{"id":469893,"date":"2022-07-02T20:58:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-02T17:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/our-founding-fathers-werent-the-patriarchy-they-were-heroes\/"},"modified":"2022-07-02T20:58:00","modified_gmt":"2022-07-02T17:58:00","slug":"our-founding-fathers-werent-the-patriarchy-they-were-heroes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/our-founding-fathers-werent-the-patriarchy-they-were-heroes\/","title":{"rendered":"#Our Founding Fathers weren\u2019t the patriarchy\u2014they were heroes"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40e96fd0287\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40e96fd0287\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/our-founding-fathers-werent-the-patriarchy-they-were-heroes\/#%E2%80%9COur_Founding_Fathers_werent_the_patriarchy%E2%80%94they_were_heroes%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Our Founding Fathers weren\u2019t the patriarchy\u2014they were heroes&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9COur_Founding_Fathers_werent_the_patriarchy%E2%80%94they_were_heroes%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Our Founding Fathers weren\u2019t the patriarchy\u2014they were heroes&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>In our country today, there are people who dismiss the Founding Fathers through the prism of 2022. If these people had their way, they would remove every plaque, statue or word that celebrates the genius and courageous acts of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n<p>For example, on July 3, 2019, a journalist from Vox\u00a0put out this <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/2015\/7\/2\/8884885\/american-revolution-mistake\">little gem<\/a>: \u201cThe main benefit of the revolution to colonists was that it gave more political power to America\u2019s white male minority.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I suspect that when the 56 men signed the declaration in Philadelphia in 1776 \u2014 a literal death warrant for each \u2014 \u201cidentity politics\u201d was the furthest thing from their minds.\u00a0 Especially for those who were imprisoned, had their homes burned to the ground, their livestock slaughtered and their wives arrested, simply for daring to add their name to the most inspiring document known to humanity.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Each of the 56 men who put that quill pen to parchment knew they were very possibly signing their own death warrants. John Hancock not only knew that but purposely increased the risk to himself.\u00a0Why? Legend tells us he upped the ante so King George III \u201ccan read my name without spectacles and may double his reward on my head.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"682\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/john-hancock.jpg?w=682\" alt=\"John Hancock said he wrote his name large on the Declaration of Independence so King George III could read it \u201cwithout spectacles and may double his reward on my head.\u201d\" class=\"wp-image-22872696\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/john-hancock.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1023 1023w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/john-hancock.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=682 682w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/john-hancock.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=341 341w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/john-hancock.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px\"\/><figcaption>John Hancock said he wrote his name large on the Declaration of Independence so King George III could read it \u201cwithout spectacles and may double his reward on my head.\u201d<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>During the Revolutionary War to follow, more than 100,000 men served in America\u2019s Continental Army, out of a population of 2.5 million. Another 200,000 or so served as militiamen. In total, <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roximately 70,000 died in active military service against the tyranny of the British Crown. That\u2019s a loss that today would equate to almost 10 million.<\/p>\n<p>Like Hancock, each of the men who dared to sign the declaration fully expected to pay a price.\u00a0Francis Lewis of New York, long rumored to be one of the leaders of the \u201cSons of Liberty\u201d \u2013 a grassroots band of provocateurs who used civil disobedience to antagonize the British \u2013 paid a much steeper price than he could have imagined.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"682\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/francis-lewis.jpg?w=682\" alt=\"Francis Lewis paid a much steeper price than he could have imagined for signing the Declaration \u2014 he lost his wife and home.\" class=\"wp-image-22872729\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/francis-lewis.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1023 1023w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/francis-lewis.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=682 682w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/francis-lewis.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=341 341w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/francis-lewis.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px\"\/><figcaption>Francis Lewis paid a much steeper price than he could have imagined for signing the Declaration \u2014 he lost his wife and home.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Lewis was elected to the Continental Congress in 1775 and signed the Declaration on Aug. 2, 1776.\u00a0Unfortunately, just days later \u2013 precisely because of his independence activities \u2013 he was targeted by the British, who sent a military contingent to destroy his home.\u00a0In the process, they took his wife, Elizabeth, prisoner and locked her in a damp stone cell with no bed, no change of clothing and only rotted food to eat.\u00a0She was freed only because Gen.  George Washington learned of her plight and ordered the arrest of the wife of the British paymaster-<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>.\u00a0Washington then initiated an exchange of the women.\u00a0Sadly, it was too late to save Elizabeth, who later died from the barbaric conditions she suffered.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"682\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/john-hart.jpg?w=682\" alt=\"Declaration signer John Hart fled into the forest for weeks when the Redcoats came for him. After he returned, he found his wife dead and home destroyed.