Risky Business on the 4th

Did you know?

Five signers of the Declaration of Independence were captured during the course of the Revolutionary War. Had the British government classified them as traitors, they could have been hanged.

More American soldiers died of neglect and disease while being held captive on “prison ships” off the coast of New York, than in all the Revolutionary War battles.

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were the only signers of the Declaration of Independence to later serve as President. George Washington, the “Father of Our Country,” was otherwise occupied winning a war.

While famously signing his name to our founding document with an oversized hand, John Hancock reportedly said, “His majesty can now read my name without glasses. And he can double the reward on my head.”

Bold, perilous acts like those committed by our Founding Fathers are drained of danger by the time they reach history books. Whether we are reading about them on a sunny beach, riding in a train or in an armchair, it seems all the worry is removed from even the most perilous acts.

Of course, the men who made the approaching July 4th holiday possible knew no such safety. John Paul Jones, the Scottish sailor who is remembered as the “Father of the American Navy,” welcomed danger with these words, “I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way.”

At Saint John’s church in Richmond, Virginia, Patrick Henry’s words rang out, “Give me liberty or give me death.” While campaigning on the battlefield, George Washington said to his men, “We have therefore to resolve to conquer or die.” “Liberty must at all hazards be supported,” John Adams wrote.

While reading about history can be an entertaining way to pass the time, it can also double as a moral compass. In reviewing the actions of these brave men, we realize they abandoned their comfort zones for wildly uncertain futures. George Washington left behind a stately house and property on the shores of the Potomac River at Mount Vernon. He could have easily lived out his life in splendid comfort and safety, instead of crossing the icy Delaware River on a bitter Christmas Eve.

John Adams exposed four children and his beloved wife to the imminent danger their house would be burned down by British soldiers, while he sailed twice to Europe on treacherous seas in service of his new nation.

While seeking crucial information for General Washington from behind British lines, Nathan Hale was hanged as a spy at the present day 65th Street and 3rd Avenue in New York City.

Although few of us will perform acts that will be recorded in history books, each one of us is continually presented with moral choices. And while our choices are not likely to be remembered with the same resonance as “the shot heard round the world,” they will combine to make the neighborhoods and villages in which we live better places.

Of course, in confronting the British in a War for Independence, colonial politicians, battle officers and militia assumed substantial risk. Had the British succeeded in winning the war, they would have levied ruinous institutional and personal penalties on rebellious colonists.

As an insurance professional, I know more than a little about risk and its consequences. I know risk can be managed.  I know risk can be transferred. I also know risk can never be eliminated.

Holidays like Independence Day serve many purposes. They give us a reason to put some burgers and hot dogs on the barbecue, join with our communities to watch fireworks displays, get together with family and friends, set off for the mountains or beaches or lay about in a hammock.

These holidays also provide an opportunity to review who we are and what we do in a broader, less prosaic context. While we may not be fighting for liberty, we can endeavor to win a safer, more secure future for our family members, neighbors and clients who depend on our best efforts.

Happy Independence Day.

Kevin McPoyle, CIC is President and co-founder of KMRD Partners, Inc., a nationally recognized risk management consulting firm and property & casualty insurance broker located in Warrington, Limerick, and West Chester Pennsylvania.  KMRD works to protect clients’ assets by reducing the cost of risk for their clients.  He can be reached at (267) 482-8331 or kmcpoyle@kmrdpartners.com