My News 7.3.2023
Tomorrow, 7.4.2023, We Celebrate Our American Independence, occurring 247 Years ago.
The Revolutionary War in North America started on April 19, 1775
America Declared Its Independence on July 4th, 1776
The Second Continental Congress met inside Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, beginning in May 1775.
It was just a month after shots had been fired at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, and the Congress was preparing for war. They established a Continental Army and elected George Washington as Commander-in-Chief, but the Delegates also drafted the Olive Branch Petition and sent it to King George III in hopes of reaching a Peaceful resolution.
The King refused to hear the petition and declared the American Colonies in Revolt.
On June 7, 1776, Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee put forth the resolution for independence
“Resolved, that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, Free and Independent States"
"Voting" was postponed while some of the delegates worked to convince others to support independence, but a committee of five men were assigned to draft a document of independence,
John Adams (MA),
Benjamin Franklin (PA),
Thomas Jefferson (VA),
Roger Sherman (CT),
and Robert R. Livingston (NY).
Jefferson did most of the work, drafting the document in his lodgings at 7th and Market Street, Philadelphia.
On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted to adopt Lee’s resolution for independence.
This is the day that John Adams thought should be celebrated with,
“Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.”
(John Adams to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776).
The American Revolution
By Eliga H. Gould
University of New Hampshire
The American Revolution was a civil war in every sense of the word, a fratricidal conflict that divided men and women throughout the Empire, in Britain no less than the American colonies. For the metropolitan public, however, the American Revolution was a very different war from the one experienced by Britons in America. Despite the mounting burdens of taxation, military service, and economic loss, most Britons participated in the American Revolution as one removed. For this reason alone, newspapers were an important factor in the internal divisions that beset Britain during the 1770s and 1780s, conveying information, shaping opinion and often fomenting controversy.
Government and Opposition
Supporters and opponents of Frederick North's ministry were well aware of the importance of the press. In the late 1770s, there were nearly 35,000 newspapers in daily circulation in England, meaning that the reading public may have included as many as one in six adults. Throughout the war, partisans on both sides sought to turn this influence to their advantage, publishing petitions and addresses in the London and provincial press (notably during the summer and autumn of 1775), writing essays supporting or denouncing the government's management of the war, and attempting to control the way that newspapers reported events such as the County Association meetings of 1780. Often, the editors and proprietors of individual papers helped fan such differences of opinion. Under the editorship of Henry Bate Dudley, the Morning Post was a generally reliable pro-ministerial outlet; the London Evening Post and the General Advertiser, on the other hand, tended to side with the opposition. During the intense press coverage that greeted the court-martial of Admiral Keppel in 1779, all three papers sought to provide what William Parker of the General Advertiser called 'impartial and authentic intelligence' of the trial's proceedings, yet they also divided along predictable party lines in defending or attacking the famously (or notoriously) pro-American admiral.
Parliamentary Reporting
Despite such partisan divisions, the American Revolution witnessed a gradual decline in the acrimony that had long characterized relations between the government and the press. Following the House of Commons' failed prosecution of eight London printers in 1771, the government tacitly agreed to allow newspapers to publish parliamentary debates. Because visitors in both houses of Parliament were prohibited from taking notes until 1783, such reports were necessarily based on the recollections of newspapermen such as the Morning Chronicle's William "Memory" Woodfall rather than written transcriptions, and during especially sensitive debates, including those on America in 1774, the government insisted on clearing the galleries. Still, the newspaper publication of parliamentary debates became sufficiently routine for printers to contact politicians directly with requests for accurate information. On several occasions during the early 1780s, the Morning Chronicle published speeches and other information that Woodfall had received from the treasurer of the ordinance William Adam. In a letter to Secretary at War Charles Jenkinson requesting an official copy of the army estimates for 1780, Woodfall hoped that Jenkinson would agree that it was better to publish the correct account of a matter that 'by the mistake of a single figure might be grossly perverted'. Woodfall also noted that a rival, John Almon, had promised to publish an 'exact account' of the estimates in the London Courant, presumably based on a communication that Almon had received from Jenkinson's office (Woodfall to Jenkinson, 9 Dec 1779, British Library Add MSS 38,212, f. 274).
