On this Independence Day, as Americans celebrate their freedom with parades, parties and fireworks, we should pause to honor and remember the many "Founding Fathers" (and Mothers) who made it possible. We all know the stories of the most famous leaders of that momentous era - Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and John/Abigail Adams will be remembered for time immemorial. Yet the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence in the summer of 1776 could not have known just how successful their effort would be.
Rather, all they knew was that they had committed High Treason against Great Britain and their sovereign, King George the 3rd, by signing their name to a document that renounced their allegiance to their mother country."We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor" is Jefferson's final sentence; for over 20 of the signers, that pledge would take on a woeful meaning in the years after 1776.
9 signers paid the ultimate sacrifice - their lives - for the cause of Independence. 17 (almost 1 for every 3 who signed) lost every penny they had and every piece of property they owned. Yet not a single one reneged on their pledge to stand "for the support of this Declaration".
