In his speech to the Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775, lawyer Patrick Henry addressed delegates of the St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, on the issue of the inevitable war with Britain. Henry’s purpose was to encourage the delegation to take up arms in the form of a militia and actively resist the oppression of Britain. By using a series of rhetorical questions and appealing to the delegation’s religious tendencies as well as their strong senses of patriotism, Henry delivered a powerful speech to encourage them to act on their hopes of liberty.…
The incredibly influential revolutionary Patrick Henry once heroically shouted “Give me Liberty or Give Me Death!” During this time, the Revolutionary War had been taking place. This era included the American colonies struggling to gain independence and officially become a nation of their own. In order to do so, some believed it was only necessary to rebel against the British Rule. Despite Henry’s proficient use of all three techniques, he most efficiently persuaded using pathos persuasion. Patrick Henry’s speech given to the Virginia House of Burgesses, known as the “Speech to the Virginia Convention”, expressed the demanding truth and dramatic perspective in which was utilized successfully in his convincing approach.…
The Burr conspiracy presented a lot of things in the new republic and its legal structure, both strengths and weaknesses. Andrew Burr took off on and expedition to capture New Orleans and take Mexico and turn them into his own form of government.…
-George Washington wrote this letter addressing Shays’ Rebellion and the danger of disunion among the states.…
In my opinion yes, Washington was partly responsible for this affair. Throughout his presidency, Washington got rid of many problems with foreign affairs by establishing a treaty. When they needed Spain to give us navigation of the Mississippi river, he created Pinckney’s Treaty. Also, when Britain’s army units remained in America and causing havoc, Washington made Jay’s treaty. The main focus that Washington was making was the need to have peace in America. The American unity was way too fragile to have any wars anytime soon. So the goal was to avoid them at all costs.…
18th century America was a revolutionary time of significant change through a battle for independence from the all-controlling Britain. In spite of the many citizens standing up for the rule of the Parliament, others realized the uttermost corrupt rule the Crown had upon the growing colonies. One of the most influential men during this 18th century revolutionary war against Parliament was John Adams. Notably, John Adams had a strong affiliation with independence in America through his work as a lawyer, as well as through his many writings and articles, such as, “Instructions of the Town of Braintree to the Representative (1776),” which pointed out the flaws and wrong-doings the Crown had over the colonies. The influences Adams projected onto the colonies helped guide the colonies to their eventual gaining of independence from Britain.…
Thomas B. Allen told the stories of how agents working for the Americans and the British, affected the outcome of the Revolutionary War. He began the book before the war even started. Washington learned the value of spy craft when he was in the French and Indian Wars. Ironically, he was fighting for the British at the time, but that’s where he made his reputation that led to his being chosen to lead the Revolutionary forces. During the years leading up to the war, both sides of the war were focused on discovering the other side's plans. As the war started, Washington faced an army that was much more powerful than his own. The British had better supplies and a better trained army altogether, but Washington had land and time in his favor. He fought battles only when needed or when the odds were in his favor. Information became that much more important in a fight like this.…
It was four years since the Battle of Saratoga, the last victory for the Americans during the war. The Commanding General of the combined French and American forces was General George Washington, and the battles in the south had depleted moral, combined with the lack of money for pay, and loosing support, was causing whispers of mutiny in the ranks. With the defection of Arnold it caused an even bigger tear in the ranks. Washington needs a decisive victory to reinvigorate the American People’s…
Conspiracy theories have been around for many years. The earliest one that I can find in politics was after the Tea Act of 1773. Thomas Jefferson stated that King George was sending armies to kill and oppress the American people. I believe this helped him to gain support in seceding from Great Britain. The second, also involving Jefferson, but was meant to keep him from being elected as president. Jefferson’s opposition claimed that he was part of a secret society, called the Illuminati, and that he was going to destroy the country with terror and tyranny. They also claimed that he was anti-religion. Another conspiracy was when a group, called the Freemasons or Masons, was thought to be behind Aaron Burr wanting to start an independent…
The rebellion loomed large in the minds of delegates who came to Philadelphia to find a solution to the crises destabilizing the fledgling nation. It presented the most dramatic example of the unrest and dissension occurring throughout the new United States that alarmed people across a wide spectrum of post-revolutionary society. Citizens understood that the American Revolution would mean both greater economic opportunity as well as the end of political oppression. For many, expectations were dashed while others railed against the social and economic mobility the American Revolution had unleashed. It involved fundamental economic, social, and political issues, Shays’ Rebellion forced ordinary Americans no less than elite leaders like George Washington, to think about their understandings of the promises of the American Revolution and what kind of government would fulfill them. This contributed to the creation of a strong federal government more capable of addressing the economic and political needs of a new nation. The Philadelphia Convention of 1787 allowed government officials to take a closer look at why the previous government laws, the Articles, were not working. With the new understanding of a promising government George Washington also became the first president of the United States. One of his first motions was to fix the Articles, which resulted in the formation of…