The War in America
Unlike news of events in Parliament and Britain's provincial cities, newspaper reports from America inevitably depended on second (or, at times, third) hand accounts. In cases where more than one set of participants had access to metropolitan printers—the British merchants whom Admiral Rodney plundered after taking the Dutch Caribbean Island of St Eustatius in 1781 are a good example—such reports could be critical of the government. Often, however, coverage of the war in America was one-sided in the government's favor. In the notorious case of Banastre Tarleton, whose brutal tactics in the Carolinas and Virginia earned him the enmity of Americans everywhere (including the future US president Andrew Jackson), the coverage was overwhelmingly favorable and consisted mainly of laudatory dispatches from Tarleton's military superiors, Sir Henry Clinton and Lord Cornwallis. When Tarleton returned to England in 1782, he received a hero's welcome.
Anti-Americanism
Similar biases were evident in the treatment that the British press accorded American patriots and the patriot cause. Although George Washington managed to transcend partisan differences, with even the pro-ministerial Critical Review admitting in 1779 to a 'high opinion' of the American general, the image of rank-and-file patriots was usually less generous. In reporting on the commencement of hostilities in 1775, many papers carried lurid accounts of rebel atrocities, leading to allegations that the British government was using the 'utmost industry. . .to inflame men's minds' against the Americans (anonymous letter to Robert Carter Nicholas, 22 Sept 1775, National Archives, CO 5/40/1, 22). With the outbreak of war with France and the North ministry's implicit recognition of American grievances in the Carlisle Peace Commission of 1778, the ministerial press moderated its tone, yet even the coming of peace did not dispel the impression of partiality. As Thomas Jefferson complained in a 1784 letter to the Netherlands Leiden Gazette, many Europeans turned to British newspapers for information about America; all too often, what they found was neither fair nor accurate (Merrill D. Peterson, ed., Thomas Jefferson, Writings [New York, 1984], 571-4).
Gazettes to the World
If Jefferson's words remind us of the partisanship of British newspapers, they also highlight the growing power and influence of the periodical press—an influence, moreover, that increasingly reached beyond Britain's borders. Even as Americans lamented the national biases of Britain's newspapers, much of the foreign news that appeared in American newspapers was based on stories that had first appeared in the British press. Significantly, British newspapers played a major role in the imperial humanitarianism that swept Britain in the Revolution's wake, keeping the plight of British India before an outraged public and building support on both sides of the Atlantic for the eventual abolition of the slave trade. Although not the only structure of power in late-Georgian Britain, the newspaper press was increasingly among the more important.
The NY Times
Oct. 20, 1981
Following are excerpts from President Ronald W. Reagan's remarks, at the Bicentennial Observance of the British surrender at Yorktown.
The prepared text was made available to Us by the White House.
"This field, this ceremony and this day hold special meaning for People the World over, whether free in their lives or only in their dreams."
"Not long after the Battle of Yorktown, Lafayette wrote home to France."
"Here, he said,"
''Humanity has won its Battle, Liberty now has a Country.''
"It was an extraordinary moment in history. The Continental Army had marched more than 400 miles, from the Hudson River in New York to the Tidewaters of Virginia. They surprised and stranded Lord Cornwallis on the tip of this peninsula. When Admiral de Grasse and his French fleet blockaded the Chesapeake, the trap was sprung; there could be no rescue by Land or by Sea.
Nearly 8,000 British soldiers had swept from Charleston to Richmond to this spot between the York and the James Rivers, with far more victories than defeats."
"Their enemies were a band of colonists, with bandaged feet and muskets that couldn't be counted on to fire, but the British were thousands of miles from home and the Americans were fighting where they lived.
In a masterly execution of a textbook siege, General Washington and his grab-bag army defeated the finest troops King George could field."
