Project Appleseed

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence 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 swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown , Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters.

He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.    The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots.

It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

   Remember: "freedom is never free!" Vote, pray, learn to shoot...

ATTEND A APPLESEED!!

http://www.snopes.com/history/american/pricepaid.asp

..I live a few blocks away from Francis Lewis Boulvard in Queens, NY....God I love American History...It streches the whole Borough of Queens from north to south, it has to be about 15 miles long...Was always fascinated with that connection to 1776...

 BTT. This is the weekend to use this in your speech.

snopes is a site that researches many internet rumors and chain letters and urban legends. In general, snopes has been accurate in debunking hearsay. According to snopes, much of the original post is wrong. I would not use the original post as an ad for Appleseed.

Quote from: redman1 on July 05, 2009, 08:59:21 PM
http://www.snopes.com/history/american/pricepaid.asp

Here is something that I had found some years back, but I regret that I can not remember the source. It is on as an attachment !

Here is a copy of  NewMoe's file in a PDF format so it is easier for all to read.

What happened to those signers?  Here it is in video.

Who were they?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYc4H7TVo-c&feature=related

What happened to them?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MC37aIRX5c

and the late Paul Harvey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPj82rBmIOE

i think we could get a little more mileage out of this thread 

yesterday , i handed a laminated copy of this to an IIT (gratefull dog) and asked him to see what he could do with it.
he took a couple of minutes and when ready we called a water break and had them center up.

before he got to the end ,he was nearly ,possibly in tears ,reading what they all went through for signing (america's birth certificate)
I got the same emotion and think other did too.

i finished by raising my hand and saying in a loud voice ,something like" this is what they went through.  raise your hand if you think they would want you to at least read it . im sure most if not all hands went up .

total time - maybe 3 minutes .

anyone else use this?
As always ,your comments and observations are MOST welcome 

Quote from: Johnnyappleseed on February 20, 2012, 11:54:25 AM
i think we could get a little more mileage out of this thread 

yesterday , i handed a laminated copy of this to an IIT (gratefull dog) and asked him to see what he could do with it.
he took a couple of minutes and when ready we called a water break and had them center up.

before he got to the end ,he was nearly ,possibly in tears ,reading what they all went through for signing (america's birth certificate)
I got the same emotion and think other did too.

i finished by raising my hand and saying in a loud voice ,something like" this is what they went through.  raise your hand if you think they would want you to at least read it . im sure most if not all hands went up .

total time - maybe 3 minutes .

anyone else use this?
As always ,your comments and observations are MOST welcome 

I agree JAS and will test drive it at my June AS at my home club. It sounds like a great response should be the result

Fellow 'Seeders,
   As backup/additional information on The Fifty-Six, I highly recommend the following 2009 publication:
Signing Their Lives Away:  the Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence,
by Denise Kiernan and Joseph D'Agnese, ISBN 978-1-59474-330-6, @ $19.95 list.
  Examples (and won't run into Snopes' myths from these folks):
George Wythe was poisoned by his nephew; Button Gwinnett was killed in a duel;  Robert Morris went to prison; Thomas Lynch was lost at sea...52 to go...Book is done by state (e.g. state with largest number of signers...Penn w. 9...smallest number ...RI w. 2).
   These two published authors live in North Carolina.  Strongly suggest someone down there reach out and invited them, as Guest of Appleseed, to attend a weekend...
Excelsior,
madMark

Quote from: nyrasgt on February 20, 2012, 05:41:05 PM
Fellow 'Seeders,
   As backup/additional information on The Fifty-Six, I highly recommend the following 2009 publication:
Signing Their Lives Away:  the Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence,
by Denise Kiernan and Joseph D'Agnese, ISBN 978-1-59474-330-6, @ $19.95 list.
  Examples (and won't run into Snopes' myths from these folks):
George Wythe was poisoned by his nephew; Button Gwinnett was killed in a duel;  Robert Morris went to prison; Thomas Lynch was lost at sea...52 to go...Book is done by state (e.g. state with largest number of signers...Penn w. 9...smallest number ...RI w. 2).
   These two published authors live in North Carolina.  Strongly suggest someone down there reach out and invited them, as Guest of Appleseed, to attend a weekend...
Excelsior,
madMark

Thanx for the above info . I can see several uses for more 2-3 minute breaks while  mag prepping etc .
Possibly another laminated sheet where attendee's read one quote or one person  each, and pass it on to the next, until all the  folks have been honored .