President George Washington is known by the many facets of his spectacular leadership: as a general, a politician, farmer and local leader, and our nation’s founder. Washington’s place in history is secured by his efforts to turn a band of unorganized, underequipped rebels into a formidable national army that defeated a colonial superpower. Indeed, Washington’s military leadership was instrumental in resolving the American Revolutionary War in the favor of the colonists. However, close study of the Continental Army’s progress during the war shows that in battle, especially early in the war, General Washington was regularly defeated and outmaneuvered by British forces. Tactically outmatched, Washington found success by strategically outsmarting his British counterparts; making use of the great distances on the American continent to effectively “divide and conquer” British efforts, allowing Washington’s troops to destroy individual detachments in the field. The American’s reliance on guerilla type warfare and surprising British commanders required top-rate intelligence. Nearly every one of Washington’s strategic masterstrokes of the war involved misleading one British army, allowing the Continental Army to swiftly strike at other British forces unopposed. These complex operations required rebels to not only gather information on British intentions, but also plant false information on American movements to mislead British military leaders. To this end, Washington created America’s first espionage agency, simultaneously developing several spy rings and covert operations to assist Washington in meeting rebel war aims. The heroic efforts and sacrifices of America’s earliest spies and the influence they played on the eventual patriot victory cannot be underestimated; underground organizations such…
The Requarter The quarterly newsletter of the Rochester American History Roundtable Volume 1, Number 2 Greetings! The Rochester American History Roundtable presents “The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy” featuring panelists Vanessa Tesch, Thomas Ostrom and Chad Israelson at 4PM on November 17, 2013 at the History Center of Olmsted County, 1195 W Circle Drive SW, Rochester, Minnesota. This event is free and open to the public. The Rochester American History Roundtable is sponsored by the History Center of Olmsted County, and is dedicated to the discussion and preservation of American history.…
Each time something of this nature happens, the integrity and continuity of the evidence and events are compromised, and by the very people we suspect of tampering or altering that evidence.…
Politically, the French and Indian War torn apart Britain and its American colonies. In Document C, George Washington is asking Robert Orme to let him become a higher rank in the military. He wanted more power. Washington wishes to serve under, "a Gentleman of General Braddock's abilities and experience." Although he was very sincere when he wrote this, Britain was not giving what he truly wanted. Upon this note, George Washington went against the British government. He started a revolution. Reverend Thomas Barnard also had some similar views and thoughts about Britain and its colonies. In his sermon of 1763, he says, "Safe from the Enemy of the Wilderness, safe from the gripping Hand of arbitrary Sway and cruel Superstition, here shall be the late founded Seat of Peace and Freedom." He believes that the American people have suffered and died on this land and they deserve more. They deserve freedom. Britain was losing control of their colonies. The people of the colonies wanted freedom. All of these political events led to the Revolutionary War.…
When Charles Willson Peale was on the battlefield of Princeton, fighting for the independence of America, he probably wasn’t thinking that he would paint his commander-in-chief as such an honored hero of the revolutionary era. Neither did he know that he would paint America’s first president, a beloved man to this day, being named the founding father of the country. And it sure didn’t cross his mind that he would paint both of these men on the same canvas, with the same colored oils, and would be asked to it replicate eighteen times. Yet after the Battle of Princeton, Peale did exactly that, and painted a victorious George Washington in a battered battlefield in Princeton.[1] In the time leading up to the American Revolution, American colonists were getting frustrated with the British government due to high taxes, no representation in Parliament, and unequal rights compared to British citizens. The First Continental Congress met in 1774 to discuss their disgust with American treatment by the British. This Continental Congress included many of our nation’s founding fathers, including George Washington. A Second Continental Congress was called a year later, where The Declaration of Independence was signed. Washington was elected to lead the Continental Army against the prestigious British army. By this time, most Americans had the thought of independence from Britain implanted in their minds, and America’s focus was now primarily on the war.[2] George Washington was ready to embark on a journey in which he would lead an entire nation to independence and victory. Being in a time of national war, George Washington had a substantial amount of power as commander-in-chief of the army, which we can tell by his dress, his use of a horse, and the prisoners-of-war he has taken in the painting, George Washington…