"But those Americans were not professional soldiers at all. They had fought for freedom from Quebec to Saratoga, from Camden and Cowpens to Germantown, Valley Forge and Monmouth, towns and countryside's once so anonymous King George complained he could neither pronounce them nor find them on the map."
"By Yorktown, they were veterans, but they still were not soldiers. They were farmers, backwoodsmen, tradesmen, clerks and laborers, common men from all walks of life anxious to return to their families and the building of a nation."
"On that day in 1781 a philosophy found a people and the world would never be the same.
The wounds of this battle have long since healed. Our nations have matured and bonds of friendship exist between one-time enemies."
"The surrender at Yorktown was a victory for the right of self-determination. It was and is the affirmation that freedom will eventually triumph over tyranny. It is and always will be a warning to those who would usurp the rights of others: time will find them beaten. The beacon of freedom shines here for all who will see, inspiring free men and captives alike, and no wall, no curtain nor totalitarian state can shut it out."
"The commemoration of this battle marks the end of the Revolution and the beginning of a new world era. The promise made on July Fourth was kept on Oct. 19. The dream described in that Pennsylvania hall was fulfilled on this Virginia field.
But we did not win this battle or this war by ourselves. From your country, Mr. President (President Francois Mitterrand), came men and ships and goods. General Rochambeau and Lafayette and Admirals de Grasse and de Barras were among those without whose help this battle and this war could never have been won."
"France was first to our side, first to recognize our independence and steadfast in friendship ever since. We are bonded in spirit and in fact by freedom."
"And others came to our aid - Poles, Spaniards, Scots, Canadians, Swedes, Germans, Dutch, Irish and still more. From the Mediterranean had come the philosophies of Greece and the laws of Rome. England contributed representative government, and the French and the Poles shared their dreams of equality and liberty. On our own frontier we learned dependence on family and neighbors, and in our Revolution free men were taught reliance on other free men."
"We of the West have lived the central truths, the value, around which we now must rally: human dignity, individual rights and representative democracy. Our nations share the foundation of common law, separation of powers and limited government. We must unite behind our common cause of freedom."
"Once again today, thousands of free men and women have gathered on this battlefield in testimony to their beliefs. Let us remember our forebearers 200 years ago, the price they were willing to pay for liberty, and rededicate ourselves to the principles of our Revolution. Let the struggle that took place here remind us all: the freedom we enjoy today has not always existed and carries no guarantee."
"The men and boys who fought on this field somehow understood that government must be close to the people and responsive to them. Today, in our country, those concepts are threatened by government's bloated size and the distortion of its true functions. Our people are struggling under a punishing tax burden many times heavier than that which ignited our first rebellion. Regulations that inhibit our growth and prosperity would be incomprehensible to the colonists who revolted because of the Stamp Act."
"Our founding fathers designed a system of government unique in all the world, a federation of sovereign states with as much law and decision-making authority as possible kept at the local level. This concept of federalism has been the secret of America's success, and will be a priority again as we restore the balance between the Federal, state and local levels that was intended in the Constitution. "
"But of equal concern to me is the uncertainty some seem to have about the need for a strong American defense. That is a proper task for the national government. Military inferiority does not avoid a conflict, it only invites one, and then insures defeat. We must keep this nation strong enough to remain free."
"We have been trusted with freedom and must insure it for our ch*ldren and for theirs. We are restoring our economy today so that it will work for tomorrow's generation. We are rebuilding our defenses so that our sons and daughters need never be sent to war.
We have economic problems at home, and we live in a troubled and violent world."
"But there is a moral fiber running through our people that makes us more than strong enough to face the tests ahead. We can look at our past with pride, and our future can be whatever we make it. We only have to act worthy of ourselves."
"God bless America"
Amen
From The American Battlefield Trust
The World Impact of the American Revolutionary War
The American Revolution also had impacts and ripple effects that were felt throughout the world. The American Revolution had a significant impact, not just on the government within the colonies, but ripple effects that were felt in other countries all over the globe. In particular, the American Revolution had a significant impact on their allies, as well as other countries in Europe. The American Revolution was a significant battleground, where it was not just the colonists that would be succeeding, but their success in the American Revolution transmitted a message to others in Europe that rebellion was possible for achieving revolutionary aims. And, this is important because much of this lesson is focused on how the American Revolution has impacted those living in America in the immediate years following the Revolution, if you've listened to any of the other lessons in this set. Explored groups have included Native Americans, government leaders, and even everyday citizens of the state. But, it's important to remember that there are often international effects caused by domestic actions.
