Do You Know Who is the Most Brilliant Man Who Ever Lived?

They wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence. George Washington led the men who wrote and signed our Constitution at Independence Hall in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. James Madison was the leader in the first Congress when they wrote and submitted the "Bill of Rights" to the States for ratification.

The following can be credited to a man named John Perna of

God_Bless_America@yahoogroups.com

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, Rutledge, 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. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates. Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble- rousing ruffians. They 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 firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot about what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't fight just the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government!

Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't. Thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid. Remember: Freedom is never free!

If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen. Samuel Adams

The following list is from:

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/

Here are thel 56 signers of the Declaration. The first, largest, and most famous signature is that of John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress. The youngest signer was Edward Rutledge (age 26). Benjamin Franklin (age 70) was the oldest. Two future presidents signed: John Adams (second President) and Thomas Jefferson (third President).

Delaware - George Read Caesar, Rodney Thomas McKean

Pennsylvania - George Clymer, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, John Morton, Benjamin Rush, George Ross
James Smith, James Wilson, George Taylor

Massachusetts - John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

New Hampshire - Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Rhode Island - Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

New York - Lewis Morris, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, William Floyd

Georgia - Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

Virginia - Richard Henry Lee, Francis Lightfoot, Lee Carter Braxton, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Jefferson
George Wythe, Thomas Nelson, Jr.

North Carolina - William Hooper, John Penn, Joseph Hewes

South Carolina - Edward Rutledge, Arthur Middleton, Thomas Lynch, Jr. Thomas Heyward, Jr.

New Jersey - Abraham Clark, John Hart, Francis Hopkinson, Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon

Connecticut - Samuel Huntington, Roger Sherman, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

Maryland - Charles Carroll, Samuel Chase, Thomas Stone, William Paca

But the most brilliant man who ever lived was not among them. A Muslim would tell you that it is Mohammed, but it is not him.

It is a man named JESUS CRIST. He like many of the signers of the Delaration of Independence suffered greatly for his "BRILLIANCE."