But though King Arthur may have checked the pagan Saxon invaders, he
could not drive them out of the country. They had come to stay. On
the other hand, many Britons were forced to take refuge among the
hills of Wales. There they continued to abide. That ancient stock
never lost its love of liberty. More than eleven centuries later
their spirit helped to shape the destinies of the New World. Thomas
Jefferson andseveral of the other signers of the Declaration of
American Independence were either of Welsh birth or of direct Welsh
descent.