And, in this, the American Revolution is no different. One of the biggest reasons that the American Revolution was so inspirational for those living in Europe was because it shows that the ideas from the Enlightenment were not only concepts and thoughts, but that they could be used to overthrow oppressive and unfair governments. One of the countries where the American Revolution had the most significant impact was France. There were three primary events from the American Revolution that influenced France and other countries within Europe. The first was the signing of the Declaration, because it involved citizens grabbing power, and clearly enunciating their desire for signing of the Declaration for Independence. The second is the general concept of implementing ideas from the Enlightenment, because many in Europe at the time felt these were just utterances and ideas that wouldn't really translate well to political action. And, finally, the forming of the U.S. Constitution demonstrated not only the success of the rebellion and the Revolutionary War, but also that lessons could be learned from overthrowing an oppressive government and those lessons could be used to form a better government.
The Constitution stood as a new form of written social contract, outlining the ideas of liberty, the natural rights of man, equality, and freedom of religion. Articulating these ideas specifically in the Constitution demonstrated to those in France and around Europe that they were more than just concepts or unrealistic ideals. In addition, the structure of republican government that overthrew the absolute-- the idea of absolute monarchy led citizens around the world to think about their own government structures a little bit more. The culmination of all these impacts from the American Revolution can most clearly be seen in the French Revolution. In this event, revolutionaries promoted the slogan, Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. Soldiers returning from the American Revolution also helped to spread ideas about what life was like there. French soldiers who helped to wage war on the British returned to France celebrating the concepts of popular sovereignty, liberty, and republicanism. This later formed the basis for the French uprising against their own monarchy, which many within France believed was a tyrannical form of government. The illustration of ultimate oppression in a monarchy had already been shown to the French in the American Revolution. Many living in France did not have the desire to have these mistakes repeated by letting what they viewed as an oppressive government maintain control of their everyday lives, and increasingly encroach on their individualism.
There are many impacts of the American Revolution that are seen not just in France, but also in other countries. Although the colonists in the United States were at a serious disadvantage when the Revolutionary War started, their success, and documented achievements in the form of a written constitution became inspirational symbols for people all over the world. The concepts of liberty and republicanism sparked conversation in France and elsewhere about the role of government. So, there are a couple of key takeaways from this lesson about the impacts of the American Revolution that were seen in other countries. The first is that the Enlightenment was an important period that promoted thought, and different considerations about politics and the role of government.
But many people wrote off these Enlightenment ideals as simply concepts, and not something that could be translated into action. And the American Revolution showed that even with limited resources, these concepts could be used to overthrow an oppressive government. So, when word traveled around about this in France, especially since France was one of the allies that pitched in to help the colonists really win the Revolutionary War, it was kind of used as an example of what could be achieved when you really believed in your cause. And so it was just really remarkable and inspirational how this was used by individuals in other countries to set the tone for their own rebellions. And also this idea of a written constitution that clearly outlines the rights of people living in a particular country had ripple effects that were felt for many years. It was a relatively unique idea, but it's something that is still-- it's really become more common in countries all over the world, that you need to outline the rights of individuals to protect them from oppressive governments. So, the written Constitution of the United States, even though it was difficult to get to that point, really had important ramifications for countries all over the world in the aftermath of the American Revolution.
"Let us remember our Forebearers 200 +, years ago, the Price They were willing to Pay for Liberty, and to Rededicate, Ourselves to the Principles of Our Revolution."
"Let the Struggle that took place here remind All of Us that the Freedoms that We enjoy today, have not always Existed and Carries No Guarantee."
