Free Republic

Why was the American Revolution, of all great revolutions, the only successful one, resulting in two centuries and more of unexampled freedom and prosperity? The French Revolution, by contrast, illuminated by America’s example and Enlightenment thought, began in blissful optimism but collapsed into a blood-soaked tyranny much worse than the monarchy it deposed. It spawned a military dictatorship that convulsed Europe and roiled half the globe for over a decade with wars of grandiose imperial aggression that slew at least 3 million. And the result of 25 years of turmoil? The Bourbon monarchy, minus the Enlightenment of its earlier incarnation,...

As one of the Patriot leaders in the Carolinas, the partisan campaign conducted by Brigadier General Francis Marion and his irregular force during the American Revolution prevented South Carolina from completely succumbing to British control during the period between the capture of Charleston in May 1780 and the start of Major General Nathanael Greene’s campaign to recover the Southern Colonies in December 1780. During substantial segments of this period he alone held eastern South Carolina from the British and became known as “The Swamp Fox” for his exploits and elusiveness in harassing the British with his guerilla tactics. . ....

Later this month, an archaeologist at Thomas Jefferson's historic home of Monticello in Charlottesville, Va., will speak at Smith College about the use of the late president's plantation by the estate's residents, both free and enslaved. Sara Bon-Harper, archeological research manager, will lecture at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24, in McConnell Hall, Room 103, about "Defined Spaces: Landscape on the Monticello Plantation." The event is sponsored by the Program in Archaeology and the Lecture Committee and is free and open to the public. Bon-Harper's work at Monticello focuses on an archaeological survey of the original 5,000-acre plantation and the excavation...

During and after the Revolutionary War, Gen. George Washington had a thorn in his side, a man that a fair amount of evidence pointed to as a “traitor,” who, traitor or not, served the enemy and nearly cost us the peace because he had one God he worshipped and served, and one only — himself. The man’s name was Gen. Horatio Gates, or just plain Horatio Gates, if you please, for rarely if ever had the rank of general in the American armies fallen upon a more undeserving soul than he. Story Continues Below Gates was of foreign birth, described...

NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES DON'T END AT THE BORDER For over a decade, the British Crown had been at war with the American colonies. One could argue that April 6, 1776 was the day that the American colonies had finally had it. The sundering of the bonds between two peoples is not something that happens in a day. The relationship between Great Britain and what was to become the United States of America began as a close-knit bond. The link between these frontier territories and their mother country was tight and fond at first; Americans were proud to think of themselves...

Associated Press/Mark Scolforo - In this photo made on Tuesday, March 26, 2013, Carol Tanzola, president of Friends of Camp Security, points out the property on a 47-acre parcel, located about four miles east of York, Pa. It includes the spot where a 1979 archaeological study found numerous artifacts that confirmed local lore that the area had once served as Camp Security, a prison for the English, Scottish and Canadian soldiers who were captured after defeats in the battles of Saratoga and Yorktown. (AP Photo/Mark Scolforo) (AP) — The mud of a south-central Pennsylvania cornfield may soon produce answers about...

George Washington’s rye whiskey going on sale Rye whiskey using George Washington’s own recipe will soon go on sale at the first president’s Mount Vernon estate in Virginia. The presidential home reconstructed Washington’s distillery and will make more than 1,100 bottles of unaged whiskey available beginning April 4. The bottles sell for $95 each. Mount Vernon says the rye is the most authentic version of Washington’s whiskey available. Washington was a detailed record keeper, and distillers used the same grain recipe and fermentation process as it was done 250 years ago. No word on whether it’ll be available online or...

"Give me liberty,or give me death!" Patrick Henry delivering his great speech on the rights of the colonies,before the Virginia Assembly,convened at Richmond,March 23rd 1775, concluding with the above sentiment,which became the war cry of the revolution. LIBERTY OR DEATH March 23, 1775 NO man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope that it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen, if entertaining, as I do, opinions of...

"......Think on this a moment. Washington never assumed. He never assumed that he would be chosen to lead the army (and when he was he turned down their offer of payment for his service), and he never assumed that he would be made the first president of the United States. I thought about this as I was driving home from work the day that I heard this particular lecture. Dr Freeman was spot on. His modest demeanor was exactly what this country needed. It still is......"

