The President's Message

By Elvie Kingston

Happy 4^th of July!    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 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.

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 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 British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarter.  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 bedsides as she was dying.  Their 18 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 pledge:  "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 book 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.  So, take a few minutes and think about why you celebrated and enjoyed your 4^th of July holiday, and silently thank these patriots.  It is not much to ask for the price they paid.  Remember, freedom is never free.

It's time we get the word out that patriotism is not a sin, and it's one of the reasons we can say--

Congratulations to everyone that got elected to various state and national positions at the State Convention, and to the many TTPRW members and friends elected to go to the National Convention.  I apologize if I have missed someone.

Now we must move forward with the BUSINESS of Texas Tea Party Republican Women which is to elect all Republican candidates.  We must project a positive, passionate, enthusiastic attitude about all the candidates when talking to each other and when talking to everyone outside our club in order to win in November.  We must come together and work towards only one end - electing Republican candidates from the top to the bottom of the ticket.  A positive attitude is catching - others will follow our lead.  Together we WIN!

God Bless You, Texas and the United States of America!!!

Elvie Kingston - President