May God Bless America and May God Bless All of the People in Our Fragile, Yet, Precious World
Peace for All of Us
All of My Love,
Amélie
The Revolutionary War in North America started on April 19, 1775
America Declared Its Independence on July 4th, 1776
The Second Continental Congress met inside Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, beginning in May 1775.
It was just a month after shots had been fired at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, and the Congress was preparing for war. They established a Continental Army and elected George Washington as Commander-in-Chief, but the Delegates also drafted the Olive Branch Petition and sent it to King George III in hopes of reaching a Peaceful resolution.
The King refused to hear the petition and declared the American Colonies in Revolt.
On June 7, 1776, Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee put forth the resolution for independence
“Resolved, that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, Free and Independent States"
"Voting" was postponed while some of the delegates worked to convince others to support independence, but a committee of five men were assigned to draft a document of independence,
John Adams (MA),
Benjamin Franklin (PA),
Thomas Jefferson (VA),
Roger Sherman (CT),
and Robert R. Livingston (NY).
Jefferson did most of the work, drafting the document in his lodgings at 7th and Market Street, Philadelphia.
On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted to adopt Lee’s resolution for independence.
This is the day that John Adams thought should be celebrated with,
“Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.”
(John Adams to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776).
The American Revolution
By Eliga H. Gould
University of New Hampshire
The American Revolution was a civil war in every sense of the word, a fratricidal conflict that divided men and women throughout the Empire, in Britain no less than the American colonies. For the metropolitan public, however, the American Revolution was a very different war from the one experienced by Britons in America. Despite the mounting burdens of taxation, military service, and economic loss, most Britons participated in the American Revolution as one removed. For this reason alone, newspapers were an important factor in the internal divisions that beset Britain during the 1770s and 1780s, conveying information, shaping opinion and often fomenting controversy.
Government and Opposition
Supporters and opponents of Frederick North's ministry were well aware of the importance of the press. In the late 1770s, there were nearly 35,000 newspapers in daily circulation in England, meaning that the reading public may have included as many as one in six adults. Throughout the war, partisans on both sides sought to turn this influence to their advantage, publishing petitions and addresses in the London and provincial press (notably during the summer and autumn of 1775), writing essays supporting or denouncing the government's management of the war, and attempting to control the way that newspapers reported events such as the County Association meetings of 1780. Often, the editors and proprietors of individual papers helped fan such differences of opinion. Under the editorship of Henry Bate Dudley, the Morning Post was a generally reliable pro-ministerial outlet; the London Evening Post and the General Advertiser, on the other hand, tended to side with the opposition. During the intense press coverage that greeted the court-martial of Admiral Keppel in 1779, all three papers sought to provide what William Parker of the General Advertiser called 'impartial and authentic intelligence' of the trial's proceedings, yet they also divided along predictable party lines in defending or attacking the famously (or notoriously) pro-American admiral.
Parliamentary Reporting
Despite such partisan divisions, the American Revolution witnessed a gradual decline in the acrimony that had long characterized relations between the government and the press. Following the House of Commons' failed prosecution of eight London printers in 1771, the government tacitly agreed to allow newspapers to publish parliamentary debates. Because visitors in both houses of Parliament were prohibited from taking notes until 1783, such reports were necessarily based on the recollections of newspapermen such as the Morning Chronicle's William "Memory" Woodfall rather than written transcriptions, and during especially sensitive debates, including those on America in 1774, the government insisted on clearing the galleries. Still, the newspaper publication of parliamentary debates became sufficiently routine for printers to contact politicians directly with requests for accurate information. On several occasions during the early 1780s, the Morning Chronicle published speeches and other information that Woodfall had received from the treasurer of the ordinance William Adam. In a letter to Secretary at War Charles Jenkinson requesting an official copy of the army estimates for 1780, Woodfall hoped that Jenkinson would agree that it was better to publish the correct account of a matter that 'by the mistake of a single figure might be grossly perverted'. Woodfall also noted that a rival, John Almon, had promised to publish an 'exact account' of the estimates in the London Courant, presumably based on a communication that Almon had received from Jenkinson's office (Woodfall to Jenkinson, 9 Dec 1779, British Library Add MSS 38,212, f. 274).
