Posted on 01/02/2026 12:56:17 PM PST by bitt
On this day, exactly two and a half centuries ago, an Irish immigrant who had become one of Gen. George Washington’s trusted aides in the Revolutionary Army was the first person to use the name “United States of America.”
Stephen Moylan played a key role in the American Revolution, but like his fellow Irish Catholic immigrant and George Washington’s favorite aide, John Fitzgerald, Moylan had been almost lost to history in the modern era. That is, he was overlooked until, at the close of the 20th century, a letter of his from Jan. 2, 1776, came to light that proved to be the earliest known use of our country’s full name. Now, Moylan is referred to as the man who named the United States of America.
IMAGE
Moylan served various roles in the Revolutionary military, including muster-master general of the “secret” Navy, Washington's aide-de-camp as a lieutenant colonel (appointed March 1776), quartermaster general, dragoon regiment commander, head of cavalry, and brigadier general. This versatile freedom fighter was among the first to assert full American independence from Great Britain, half a year before the Declaration of Independence was passed. And he had the ear and the sympathies of his commander-in-chief while so doing. While the Continental Congress debated and dithered, Washington and his confidants understood that the path forward was independence and the creation of an entirely new and unique national identity.
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
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This is something I have never heard about before today.
I’m surprised the Irish don’t play it up a lot more.
They, like the Italians, tend to be a very proud nationality.
Now do “Articles Of Confederation”.
(John Dickinson)
Also do the ‘united States for America’
🤔 It wasn't Rachel Maddow ❓
And a good thing that immigrant wasn’t a Somali or it might have come out Unighted Stash of Oomerika
Wait a minute, was he a hyphenated American?
An Irish-American?
We aren’t all about them hyphens now are we?
/sarcasm (halfway)
Just thought I would add,
Any time you have American Revolutionary-era stuff, you should ping me.
I want to make free audio books out of these things. Like this as an example:
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4293433/posts
New audiobook release: Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the Declaration of American Independence
TOTAL LIE. EVERYTHING in this nation was started by the Somali community. As the democrats have said repeatedly. “We can’t mention anything in America without mentioning the contributions from the Somali... and illegal aliens on welfare.”
I clicked in, thinking that 250 Years Ago, an Irish Immigrant had named himself the ‘United States of America’
Maybe he was wanting to become a national personification, something about the luck of the Irish?
☘️
Asara Ba’ Tebeth (Fast of Tevet) 10 Tevet Tuesday 2 January 1776
The New England Historical Society quotes what Moylan wrote to Reed: “I should vastly like to go with full and ample powers from the United States of America to Spain.”
Wow. I had no clue.
I had always assumed that the name “United States” was coined after the 13 separate colonies were joined together into one nation. I thought at that time they changed their status from independent colonies to member states of a nation.
I would never in a million years have considered that someone refered to the still separate colonie rebeling against the King of Britain as “states”.
I am reminded of the time Christopher Plummer says, “You really cannot appreciate Shakespeare until you read it in the original Klingon”.
Dang Catholics, so papist, clearly traiters to the cause of America...
Yeah, big deal, but did Moylan name the “Gulf of America?”
President Donald John Trump is the real hero.....so there.. :>)
He should’ve filed the copyright!
Star Trek Six. My second favorite of the movies after Kahn (of course).
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