Home ownership is an “American Dream”.  Yet, in many countries still today, there are citizens who are not allowed to own their own home.

Who were these people that gave us our freedom and the liberties we enjoy today?  We learned as school children that Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin provided its sound reasoning, and John Hancock from Massachusetts penned the largest signature.

But, who were the other 53 guys?  Many were small business owners like you and me.  Among them were 24 lawyers, 13 farmers, 8 merchants, four physicians and four ministers.  They were ordinary people willing to take an extraordinary risk.  They were British subjects who dared separate themselves from their government.  They knew they could be executed as traitors.  But, they prized freedom and liberty and; therefore, put their names to one of the most rebellious documents of any age.

What happened to them?  Jefferson and John Adams, we know, became President.  But many of the others didn’t live to see their new nation born.  Twelve had their homes burned by the British; five were captured as traitors and tortured before they died, and nine died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.  Carter Braxton of Virginia was a wealthy planter and merchant.  His ships and his fortune were sunk by the British Navy.  He sold his home and properties to pay his debts and died in poverty.

One incident strikes at the heart of the American Dream.  At the Battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr. discovered that British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters.  An order was given to George Washington to fire on it.  The home was destroyed and Nelson lost everything and died bankrupt.

Despite their different backgrounds, the 56 signers had one thing very much in common.  Historians say that none of them, even those who endured torture, publicly recanted their actions or waivered in their commitment.  Their actions gave us a free and independent nation and the right to own, use and transfer real property – the “American Dream”.

Reprinted in part from the National Association of Realtors.®

© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

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