The War in America
Unlike news of events in Parliament and Britain's provincial cities, newspaper reports from America inevitably depended on second (or, at times, third) hand accounts. In cases where more than one set of participants had access to metropolitan printers—the British merchants whom Admiral Rodney plundered after taking the Dutch Caribbean Island of St Eustatius in 1781 are a good example—such reports could be critical of the government. Often, however, coverage of the war in America was one-sided in the government's favor. In the notorious case of Banastre Tarleton, whose brutal tactics in the Carolinas and Virginia earned him the enmity of Americans everywhere (including the future US president Andrew Jackson), the coverage was overwhelmingly favorable and consisted mainly of laudatory dispatches from Tarleton's military superiors, Sir Henry Clinton and Lord Cornwallis. When Tarleton returned to England in 1782, he received a hero's welcome.
Anti-Americanism
Similar biases were evident in the treatment that the British press accorded American patriots and the patriot cause. Although George Washington managed to transcend partisan differences, with even the pro-ministerial Critical Review admitting in 1779 to a 'high opinion' of the American general, the image of rank-and-file patriots was usually less generous. In reporting on the commencement of hostilities in 1775, many papers carried lurid accounts of rebel atrocities, leading to allegations that the British government was using the 'utmost industry. . .to inflame men's minds' against the Americans (anonymous letter to Robert Carter Nicholas, 22 Sept 1775, National Archives, CO 5/40/1, 22). With the outbreak of war with France and the North ministry's implicit recognition of American grievances in the Carlisle Peace Commission of 1778, the ministerial press moderated its tone, yet even the coming of peace did not dispel the impression of partiality. As Thomas Jefferson complained in a 1784 letter to the Netherlands Leiden Gazette, many Europeans turned to British newspapers for information about America; all too often, what they found was neither fair nor accurate (Merrill D. Peterson, ed., Thomas Jefferson, Writings [New York, 1984], 571-4).
Gazettes to the World
If Jefferson's words remind us of the partisanship of British newspapers, they also highlight the growing power and influence of the periodical press—an influence, moreover, that increasingly reached beyond Britain's borders. Even as Americans lamented the national biases of Britain's newspapers, much of the foreign news that appeared in American newspapers was based on stories that had first appeared in the British press. Significantly, British newspapers played a major role in the imperial humanitarianism that swept Britain in the Revolution's wake, keeping the plight of British India before an outraged public and building support on both sides of the Atlantic for the eventual abolition of the slave trade. Although not the only structure of power in late-Georgian Britain, the newspaper press was increasingly among the more important.
The NY Times
Oct. 20, 1981
Following are excerpts from President Ronald W. Reagan's remarks, at the Bicentennial Observance of the British surrender at Yorktown.
The prepared text was made available to Us by the White House.
"This field, this ceremony and this day hold special meaning for People the World over, whether free in their lives or only in their dreams."
"Not long after the Battle of Yorktown, Lafayette wrote home to France."
"Here, he said,"
''Humanity has won its Battle, Liberty now has a Country.''
"It was an extraordinary moment in history. The Continental Army had marched more than 400 miles, from the Hudson River in New York to the Tidewaters of Virginia. They surprised and stranded Lord Cornwallis on the tip of this peninsula. When Admiral de Grasse and his French fleet blockaded the Chesapeake, the trap was sprung; there could be no rescue by Land or by Sea.
Nearly 8,000 British soldiers had swept from Charleston to Richmond to this spot between the York and the James Rivers, with far more victories than defeats."
"Their enemies were a band of colonists, with bandaged feet and muskets that couldn't be counted on to fire, but the British were thousands of miles from home and the Americans were fighting where they lived.
In a masterly execution of a textbook siege, General Washington and his grab-bag army defeated the finest troops King George could field."
"But those Americans were not professional soldiers at all. They had fought for freedom from Quebec to Saratoga, from Camden and Cowpens to Germantown, Valley Forge and Monmouth, towns and countryside's once so anonymous King George complained he could neither pronounce them nor find them on the map."
