[yinandyang]

A bit long, but great for history buffs, and appropriate for President's Day. Particularly interesting is Paine's soliloquy - "if there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace". Can't find folks like that anymore.

[musicman]

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[steelyourfaith]

bfl

[Rummyfan]

Marking...

[Pharmboy]

Thanks much for the post, yinandyang...a terrific summary of a key part of the RevWar; plus, Magnet presents a few new (to me) facts.

The RevWar/Colonial History/ General Washington ping list...

[brownsfan]

**** “if there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace”. Can’t find folks like that anymore. ****

Agreed. I don’t know if I didn’t pay attention because I was a rowdy kid, or that schools didn’t emphasize enough, but the true nature of the founders is just amazing. Men of position and power who risked it all for principle.

Washington wasn’t flawless, but from what I’ve seen and read in my adult years, he did have fine qualities. He was courageous, learned quickly, and was a leader. Washington wasn’t schooled as a tactician, but he did learn on the job, and we likely wouldn’t be the USA without him.

Moving forward in time, it is ironic that the greatest generation is directly responsible for the worst generation. My parent’s generation, the ones who were raised during the depression, and fought World War II, raised the hippies. The hippies are the poison pill. They have killed America. The country is dying, and the hippies have their hands around her throat.

I can’t put into words my sadness... and yes, despair, over what has become of America, and Americans. I thank God that I likely won’t be around to witness the worst of it.

[Celtic Conservative]

I personally think that the day Washington became truly great was at the end of His second term when He willingly and freely left the office of president. He set a precedent for the peaceful, ordered succession of Constitutional government.

CC

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Adding pharmboy...

[C19fan]

“The achievements of Washington and his little band of compatriots between the 25th of December and the 4th of January, a space of 10 days,” pronounced one of the era’s foremost generals, Frederick the Great, “were the most brilliant of any recorded in the annals of military achievements.”

Now that is what I call an endorsement. I wonder if His Excellency heard that.

[rfreedom4u]

You, Sir, are correct in that it is a long read. But I attest that it is well worth the time and effort to be humbled by what our ancestors suffered to give us the greatest form of government to ever exist on the Earth. My only regret is that we Americans today are pissing away their hard won victory by allowing our current elected “officials” to run roughshod over We the People. I strongly believe Thomas Jefferson was correct when he stated,

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”

[JDoutrider]

mark

[Defiant]

Great post, thanks!

“Our only dependance now, is upon the Speedy Inlistment of a New Army,” he wrote Lund Washington, his cousin and trusted manager at Mount Vernon; “if this fails us, I think the game will be pretty well up, as from disaffection, and want of spirit & fortitude, the Inhabitants instead of resistance, are offering Submission, and taking protections from Genl Howe in Jersey.”

And now came one of history’s miraculous turning points, in which a handful of men transformed failure into triumph.

How similar is our situation! If the socialists continue winning, the choice for most Americans will be to submit to it, or else they and their families will suffer. They are for liberty, but will give in to tyranny, once it is clear that tyranny is going to triumph. We need to pull off a clear victory against tyranny, and then begin the long war to defeat it. We are close to the same point that Washington was at in December 1776. I sure hope we can pull off the same miracle and preserve what he and his countrymen created.

[neverdem]

BTTT!

[hinckley buzzard]

Probably the best biography written about Washington is by James Flexner: Washington: The Indispensable man. Flexner wrote an encyclopedic four volume biography but recognized the need for an accessible one volume work. He emphasized that the one volume work is not simply a cut and paste of the larger work, but was written more or less de novo to capture the essence without sacrificing integrity.

I recommend it highly for anyone who actually wants to learn about this remarkable man. "The Father of his Country" is not an exaggeration.