Mike Parker: Declaration signers placed themselves in jeopardy

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we are often so caught up in the document itself that we overlook the 56 people who signed it. While the Declaration itself is worthy of more consideration than we ever give it, we need to consider the men who placed themselves and their families at risk in signing the document.

What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners. Nearly all were men of means and well-educated. They signed the Declaration of Independence fully knowing that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

What happened to those who signed the declaration? 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 in the Revolutionary Army, and another had two sons captured by the British. Nine of the 56 signers fought and died from wounds or the hardships of the Revolutionary War.

Let’s begin with North Carolina’s signers who paid the price fulfilling their pledge of their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor.”

Joseph Hewes of North Carolina served as a member of the Continental Congress after signing the Declaration. Before his death in 1779, he worked to help build the Continental Navy and to organize other wartime infrastructure. Hewes donated his personal fleet of merchant ships for use by Patriot armed forces.

William Hooper of North Carolina served as a state legislator and judge in North Carolina after working in the Continental Congress. Hooper suffered financially because of the war. The British damaged much of his property. The British also burned his home and plantation. He died in 1790.

Carter Braxton of Virginia was a plantation owner who fell into financial ruin after the war because he was saddled with large amounts of debt generated by supporting the Patriot cause. He was able to retain his home despite the efforts of debt collectors.

The British destroyed many of his farms during the fighting, and his other land and business investments failed during the conflict and in the wake the economic collapse that came after the war ended. He died in 1797.

Thomas Nelson Jr. of Virginia personally financed the war effort in Virginia before becoming Governor of the state in 1781. He urged Gen. George Washington to fire on his own home during the Siege of Yorktown because the British were using his home as a base. He suffered significant financial loss due to the war, in part due to damage done to his family plantations. He died in 1789.

Thomas Heyward Jr. of South Carolina was captured by the British during the Siege of Charleston. Heyward Jr. was held as a prisoner of war until 1781. In the meantime, his plantations in his home state were ransacked. After being released as a POW, he resumed civic life as a judge and legislator in South Carolina. He died in 1809.

Arthur Middleton of South Carolina had been a member of the colonial elite and was heavily involved in South Carolina politics. He was also captured by the British during the Siege of Charleston. During his imprisonment, the British Army damaged his estates. After the war, Middleton rejoined the Continental Congress and the South Carolina legislature. He died in 1787.

The war also impacted signers from the northern colonies, as well. Abraham Clark of New Jersey is one example. During the war, the British captured two of Clark’s sons and held them as prisoners of war. Fortunately, they were not targeted for their father’s political beliefs. After serving in the Continental Congress, Clark worked as an elected representative in New Jersey state politics from 1780 to 1783 and from 1786 to 1788. He died in 1794.

William Floyd of New York was a plantation owner. Many of Floyd’s assets, especially farmland, were destroyed during the Revolutionary War. His Long Island home was seized and used as a military headquarters for the British in 1776.

After the war, Floyd worked in the New York State Senate and represented New York in the First U.S. Congress. Though financially affected by the war, he was not left penniless by the time of his death in 1821.

John Hart of New Jersey was significantly impacted by the war. He suffered constant danger as the conflict raged around his farmland. His property was ransacked by British and Hessian troops, and he died of poor health before the war ended in 1779.

Francis Lewis of New York was a member of the Continental Congress whose wife was arrested by the British during the 1776 Battle of Long Island. His home was destroyed during the fighting. After his wife was released during a prisoner exchange, she died soon after due to the poor conditions she endured while in British custody. Lewis never remarried. Later he served as a vestryman at Trinity Church in Manhattan. He died in 1802.

Richard Stockton of New Jersey offers one of the sadder stories of the 56 signers. Stockton was captured by Loyalists and turned over to the British shortly after signing the Declaration. He suffered harsh treatment in captivity. Although he was released the year after his imprisonment, his health had deteriorated and his possessions were plundered. He resigned from Congress in part due to poor health. He lived the rest of his life in relative obscurity. He died in 1781.

We often hear the proverb: “Freedom isn’t free.” Most of the time, we are addressing the sacrifices our service personnel make to ensure our liberty. But we must never forget that during the American Revolution, more than the military paid the price for our liberty.

Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.