"By Yorktown, they were veterans, but they still were not soldiers. They were farmers, backwoodsmen, tradesmen, clerks and laborers, common men from all walks of life anxious to return to their families and the building of a nation."
"On that day in 1781 a philosophy found a people and the world would never be the same.
The wounds of this battle have long since healed. Our nations have matured and bonds of friendship exist between one-time enemies."
"The surrender at Yorktown was a victory for the right of self-determination. It was and is the affirmation that freedom will eventually triumph over tyranny. It is and always will be a warning to those who would usurp the rights of others: time will find them beaten. The beacon of freedom shines here for all who will see, inspiring free men and captives alike, and no wall, no curtain nor totalitarian state can shut it out."
"The commemoration of this battle marks the end of the Revolution and the beginning of a new world era. The promise made on July Fourth was kept on Oct. 19. The dream described in that Pennsylvania hall was fulfilled on this Virginia field.
But we did not win this battle or this war by ourselves. From your country, Mr. President (President Francois Mitterrand), came men and ships and goods. General Rochambeau and Lafayette and Admirals de Grasse and de Barras were among those without whose help this battle and this war could never have been won."
"France was first to our side, first to recognize our independence and steadfast in friendship ever since. We are bonded in spirit and in fact by freedom."
"And others came to our aid - Poles, Spaniards, Scots, Canadians, Swedes, Germans, Dutch, Irish and still more. From the Mediterranean had come the philosophies of Greece and the laws of Rome. England contributed representative government, and the French and the Poles shared their dreams of equality and liberty. On our own frontier we learned dependence on family and neighbors, and in our Revolution free men were taught reliance on other free men."
"We of the West have lived the central truths, the value, around which we now must rally: human dignity, individual rights and representative democracy. Our nations share the foundation of common law, separation of powers and limited government. We must unite behind our common cause of freedom."
"Once again today, thousands of free men and women have gathered on this battlefield in testimony to their beliefs. Let us remember our forebearers 200 years ago, the price they were willing to pay for liberty, and rededicate ourselves to the principles of our Revolution. Let the struggle that took place here remind us all: the freedom we enjoy today has not always existed and carries no guarantee."
"The men and boys who fought on this field somehow understood that government must be close to the people and responsive to them. Today, in our country, those concepts are threatened by government's bloated size and the distortion of its true functions. Our people are struggling under a punishing tax burden many times heavier than that which ignited our first rebellion. Regulations that inhibit our growth and prosperity would be incomprehensible to the colonists who revolted because of the Stamp Act."
"Our founding fathers designed a system of government unique in all the world, a federation of sovereign states with as much law and decision-making authority as possible kept at the local level. This concept of federalism has been the secret of America's success, and will be a priority again as we restore the balance between the Federal, state and local levels that was intended in the Constitution. "
"But of equal concern to me is the uncertainty some seem to have about the need for a strong American defense. That is a proper task for the national government. Military inferiority does not avoid a conflict, it only invites one, and then insures defeat. We must keep this nation strong enough to remain free."
"We have been trusted with freedom and must insure it for our ch*ldren and for theirs. We are restoring our economy today so that it will work for tomorrow's generation. We are rebuilding our defenses so that our sons and daughters need never be sent to war.
We have economic problems at home, and we live in a troubled and violent world."
"But there is a moral fiber running through our people that makes us more than strong enough to face the tests ahead. We can look at our past with pride, and our future can be whatever we make it. We only have to act worthy of ourselves."
"God bless America"
Amen
From The American Battlefield Trust
The World Impact of the American Revolutionary War
The American Revolution also had impacts and ripple effects that were felt throughout the world. The American Revolution had a significant impact, not just on the government within the colonies, but ripple effects that were felt in other countries all over the globe. In particular, the American Revolution had a significant impact on their allies, as well as other countries in Europe. The American Revolution was a significant battleground, where it was not just the colonists that would be succeeding, but their success in the American Revolution transmitted a message to others in Europe that rebellion was possible for achieving revolutionary aims. And, this is important because much of this lesson is focused on how the American Revolution has impacted those living in America in the immediate years following the Revolution, if you've listened to any of the other lessons in this set. Explored groups have included Native Americans, government leaders, and even everyday citizens of the state. But, it's important to remember that there are often international effects caused by domestic actions.
