PATRIOTIC: THE PRICE THEY PAID
ever wondered what happened to those men who signed the Declaration of
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, another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and
died from wounds or the hardships of the Revolutionary War.
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.
signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
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.
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.
soldiers or both, looted the properties of Ellery, Clymer, Hall, Walton,
Gwinnett, Heyward, Rutledge, and Middleton.
Battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr., noted that the British General
Cornwallis, had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. The owner
quietly urged General George Washington to open fire, which was done. The home
was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she
died within a few months.
was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for
their lives. His fields and his grist mill were laid waste. For more than a year
he lived in forests and caves, returning home after the war to find his wife
dead, his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a
Livingston suffered similar fates.
the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed,
rabble-rousing ruffians. There were soft-spoken men of means and education. They
had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and
unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with a firm
reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each
other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."
us an independent America. Can we keep it?
I am not a Very Important
Man, as importance is commonly rated, I do not have great wealth, control a big
business, or occupy a position of great honor or authority.
Yet I may someday mold
destiny. For it is within my power to become the most important man in the
world in the life of a boy. And every boy is a potential atom bomb in human
A humble citizen like myself
might have been the Scoutmaster of a Troop in which an undersized unhappy
Austrian lad by the name of Adolph might have found a joyous boyhood, full of
the ideals of brotherhood, goodwill, and kindness. And the world would have
A humble citizen like myself
might have been the organizer of a Scout Troop in which a Russian boy called Joe
might have learned the lessons of democratic cooperation.
These men would never have
known that they had averted world tragedy, yet actually they would have been
among the most important men who ever lived.
All about me are boys. They
are the makers of history, the builders of tomorrow. If I can have some part in
guiding them up the trails of Scouting, on to the high road of noble character
and constructive citizenship,
I may prove to be the most important man in their lives, the most important man
in my community.
A hundred years from now it
will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the
kind of car I drove. But the world may be different, because I was important in
life of a boy.
SKELTON'S PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
this one teacher. To me, he was the greatest teacher, a real sage of my time.
He had such wisdom. We were all reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and he
walked over. Mr. Lasswell was his name. He said: "I've been listening to you
boys and girls recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester and it seems as
though it is becoming monotonous to you. If I may, may I recite it and try to
explain to you the meaning of each word.
me, an individual, a committee of one.
dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.
my love and my devotion.
our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of freedom. Wherever she waves, there is
respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts freedom is
that means that we have all come together.
individual communities that have united into 48 great states. 48 individual
communities with pride and dignity and purpose, all divided with imaginary
boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that's love for country.
to the Republic
Republic, a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen
by the people to govern. And government is the people and it's from the people
to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.
Which It Stands
One nation, meaning, so blessed by God.
incapable of being divided.
which is freedom, the right of power to live one's own life without threats or
fear or some sort of retaliation.
the principle or qualities of dealing fairly with others.
For all... which means boys and girls, it's as much your country, as it is
boys and girls let me hear you recite, the Pledge of Allegiance.
allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the
for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
was a small boy, two states have been added to our country and two words have
been added to the Pledge of Allegiance - "under God".
it be a pity if someone said, "That is a prayer" and that would be eliminated
from schools, too?
Taken from Red Skelton
"The Pledge of Allegiance"
The Red Skelton Hour, January 14, 1969.