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Francis Lewis

Name: Francis Lewis
Uploaded: 2025-06-26T15:43:37+00:00
Duration: 1 min 19 s
Channel: Your Advisor
Description: Francis Lewis, a New York merchant who signed the Declaration of Independence, describes losing his home, possessions, and wife Elizabeth to British…

26 Jun 2025 · 1 min

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1:19

Francis Lewis, a New York merchant who signed the Declaration of Independence, describes losing his home, possessions, and wife Elizabeth to British retaliation during the Revolution. He funded the war effort and provisioned ships, viewing his sacrifices as the price of freedom.

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My name is Francis Lewis, merchant delegate from New York and signer of the Declaration of Independence. I gave everything to the cause and I would do it again. Was born in Wales and educated in England. Boat. America was my dream. I told myself that's the place for a young man with brains and ambition and venture to America. I did, where I made my fortune. When war came, I gave that fortune to the war effort. I served in Congress. Secured arms and clothing and outfitted ships. Like all the signers, this made me a marked man. When the British took Long island in 1776, they burned my home to the ground and destroyed all of my cherished possessions. But they did something much worse than that. They took my dear wife Elizabeth as prisoner. She never recovered from the ordeal and died in my arms. This was my punishment for signing the Declaration. But I would not turn back. Freedom demands much of us, but what it gives in return is everything.