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Yeah, Washington is the indispensible man of American history. Without his military leadership the revolt against Britian would've failed and America as it is would never have existed.
It's funny how few men actually made the revolt work; Washington and a few thousand resolute and dedicated Continentals who stuck with him through thick and thin. Had the Continental Army fallen apart the revolt would've failed no matter what was going on with the militias in the hinterlands and it was Washington who held the army together.
Now the other indispensible man in the rebellion was Billy Howe but that's another story.
I agree. I never realized just how bloody and costly the revolution was. McCullough said that about 25,000 lives, or one percent of the population died in the war, making it the second costliest war behind the Civil War in percentage of the population lost.
Another major factor in the success of the war can be ascribed to the writings of Thomas Paine. John Adams, who had little affection for Thomas Paine, said, "Without the pen of Paine, the sword of Washington would have been in vain." Paine's 46-page "Common Sense" pamphlet galvanized the
people as nothing else could have. It can be said that it was the pamphlet that changed the world.
Here is a question for history buffs: Can another time in history be named when there was so much genius in one place as when the nation had Washington, Franklin, Paine, Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison, Mason, and the list goes on. Just an accident of history? It's hard to think so.
I agree. I never realized just how bloody and costly the revolution was. McCullough said that about 25,000 lives, or one percent of the population died in the war, making it the second costliest war behind the Civil War in percentage of the population lost.
Another major factor in the success of the war can be ascribed to the writings of Thomas Paine. John Adams, who had little affection for Thomas Paine, said, "Without the pen of Paine, the sword of Washington would have been in vain." Paine's 46-page "Common Sense" pamphlet galvanized the
people as nothing else could have. It can be said that it was the pamphlet that changed the world.
Here is a question for history buffs: Can another time in history be named when there was so much genius in one place as when the nation had Washington, Franklin, Paine, Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison, Mason, and the list goes on. Just an accident of history? It's hard to think so.
As corny as it may sound, I have always felt there was Divine Intervention that brought all these people together, at that place and time. It may be that I have been influenced by my father, a minister, who was a history major and immersed in the Revolutionary period and the characters who filled that stage. Regardless of what may have initially influenced my awe for the sheer intelligence of that group of men . . . the older I get, the more I am amazed.
outside of the founding fathers, my favorite is William Henry Harrison.
He was the shortest sitting president, due to catching a cold during his Inaugural. As such he was also the president to do the least amount of damage to the country.
Often there is one bad thing that a President gets known for, negating all the good things that went on during that administration. with LBJ it was Vietnam, with Nixon Watergate, and with Bill Clinton it was Monica Lewinsky.
Harrison defeated Tecumseh and Tenkswatawa, two of the most dangerous men in American history.
And along with Perry he defeated the Brits in the Old Northwest during the War of 1812, one of the few bright spots of a generally disastrous war.
Harrison was a good man for our side.
Oh, trust me when I say I know about Harrison. I grew up just minutes away from the battleground where the Battle of Tippicanoe was fought. Even now, on the 4th of July weekend I take my family there to the park for a family outing. (Side note, we also go to Fort Ouiatenon)
I have nothing against the man, but let's be honest for a moment. No matter how great a president is, there is always something that gets screwed up due to politics. Likewise, no matter how many sound decisions a president will make, there will bound to be a few that you completely disagree with.
That is why I went with Harrison as president. He had the least amount of time in office to screw anything up. Great man without a doubt, but still a man.
(Ok, to give you an idea about where I grew up and how I could not avoid learning about the history of the area, read this: I went to elem. school at Miami, Jr. High at Tecumseh, and HS at Jefferson, where our rivals were W.H. Harrison High. The road I grew up on? Commanche Trail. )
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