\" class=\"wp-image-22872765\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/john-hart.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1023 1023w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/john-hart.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=682 682w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/john-hart.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=341 341w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/john-hart.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px\"\/><figcaption>Declaration signer John Hart fled into the forest for weeks when the Redcoats came for him. After he returned, he found his wife dead and home destroyed.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Then there\u2019s John Hart of New Jersey.\u00a0Because of his calls for independence while speaker of the Assembly, he was already a marked man.\u00a0Elected as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress in June of 1776, he signed the Declaration on Aug. 2.\u00a0 By December of that year, as the Continental Army was forced to retreat across New Jersey, British troops advanced on the home of Hart.\u00a0His ailing wife, Deborah, begged Hart to get their children to safety, so he placed them with relatives before fleeing to the frigid forest where he hid for weeks in caves until the Redcoats disbanded. Upon his return, he found that his wife had passed away and the British had destroyed his home and property.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/thomas-heyward-jr-arthur-middleton.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"For signing their names, Thomas Heyward Jr. (left) and Arthur Middleton were captured by the British and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Florida, where they were abused.\" class=\"wp-image-22872801\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/thomas-heyward-jr-arthur-middleton.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/thomas-heyward-jr-arthur-middleton.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/thomas-heyward-jr-arthur-middleton.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>For signing their names, Thomas Heyward Jr. (left) and Arthur Middleton were captured by the British and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Florida, where they were abused.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Heritage Art\/Heritage Images via Getty Images; Smith Collection\/Gado\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>By 1780, during the Battle of Charleston, three signers \u2014 Thomas Heyward, Jr., Edward Rutledge and Arthur Middleton \u2014 were taken prisoner.\u00a0Each was known to the Crown not only as enemy combatants, but signatories of the Declaration. As such, they were sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Florida, and regularly abused by their captors.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/thomas-jefferson-statue.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Many today view history through the lens of 2022, defacing statues of Thomas Jefferson (above) and other Founding Fathers, as a rejection of anything that celebrates their courageous acts.\" class=\"wp-image-22872837\" width=\"618\" height=\"411\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/thomas-jefferson-statue.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1233 1236w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/thomas-jefferson-statue.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=925 927w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/thomas-jefferson-statue.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=618 618w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/thomas-jefferson-statue.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=308 309w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/thomas-jefferson-statue.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 618px) 100vw, 618px\"\/><figcaption>Many today view history through the lens of 2022, defacing statues of Thomas Jefferson (above) and other Founding Fathers, as a rejection of anything that celebrates their courageous acts.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\"><a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>These men who signed our Declaration knew that freedom was far from free \u2014 and paid the price.<\/p>\n<p>As we pause to commemorate our country\u2019s birthday, we should also remember their sacrifice and reject any misguided claims from those who seek to demonize them. It\u2019s time we recognized our Founding Fathers for who they truly are.<\/p>\n<p>Heroes.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"678\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/the-56.jpg?w=678\" alt=\"The 56 by Douglas MackKinnon\" class=\"wp-image-22872657\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/the-56.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1017 1017w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/the-56.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=678 678w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/the-56.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=339 339w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/the-56.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p><em>Douglas MacKinnon is a former White House and Pentagon official and author of the book\u00a0\u201cThe 56 \u2013 Liberty Lessons From Those Who Risked All To Sign The Declaration of Independence.\u201d<\/em>\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/07\/02\/our-founding-fathers-werent-the-patriarchythey-were-heroes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Our Founding Fathers weren\u2019t the patriarchy\u2014they were heroes&#8221; In our country today, there are people who dismiss the Founding Fathers through the prism of 2022. If these people had their way, they would remove every plaque, statue or word that celebrates the genius and courageous acts of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":469894,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/declaration-of-independence-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[130902,26099,107761,76558,102732],"class_list":["post-469893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-7-2-22","tag-america","tag-fourth-of-july","tag-freedom","tag-patriotism"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=469893"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469893\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/469894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=469893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=469893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=469893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}