[valve bouncer]

Saw your thread in the lounge, thought this might be of interest to you.
http://www.snopes.com/history/american/pricepaid.asp

 

[DRB]

Most important aspect....

What should be take from all of this? The signers of the Declaration of Independence did take a huge risk in daring to put their names on a document that repudiated their government, and they had every reason to believe at that time that them might well be hanged for having done so. That was a courageous act we should indeed remember and honor....

I could have gone on and on for pages and pages about the sacrifices of those too numerous to count but I didn't want to go on for pages and pages.

 

[valve bouncer]

That's why I put it here and not as a reply to your thread. I'd read that a few minutes before I read your thread and thought it was interesting is all. And yeah, I did want to wind you up just a little bit.

 

[DRB]

That's why I put it here and not as a reply to your thread. I'd read that a few minutes before I read your thread and thought it was interesting is all. And yeah, I did want to wind you up just a little bit.

Of course you did. I would have expected nothing less.

The snopes article overly labors the point that much of what happened to these men didn't happen because of them being signers of the Declaration. I think the point to be taken is that many of the signers suffered as did the "common" people, which is a far cry from today.

I do take issue with them in essence branding Stockton a traitor. There is only a letter written by John Witherspoon that potentially indicates he may have singed Howe's declaration to secure his release. However, nothing beyond that nothing has ever be found to further this claim. Furthermore, Stockton's release came very soon after Washington, at the direction of the Continental Congress, specifically inquired to Howe about Stockon and his treatment.