Welcome Teaching American History Grant Members Symposium III 1776 Book discussion Presented via WIMBA! March 16, 2011 1776 David McCullough Discussion Questions from Tim Crimmins and Glenn Eskew Georgia State University Tim McCulloughs narrative of the battles fought by the Continental Army led by George Washington in the year most students think only of the Declaration of Independence sets a larger context for the emerging idea of Independence and the formidable struggle to achieve it. GPS Standards that can be used to guide our discussion SSUSH4 sets the larger goals of understandingThe student will identify the ideological, military and diplomatic aspects of the American Revolution. The specific elements of this standard that are found in 1776 are c. Analyze George Washington as a military leader; include the creation of a professional military and the life of a common soldier, and describe the significance of the crossing of the Delaware River and Valley Forge. Standards contd. The standards also mention Thomas Paynes Common Sense, requiring that students be able to explain its importance to the movement for independence. "These are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, The more glorious the triumph. (see pages in 1776) 1.McCullough is a masterful storyteller. He is especially effective in using letters to advance his narrative. What are some of the letters that you can select for your students to show Washingtons qualities that make him a superior military leader? GW Letter to Congress, Sept. 6, 1776 from the Library of Congress To the President of the Congress, Head Quarters, New York, September 8, 1776 Before the landing of the Enemy on Long Island, the point of Attack could not be known or any satisfactory Judgment formed of their Intentions It might be on Long Island, on Bergen or directly on the City, this made it necessary to be prepared for each, and has occasioned an Expence of Labour which now seems useless... It is now extremely obvious, from all Intelligence, from their movements and every other circumstance, that having landed their whole Army on Long Island (except about 4000, on Staten Island) they mean to enclose us on the Island of New York by taking post in our Rear, while the Shipping effectually secure the Front To the President of the Congress, Head Quarters, New York, September 8, 1776 even the Declarations of Congress demonstrate, that on our Side the War should be defensive. It has even been called a War of Posts. That we should on all Occasions avoid a general Action, or put anything to the Risque, unless compelled by a necessity, into which we ought never to be drawn The honor of making a brave defence does not seem to be a sufficient stimulus, when the success is very doubtful, and the falling into the Enemy's hands probable. But I doubt not this will be gradually attained To the President of the Congress, Head Quarters, New York, September 8, 1776 I have also removed from the City all the Stores and Ammunition, except what was absolutely Necessary for its defence being Provided only for a Summers Campaign, their Cloaths, Shoes and Blanketts will soon be unfit for the change of weather which we every day feel. At present we have not Tents for more than ⅔ds., many of them old and worn out, The case of our Sick is also worthy of much consideration, their number by the returns form at least th. of the Army To the President of the Congress, Head Quarters, New York, September 8, 1776 but when the fate of America may be at stake on the Issue; when the Wisdom of cooler moments and experienced Men have decided that we should protract the War if Possible; I cannot think it safe or wise to adopt a different System, when the season for Action draws so near a close That the Enemy mean to Winter in New York there can be no doubt; that with such an Armament they can drive us out is equally clear The Congress having resolved, that it [New York City] should not be destroyed, nothing seems to remain but to determine the time of their taking Possession 2. McCullough describes the divisions within the Continental Army. How does Washington relate to his generals? Major General Artremis Ward Major General Charles Lee Major General Henry Knox Major General Nathanael Greene 3. McCullough uses General Charles Lee as Washingtons foil. How does the capture of Lee benefit Washingtons leadership role? General Charles Lee Washington at Monmouth by Leutz, 1854 4. What are some parts of McCulloughs narrative that can be excerpted to show Washingtons failures and what he learned from them? An admitted failure: The Loss of Ft. Washington Page 243 most devastating blow of all, an utter catastrophe. The taking of more than a thousand American prisonersa dreadful loss...capture of its garrison, plus