The Unites States is not very old by the standards of many countries in the world. The Declaration of Independence was an action of the Second Continental Congress, July 4, 1776. It begins with the words "When in the course of human events ..." and was signed by 56 men. Some famous names from our history are repesented in the signatures on the Declaration of Independence, the name most associated with the Declaration being John Hancock, the first person to sign the document. So... ...what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Five signers were captured 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 opposing Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by search parties 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, Ruttledge and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr. noted that the opposing forces had taken over the Nelson home for their 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. His wife was jailed and died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled. 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 and 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 do not tell us a lot about what happened to the signers after the Revolutionary War; we tend to take our liberties for granted when we shouldn't. Remember the signers when you enjoy your next 4th of July holiday and silently thank them for the price that they paid for your freedom. GEORGIA: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton.  NORTH-CAROLINA: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn. SOUTH-CAROLINA: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward Jr., Thomas Lynch Jr., Arthur Middleton. MARYLAND: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll.  VIRGINIA: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton.   PENNSYLVANIA: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross.  DELAWARE: Caesar Rodney, George Read.   NEW YORK: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Frank Lewis, Lewis Morris.  NEW JERSEY: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark.  NEW HAMPSHIRE: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton.  MASSACHUSETTS BAY: Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry. RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE: C. Stephan Hopkins, William Ellery.  CONNECTICUT: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott.