Back in 1776, a group of British subjects, men of stature and position, signed a document that proved conclusively they were committing high treason. Today we would call it Exhibit Number One at their hanging.

Their chances of success weren’t all that good, England held the most powerful military on Earth, and had all the muscle they needed to crush these rebels like grapes.

More signatures were added later, but they all walked in knowing what the stakes were. I find this line to be almost chilling, but very few take the time to interpret what it’s actually saying: “… with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

They weren’t kidding either. The penalty for this kind of treason was death. These were educated men, with something to lose, but they consciously chose to…