quantities of arms, tools, tents, blankets and some 146 brass and iron cannon..in a matter of hours. Page 245 Washington had failed to override Greenes judgment.Nor, importantly, did he fire Greene,Washington needed Greene. He knew that Greene, like Knox, would never give up, never walk away, any more than he would, or lose sight of what the war was about.would repay loyalty with loyalty, and this, after so many bad decisions, was one of his wisest decisions ever. Margaret Molly Corbin was the wife of John Corbin, an artillery man, who was killed in the battle of Fort Washington in November Margaret stepped up to fill her husbands place at the cannon, assisting in sponging and loading. Margaret was wounded by grape shot in the arm and the chest, and as a result was disabled for the rest of her life. She was an original member of the Invalid Regiment that Congress created in 1777 to care for disabled soldiers. In 1779, Corbin was granted a stipend of $30 and a lifelong pension of half a soldier's pay. She was the first American woman to receive a disabled veteran's pension.sletter/volume7/nov08/women_revarmy.cfm See page 245, 1776 5. What are some parts of McCulloughs narrative that can be excerpted about the British army to show what a professional military looked like in the late 18 th century?The Battle Of Long Island Pages American soldiers description: hardened, battle-scarred veterans, the sweepings of the London and Liverpool slums, debtors, drunks, common criminals and the like, who had been bullied and beaten into mindless obedience. McCullough: British regular was far better trained, better disciplined, better equipped, and more regularly paid than his American counterpart was without questionbetter health..farmers, unskilled laborers and tradesmenwho had been recruitedPROUD. 6. What are some parts of McCulloughs narrative that can be excerpted to show how far the Continental Army had to go to be successful against the British army? Needed Improvements Page 127 (Long Island defense) That New York or Long Island, or both, could be a trap, neither seems to have seriously considered. (Lee and GW) Page 193 The Battle of Brooklynthe Battle of Long Island as it would be later knownhad been a fiasco. Washington had proven indecisive and inept. In his first command on a large-scale field of battle, he and his general- officers had not only failed, they had been made to look like fools. 7. What detail from 1776 can you use to show the life of the common soldier? The Common Soldier in 1776 Page 263: Charles Willson Peale fails to recognize his brother: so disfigured was he that Peale failed at first to recognize that the man was his own brother. Pages 36-37: Negroes, Indians and boys Page 270: Army of 7500, 6,000 fit for duty Page 181: on being captured a Hessian records, they had no uniforms, but only torn blouses of all colors,most have nothing but a wretched farmers costume and a weapon. 8. How can you use the struggle to defend New York City and the retreat across New Jersey to set a context for the Crossing of the Delaware? Context from McCullough Page 270: Washington said he thought the enemy was waiting for two events only before marching on PhiladelphiaIce for a passage, and the disoulution of the poor remains of our debilitated army. Pages Washington had more strength to draw upon than met the eye.Washington was fully the commander now and it suited him. Out of adversity he seemed to draw greater energy and determination. General William Howe 9. While the GPS requires using Paines Common Sense, could you use his account of the trials of the Continental Army in the December 1776 installment of Crisis as a primary source to set the context for the Crossing of the Delaware? The Crisis (Essay #1) December 23, 1776 THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but "to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER" and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God. The Crisis #1 continued (1776 page in red) I thank God, that I fear not. I see no real cause for fear. I know our situation well, and can see the way out of it. While our army was collected, Howe dared not risk a battle; and it is no credit to him that he decamped from the White Plains, and waited a mean opportunity to ravage the defenceless Jerseys; but it is great credit to us, that, with a handful of men, we sustained an orderly retreat for near an hundred miles, brought off our ammunition, all our field pieces, the greatest part of our stores, and had four rivers to pass. None can say that our retreat was precipitate, for we were near three weeks in performing it, that the country might have time to come in. Twice we marched back to meet the enemy, and remained out till dark. The sign of fear was not seen in our