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Deeply moved by the power of the Declaration’s words, George Washington ordered copies sent to all generals in the Continental Army.Most Americans celebrating the July 4 holiday today don’t fully realize that the power of ideas in the Declaration of Independence was the critical enabling factor for the Americans to win the War of Independence. Compared to the British professional military, the American colonial army was simply no match—it was undermanned, underfunded, underequipped, inexperienced, and undertrained. At the outset of the war, the British Royal Navy had 270 warships deployed in American waters, while the Continental Navy had seven ships.On...

Independence Day is celebrated in the United States on July 4, and features parades, ceremonies commemorating the historic event, fireworks, barbecues and the occasional retail store sale. At the center of the observance is the Declaration of Independence, an influential political document that 56 members of the Continental Congress signed in 1776. From the 18th century to the present day, the Declaration of Independence has garnered a lot of attention, as well as a few misconceptions and myths about its origins. Here are five interesting facts about the Declaration of Independence. They include how it originally condemned slavery, how the...

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their...

You’ve probably heard that both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826—the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. But here are a few more American events that happened that day:1827: Slavery officially ended in New York.1831: “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” was first performed at a children’s Independence Day celebration in Boston.1831: President James Monroe died.1863: The Siege of Vicksburg ended with a Confederate surrender.1997: NASA’s Pathfinder landed and began its exploration of Mars.2004: The cornerstone to the Freedom Tower was laid on the site of the previous World Trade Tower.

Independence Day makes Progressives squirm. They despise the principles of the American Revolution. If they could, their scotus judges would gut the Declaration as thoroughly as they have the Constitution. To them, our Noble Declaration, this expression of God-given reason subverts social justice; they are right. Since the Declaration is indeed hostile to their moral relativism, the Left has long attempted to minimize our founding to a fuzzy faith in the people. The “deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,” and “all men are created equal,” translates in their Marxist minds as widespread democracy accompanied with equal...

Both served in the Continental Congress. Both signed the Declaration of Independence. Both served as U.S. Ministers in France. Both were U.S. Presidents, one elected the 2nd President and the other the 3rd. Download as PDF ... Once political enemies, they became close friends in later life. An awe swept America when they both died on the same day, JULY 4, 1826, exactly 50 years since they approved the Declaration of Independence. Their names were John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson's handwritten Declaration of Independence used the wording "inalienable rights" as seen in the copies at the American Philosophical...

As is usual, the Supreme Court saved its most important decisions for the end of this term, and the three biggies were handed down within days of each other: “Bruen (gun rights), Dobbs (abortion rights) and West Virginia (administrative regulation of CO2).” You don’t have to be a constitutional law scholar to wade through all this and the footnotes, citations, and legal disputations. Francis Menton has done it for you: (You can’t rely on the major media to do it. For the most part they share the same ideological viewpoint as that of the three dissenting justices, a view Menton...

The conservative supermajority has weaponized this harmful judicial philosophy as a way to embrace a racist, patriarchal narrowing of political rights. Even as the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court was sworn in Thursday, the slate of rulings from the newly empowered, right-wing and originalist court majority this term has made it clearer than ever that the court is motivated by a reliance on the white supremacist patriarchy of the Constitution’s framers. With Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade last week, and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, the...

"Don't Shoot Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes!" commanded Colonel William Prescott, repeating the order of General Israel Putnam, JUNE 17, 1775. Colonel William Prescott's men were in the center redoubt located on Breed's Hill, adjacent Bunker Hill, guarding the north entrance to Boston Harbor. Download as PDF ... Samuel Swett wrote in his History of Bunker Hill, that as the 2,300 British soldiers advanced: "The American marksmen are with difficulty restrained from firing. Putnam rode through the line, and ordered that no one should fire till they arrived within eight rods ... Powder was scarce and must...

In the American imagination, the founding era shimmers as the golden age of political discourse, a time when philosopher-kings strode the public stage, dispensing wisdom with gentle civility. We prefer to believe that these courtly figures, with their powdered hair and buckled shoes, showed impeccable manners in their political dealings. The appeal of this image seems obvious at a time when many Americans lament the partisan venom and character assassination that have permeated the political process. Unfortunately, this anodyne image of the early republic can be quite misleading. However hard it may be to picture the founders resorting to rough-and-tumble...

