WASHINGTON — John Hart sacrificed everything for you.
You've never heard of him? Well, he not only gave his life for the freedom you now enjoy, but he also lost his wife and 13 children for you. It's too bad most Americans have forgotten him.
Hart was one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. In the final words of that document, they pledged "our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor" to uphold and defend the new United States they had formed.
The signers knew they likely would be hanged if the British captured them. But they still bravely declared independence to protect what they said are God-given rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Still, their story and sacrifice aren't well-known today. I realized that again last week when I traveled to Philadelphia and Independence Hall with a church group of teenagers.
They are bright kids. They attend good schools. But they had not heard much about the signers. So maybe it's time to repeat their story, as America will next week celebrate Independence Day.
Of the 56 signers, nine died of wounds or hardships during the Revolutionary War. Five were captured and imprisoned — in each case with brutal treatment. Several lost wives, sons or entire families. All were driven from their homes or sought by British manhunts. Seventeen lost everything they owned.
But not one ever went back on his pledge or the declaration.
They were not typical revolutionaries. Half were lawyers or judges. The others were merchants, doctors, ministers, politicians and landowners. All but two had families. They had much more to lose than gain by signing the declaration.
After Hart signed it, he had to flee his New Jersey home. He later risked returning to see his dying wife. Hessian soldiers chased after him, but he escaped. While his wife lay on her deathbed, the soldiers ruined his farm and wrecked his homestead.
Hart, 65, slept in caves and the woods. When he was finally able to sneak home, his wife had been buried and his children taken away. He never saw them again. He died a broken man in 1779, without ever finding his family.
Francis Lewis of New York had his home and estates completely destroyed by British soldiers. He wife was captured and treated brutally. Although later freed, she died from the effects of her abuse.
Dr. John Witherspoon was president of the College of New Jersey, later called Princeton. The British occupied it and burned the finest college library in the country.
Judge Richard Stockton of New Jersey was betrayed by a Tory sympathizer and was brutally beaten when captured with his family. He was deliberately starved in jail. He was finally released but was an invalid. He returned home to find his estate looted. His family was forced to live off charity.
Thomas Nelson was from Yorktown, Va. He was there as U.S. artillery started shelling British forces trapped in that town. The British commander, Lord Cornwallis, had set up his headquarters in Nelson's own palatial home.
At first, U.S. forces spared his home. Nelson asked commanders why and was told it was out of respect to him. He is said to have then fired the first shot himself at his own home — which was ruined in the battle that finally won the war.
Nelson's sacrifice was not over. He had raised $2 million for the Revolution by pledging his estates as collateral. When the loans came due, a newer peacetime Congress refused to honor them. Nelson forfeited his property and died impoverished.
Then there is Abraham Clark of New Jersey. Two of his sons were officers in the U.S. Army but were captured and sent to a British prison ship. There, they were beaten brutally, and one was slowly starved to death.
With the end almost in sight, few would have blamed Clark if he had renounced his pledge to save his sons. But he refused.
Happy Fourth of July. Enjoy the peace and good times we have. But remember they came at a high price. Make John Hart and the 55 other signers of the Declaration of Independence proud of what you do with that freedom they delivered.
Deseret News Washington correspondent Lee Davidson can be reached by e-mail at leed@dgs.dgsys.com