And, in this, the American Revolution is no different. One of the biggest reasons that the American Revolution was so inspirational for those living in Europe was because it shows that the ideas from the Enlightenment were not only concepts and thoughts, but that they could be used to overthrow oppressive and unfair governments. One of the countries where the American Revolution had the most significant impact was France. There were three primary events from the American Revolution that influenced France and other countries within Europe. The first was the signing of the Declaration, because it involved citizens grabbing power, and clearly enunciating their desire for signing of the Declaration for Independence. The second is the general concept of implementing ideas from the Enlightenment, because many in Europe at the time felt these were just utterances and ideas that wouldn't really translate well to political action. And, finally, the forming of the U.S. Constitution demonstrated not only the success of the rebellion and the Revolutionary War, but also that lessons could be learned from overthrowing an oppressive government and those lessons could be used to form a better government.
The Constitution stood as a new form of written social contract, outlining the ideas of liberty, the natural rights of man, equality, and freedom of religion. Articulating these ideas specifically in the Constitution demonstrated to those in France and around Europe that they were more than just concepts or unrealistic ideals. In addition, the structure of republican government that overthrew the absolute-- the idea of absolute monarchy led citizens around the world to think about their own government structures a little bit more. The culmination of all these impacts from the American Revolution can most clearly be seen in the French Revolution. In this event, revolutionaries promoted the slogan, Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. Soldiers returning from the American Revolution also helped to spread ideas about what life was like there. French soldiers who helped to wage war on the British returned to France celebrating the concepts of popular sovereignty, liberty, and republicanism. This later formed the basis for the French uprising against their own monarchy, which many within France believed was a tyrannical form of government. The illustration of ultimate oppression in a monarchy had already been shown to the French in the American Revolution. Many living in France did not have the desire to have these mistakes repeated by letting what they viewed as an oppressive government maintain control of their everyday lives, and increasingly encroach on their individualism.
There are many impacts of the American Revolution that are seen not just in France, but also in other countries. Although the colonists in the United States were at a serious disadvantage when the Revolutionary War started, their success, and documented achievements in the form of a written constitution became inspirational symbols for people all over the world. The concepts of liberty and republicanism sparked conversation in France and elsewhere about the role of government. So, there are a couple of key takeaways from this lesson about the impacts of the American Revolution that were seen in other countries. The first is that the Enlightenment was an important period that promoted thought, and different considerations about politics and the role of government.
But many people wrote off these Enlightenment ideals as simply concepts, and not something that could be translated into action. And the American Revolution showed that even with limited resources, these concepts could be used to overthrow an oppressive government. So, when word traveled around about this in France, especially since France was one of the allies that pitched in to help the colonists really win the Revolutionary War, it was kind of used as an example of what could be achieved when you really believed in your cause. And so it was just really remarkable and inspirational how this was used by individuals in other countries to set the tone for their own rebellions. And also this idea of a written constitution that clearly outlines the rights of people living in a particular country had ripple effects that were felt for many years. It was a relatively unique idea, but it's something that is still-- it's really become more common in countries all over the world, that you need to outline the rights of individuals to protect them from oppressive governments. So, the written Constitution of the United States, even though it was difficult to get to that point, really had important ramifications for countries all over the world in the aftermath of the American Revolution.
"Let us remember our Forebearers 200 +, years ago, the Price They were willing to Pay for Liberty, and to Rededicate, Ourselves to the Principles of Our Revolution."
"Let the Struggle that took place here remind All of Us that the Freedoms that We enjoy today, have not always Existed and Carries No Guarantee."
May God Bless America and May God Bless All of the People in Our Fragile, Yet, Precious World
Peace for All of Us
All of My Love,
Amélie
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