Party of fifty-six

Thomas Nelson Jr.’s name might not incite a feeling of patriotism and respect in a young American’s heart like the names of the other Founding Fathers, but it should. When George Washington and Thomas Jefferson rose to higher positions of power during the Independence Movement, it was Thomas Nelson who was left in charge of safeguarding the Virginia colony. During the war, Virginia was the scene of much of the fighting action, with British invasion causing a perpetual state of emergency until after the Battle of Yorktown. But by filling Washington’s seat in the Continental Congress and succeeding Jefferson as Governor of Virginia, Nelson led the Virginia militia in defense of his home territory and towards the independence he knew the colonies deserved. When he joined Washington and Rochambeau in Yorktown, his hometown, for the last stand against the British, General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson Manor and was using it as the British headquarters. Legend states that Nelson gave the order for the militia to fire on his own home, offering money to the soldier who hit it first.

Leading the soon-to-be Commonwealth and fighting in the war took more from Nelson than just his home. Shortly after the war had ended, Nelson resigned as governor due to poor health. He was left in serious debt, having taken out personal loans to pay for the war effort that were never repaid by the state. He died poor at fifty years old in Hanover, Virginia with eleven children and little of his legacy being taught today. When he died, he was buried in an unmarked grave so that those he owed debts to would not be able to hold his body as collateral. This man dedicated his life and death to the country he believed in that still exists today because of the efforts and sacrifices he made. He doesn’t have much in terms of memorialization: a community college, a county in Virginia, a high school in Kentucky. That is nothing compared to the accolades and legacies attributed to the few Founders who have received the most acclaim. But the list of honors and dedications does not define the person. He committed the same treason and risked the same punishments as Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and Madison. Had the revolution been lost, they would have died the same deaths.

When these men put their John Hancock’s on that document, it was a feat deserving of commendation. A memorial with their names and the colonies they represented does not do justice to the force behind their action. Simply signing their name on a piece of parchment was a radical action.

Because of the changing tides of international relations within our lifetimes, we are disconnected from the original independence movement. I traveled to the United Kingdom during high school and I watched the royal weddings of Prince William and Prince Harry just like everyone else. But a war was fought so that those royals were not our royals, for that kingdom to not be our kingdom. Would Washington be proud of the country he helped create if he saw the way Americans ate up British tabloid news? More importantly, would Nelson?

It can be hard for us to imagine why the signers felt so strongly about this one, small document. We did not experience the tyranny that is described in its ink. In a tribute given at Nelson’s funeral, the speaker repeated "liberty" and "freedom" as ideals and virtues that Nelson valued above all else. So did the other fifty-five signers. It was for our liberty and freedom that Nelson signed his name, served as governor, and fired upon his own house. You may not know him, but the funeral orator felt that you should: "His life was gentle: and the elements so mixed in him, that nature might stand up and say to all the world—this was a man." Another word frequently mentioned in the tribute is "patriot". I wish that word was not monopolized by a football franchise but utilized for that American identity that those signers wielded it for.

In a world of globalization, we love learning about other cultures. We love feeling connected to the seven billion souls that reside on this planet. We travel abroad. We try different cuisines. We watch foreign films and shows. America has always been a melting pot, and proud of it, but that makes it difficult to define what the American culture truly is. These men sacrificed their livelihoods and committed treason so that we could be American. Our role in the revolution is to define what that word truly means. I am not a French-American. I’m not a Catholic-American. I’m an American. For me, that is enough.

Two hundred years isn’t a very long time, especially compared to European empires with buildings still standing that are older than our Constitution. Yet the youth of our country does not speak to the current successes and the potential greatness that resides within our borders. Look at what we’ve done since the signing of the Declaration. Watch what we do next.

Thomas Nelson Jr. is one of the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence. He has long since been forgotten. But I will never forget him.