ransacked and destroyed by fire.
§  Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; two others’ sons were captured.
§  Nine fought and died from wounds or hardships of the war.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.  What kind of men were they?

Well, 24 were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants and business owners; nine were farmers and plantation owners. They signed the Declaration 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 and his shipping company burned and destroyed by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in penniless.

Vandals or soldiers looted many of their properties.  Others had their homes taken over to be British headquarters and when they were done, the homes were destroyed and their families were imprisoned and torn apart.  Most of those men died bankrupt.

These are true stories about the men of the American Revolution. They were well educated and they had their security, but they valued their liberty and freedom more.  Here was their pledge…

"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 us a free and independent America. During the Revolutionary War we didn't fight just the British. We were British subjects at that time and therefore we fought our own government!

Some today take our liberties for granted and many don’t realize we owe a debt of gratitude to the patriots who came before us. So, it’s not just another “holiday weekend” at the beach.  The 4th is a holiday with a true purpose.

This is the best weekend of the summer in my opinion.  We have a local Freedom Festival, time to spend with family, picnics, ball games, awesome fireworks and more.  At some point I'd like to suggest that you pause to reflect on the history, struggle, sacrifice and significance behind your celebration.  Tell your kids and grandkids about this.  Unfortunately, many are not learning about this holiday anymore in our schools. 

I am very grateful we have an “Independence Day” in America and for those patriots who went before us.  Remember, freedom is never free!  And this is our news on this Friday, July 3, 2015.   

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