camp, Once more we are again collected and collecting; our new army at both ends of the continent is recruiting fast, and we shall be able to open the next campaign with sixty thousand men, well armed and clothed. This is our situation, and who will may know it. By perseverance and fortitude we have the prospect of a glorious issue; by cowardice and submission, the sad choice of a variety of evils a ravaged country a depopulated city habitations without safety, and slavery without hope our homes turned into barracks and bawdy-houses for Hessians, and a future race to provide for, whose fathers we shall doubt of. Look on this picture and weep over it! and if there yet remains one thoughtless wretch who believes it not, let him suffer it unlamented. 10. Using the images below, how can you use McCulloughs account of the arrival of 400 British ships in New York harbor to illustrate the incredible challenge faced by the Continental Army? Map of NY Harbor 1770 NY harbor 1667 Map of New York City Harbor 1770 Charles Willson Peale Born in Maryland, the son of a convicted felon who was transported to Britain's North American colonies, Peale was apprenticed at age thirteen to a saddle-maker, a situation he described as "abject servitude. Not successful in this trade, Peale tried his hand at other skills, such as upholstery, metalwork, clock and watch repair, and, almost by chance, portrait painting. In 1767 several wealthy and generous Maryland planters sent him to London to study with Benjamin West. He returned to Maryland in 1769 and rapidly established himself as the pre- eminent painter of the middle colonies. In June 1776 Peale moved his family to Philadelphia, right into the maelstrom of the Revolutionary crisis. Both Charles Willson and his brother James became active Whigs and fought in the Revolution. Charles Willson became a soldier in the Philadelphia militia, was present during part of the fighting in Trenton, and at the Battle of Princeton. James fought in several battles with the Continental Army. After the British army's withdrawal from Philadelphia, he served as an agent for the confiscation of estates and, in 1779, as a representative in the Pennsylvania Assembly. After the Revolution, Peale was never able to regain pre-eminence as an artist Peale would follow many careers: naturalist and museologist, inventor, agricultural reformer, and even a dentist at the end of his long life. Peale established his Philadelphia museum of natural history and art, which in little more than a decade became the most successful institution of its type in early America. In 1794, with his museum absorbing most of his time and energy, Peale formally retired as a professional artist, painting portraits only for relatives, friends, and his museum. In 1801, Peale, with the assistance of the American Philosophical Society and his friend, President Thomas Jefferson, organized an expedition to upstate New York to exhume the bones of an American mastodon,and mounted the skeleton in his museum He obtained patents for an innovative bridge design, fireplace improvements, and a portable vapor bath. Peale also coinvented a writing machine called the polygraph, which made copies of letters and documents and made similar models for two of his friends, the architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe and Thomas Jefferson. Yarrow Mamount is one of the rare portraits of African Americans in the early 1800s. When they met Peale found Mamount, who claimed to be 134 years old, still "healthy, active and full of fun." Collecting the Bones of a mastodon for his Philadelphia museum Nathanael Greene The Artist in His Museumpecial/americanstories/objectV iew.aspx?sid=2&oid=10 In a long, day-lit room in the Philadelphia State House (Independence Hall), Peale designed his museum with a grid system of cabinet dioramas and cases for his wildlife specimens and above them installed portraits of great men. became the home for many of the Native American artifacts and natural history specimens collected during the Lewis and Clark and other government-sponsored expeditions. Three rooms in Independence Hall. The Quadruped Room displayed 90 specimens of Mammals. The Long Room had more than 700 bird specimens situated in mini-dioramas, about 4000 insects in glass cases, numerous minerals and scores of Peale's portraits. A third room displayed marine specimens. Peale's "Mammoth", occupied a place of honor in the adjacent building, Philosophical Hall. See you next on the way to Savannah! Be sure to arrange for a substitute for Friday, April 15. Sub code is 0414 H We will arrive at Sprayberry HS at 7:30 to load the bus and leave by 8:00 AM. Guidelines for travel will be sent to everyone soon. Cant wait to embark on this exciting experience with you.