Thread by @Timcast

The Founding Fathers risked everything

Not just their own lives, their fortunes, their land, but the lives of their families

They signed knowing they had just declared war on the greatest military power in the world

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With this declaration of war many had their lives completely destroyed

They could have chosen simply to live wealthy and safe

they did not

And they signed their own names knowing the consequences

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5 signers were captured in the war and imprisoned

One, Richard Stockton, had to evacuate his family and was "Dragged from his bed by night" and imprisoned

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Many of the signers had their homes completely destroyed, looted, burned, raided by the British

It wasnt that they were all targeted necessarily but that this is the war they had wrought, in the name of freedom

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One signer had his sons captured and imprisoned, one signer lost his song in the war

John Witherspoon lost his son

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One signer died from wounds in the battle

Button Gwinnett

his name, his honor, and his life

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Francis Lewis had his home raided, presumably because he signed. His wife was taken prisoner and used in a prisoner exchange

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Lewis Morris had his home taken and used as a barracks for soldiers. This was taken by the Continental Army

The British then came later and destroyed his property

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Several of the signers saw their homes looted during war foraging as the British, not as direct retalition

Walton, Rutledge, Middleton, Ellery, Hall, Gwinnett, Clymer, and Heyward

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Others had homes that fell to areas of British occupation

Rush, Adams, Hancock, Wilson, Franklin, Morris

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There are many more legends about what happened too, some stories that are hard to verify

But I think about this history and the amount of courage and determination that it took to say to the greatest military power the world had known and say

No More

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War stories and history are often exaggerated

We make our leaders out to be great heroes

Perhaps many of these stories from the Revolution are indeed exaggerated

However

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The one thing that is true is that these men risked everything, even their wives and children

Maybe we view that as reckless today when it comes to personal endeavors

But these men saw it as necessary

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One thing is true

These men knew they were likely to lose everything

They went all in against a power they knew they could not defeat

Many say that without French intervention it was all over

With their help we won

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Imagine rising to your feet

Looking into the eyes of the greatest military power you know you cannot defeat

and saying

Fuck You

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The Founding Fathers were absolute madlads

Lets not forget the absolute boss that was Hugh Mercer
who refused to surrender when surrounded and was stabbed and beaten to death