A year into his second term, President George Washington celebrated his 63rd birthday on February 22, 1794, and received one of the best birthday presents any head of state ever received. The new minister from France, Jean Antoine Joseph Baron Fauchet presented his credentials as the new ambassador from France, replacing the troublesome Edmund-Charles Genet at last. Citizen Genet was many things. A child prodigy, fluent in six languages by age twelve, he was born at Versailles in 1763, the only son of a French civil servant. Genet served as court translator in his youth and was then sent to...

The Historic Arkansas Museum will have two of George Washington's Bibles on display beginning Feb. 8. According to the museum's website, the Bible from the first president's inauguration will be on display for only two days, Feb. 8 from 5:00-8:00 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 9 from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. The George Washington Family Bible will also be exhibited, but will be on display for a longer period of time.

Many of us have ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War. Whether they were with General Washington at Valley Forge or at Cowpens or King’s Mountain or any of the other notable battlegrounds of our War for Independence, they were there to lay down their very lives as the price for freedom. Let us take a little time to recall Christmas, 1777, during that war… Christmas in wartime is especially difficult, and so it was at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania in 1777. “These are the times that try men’s souls,” wrote Thomas Paine in his well-circulated pamphlet entitled “The American Crisis.”...

The American Revolution was over. The United States of America was finished. The Continental Army was all but finished in December 1776 as the British and their Hessian (German) mercenary allies settled in for a long winter rest. In those days, it was customary that armies rest and refit in the winter months in preparation for the campaign seasons of spring and summer. And the British were all about custom and tradition. No matter, thought the British. They saw little need to move directly against Washington's army and risk further casualties. The Continental Army was disintegrating. Unpaid, ill-equipped, cold, and...

His annotated Constitution was worth $9.8 million at auction — but was priceless to a nation When George Washington’s personal, annotated copy of the Constitution sold last week for $9.8 million at auction in New York, it didn’t just set a record. It allowed us to see, for the first time, how cautiously our first president assumed the office, his eyes not toward history but the future. “This shows that he let the presidency define him, rather than for him to define the presidency,” says Edward Lengel, military historian and author of two books on Washington. “He was a man...

(Reuters) - A gold-embossed piece of U.S. history will go up for sale this month, when Christie's auctions off George Washington's personal copy of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. The documents, which date to 1789 and are signed and annotated by the first U.S. president, are poised to fetch from $2 million to $3 million when they hit the block on June 22, the auction house said on Wednesday. The bound papers constitute Washington's personal copy of the Acts of Congress. These include the Constitution, whose preamble promises to "secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our...

George Washington is justifiably called the "Father of America" for his military and civilian leadership during the American Revolution and his two terms as America's first president, however, in the new book, George Washington’s Military Genius, General David Palmer persuasively argues that Washington's strategic military talent was key to his success. Gen. Palmer, who is a former superintendent of West Point, attempts to bust the myths surrounding Washington’s American Revolutionary War experience and to put the accomplishments on the battlefield in perspective. Some historians view Washington as an incompetent bungler who merely got lucky in a few engagements with the...

When word that peace with Great Britain was assured, General Washington issued a blistering condemnation of Congress. In addition to demands for soldier's back pay, he called for reforms to the Articles of Confederation. His admonitions would culminate in 1788 with ratification of the Constitution. George Washington: When we consider the magnitude of the prize we contended for, the doubtful nature of the contest, and the favorable manner in which it has terminated, we shall find the greatest possible reason for gratitude and rejoicing; this is a theme that will afford infinite delight to every benevolent and liberal mind, whether...

What made Revolutionary War riflemen in the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment of the Continental Line so special? They were good shots using the right gun, a Pennsylvania long rifle with curved grooves in the barrel and a soft lead ball, according to reenactors. "These were sharpshooters who usually fought in pairs and were accurate in hitting a target within 200 to 300 yards," said Gregory A. Kreitz, 62, of Lower Heidelberg Township, a reenactor with the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment. Using the Pennsylvania long rifle, a second sharpshooter was usually ready to fire when the first one finished, often from behind the...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Earl Taylor has spent 31 years teaching that "the Founding Fathers have answers to nearly every problem we have in America today." Only in recent months has he found so many eager students. On a recent Saturday, he held the rapt attention of 70 of them. The eight-hour seminar held at a roadside inn here was one of half a dozen "Making of America" sessions nationwide that day, all sponsored by a little-known organization based in Idaho. Two years ago, Taylor, president of the National Center for Constitutional Studies, made about 35 trips to speak to small...