Our second President, John Adams, attended Harvard, the oldest college in America, already over a hundred years old when he attended. His successor in the White House, Thomas Jefferson, attended William and Mary… and his successor, James Madison, attended the College of New Jersey (now known as Princeton). Most of our earlier presidents, those who led the Continental Congress and its successor body, the Confederation Congress, were similarly well-educated men. For example, John Jay went to King’s College (now Columbia); Thomas Mifflin attended the College of Philadelphia. The various colleges of both the United States and Great Britain were well...

After Mr. and Mrs. Wheatley died, Phillis was left to support herself as a seamstress and poet. It is unclear precisely when Wheatley was freed from slavery, although scholars suggest it occurred between 1774 and 1778. In 1776, Wheatley wrote a letter and poem in support of George Washington; he replied with an invitation to visit him in Cambridge, stating that he would be "happy to see a person so favored by the muses."

Second only to Old Glory itself, the Betsy Ross Flag is the American icon. Its clean design is similar to our current flag, with 13 stripes and only 13 stars in a circle (representing the equal status of what were then the 13 united individual sovereign nations). This simplicity is perhaps the reason for its popularity among American Patriots and Constitutionalists, as it hearkens back to an earlier time when America was still a place of freedom and resistance to tyranny. But while this flag is the oldest attested flag for the American nation, many people don’t know its history....

"General Washington and his troops had been defeated in September, driven from Brooklyn to Manhattan, from Manhattan to New York City, around the Palisades, across New Jersey. They declined from 30,000 troops in September to 2500 Effectives on Christmas Day. Of the 2500, one-third did not have boots. They were wearing burlap bags wrapped around their feet, as they marched; they left a trail of blood. General Washington knew that if he didn't win a victory soon, the entire army would disappear. And so he had to do something desperate. He proposed to cross an icy river, at night, in...

America's First ChristmasHow we reversed our fortunes in the Revolutionary War Gen. George Washington’s army retreated from New York in ignominy in November 1776. As it moved through New Jersey, Lt. James Monroe, the future president, stood by the road and counted the troops: 3,000 left from an original force of 30,000. In December 1776, the future of America hung on the fate of a bedraggled army barely a step ahead of annihilation. The Americans confronted about two-thirds of the strength of the British army, and half of its navy, not to mention thousands of German mercenaries. Ron Chernow recounts...

Today marks a turning point in the Revolutionary War with General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River in 1776 and engaging a Hessian garrison in the Battle of Trenton, where the Continental Army pulled off a major victory, capturing nearly the entire garrison while suffering few losses. This victory lifted the morale of soldiers and colonists alike and gave patriots new hope for the Revolution's chances in the long road to victory and freedom.

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

This week we formally dedicated the World War II Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C. The center of the Memorial is a reflecting pool in front of a curved wall on which there are 4,050 golden stars, each of them representing one hundred Americans who gave the last full measure of devotion in that conflict. This was the long-delayed memorial for the 16 million Americans who served in that conflict, only a quarter of whom are still alive. A substantial number of those were in attendance at the dedication. Of course, World War II was not the war in...

In the gloom of this holy Christmas night, a cold sleet fell. It was not a night for man nor beast but yet here they were. Huddled upon the banks of this frigid river, 2000 men contemplated their bleak fate. The past few months had gone very, very badly. Their hopes had been crushed time and again. The noble experiment in Liberty which had begun with such promise, had by this time deteriorated to the point where every day was a battle just to survive. Defeat after defeat, at places like Long Island, Harlem Heights, Fort Washington and White Plains...

On this day in 1776, General George Washington wins the Battle of Trenton. 1776 had been a difficult year! The victory provided a much-needed morale boost. As discussed in yesterday’s post, the first weeks in December found Washington and British General William Howe on opposite sides of the Delaware River. As the weather deteriorated, Howe had decided to go into winter quarters. Washington, instead, decided to make a difficult crossing across the Delaware. His plan was to arrive at Trenton at 5 a.m., well before sunrise, so he could launch a surprise attack. Instead, Washington’s men arrived at Trenton at...