Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Historic star may have had Milford origins

From CTPost: Historic star may have had Milford origins
MILFORD -- One of the nation's most cherished symbols -- the five-pointed star used on the American flag and on the Great Seal of the United States -- may have had its origins here.

Amateur historian Gary Gianotti, a board member of the National Museum of the American Revolution, said the star symbol was used by Colonial Gov. Robert Treat, who defied an order by Edmund Andros, the King's representative, to surrender the royal charter. What became known as the Charter Oak Incident, the document was spirited away under Andros' nose to a tree outside, was orchestrated by the Milford-born Treat.

Treat, whose descendants still live here, used the five-pointed star on his personal seal, Gianotti said, possibly as a rebuke to the King's Star Chamber, where religious dissidents were convicted.

"The stars in the courtroom were there to let (defendants) know where they stood in the universe," Gianotti said on a history podcast. "And Treat was the governor who defied King James I and helped to hide the regicide judges.''

He said in an email Monday to the Connecticut Post that the Museum of the American Revolution has sent letters to city officials recognizing the link between the colonial governor and his great-grandson, Robert Treat Paine, who used the star design on what was to become the Great Seal of the United States, affixed to diplomatic dispatches.

Richard Platt, the Milford municipal historian, said Monday that while Gianotti's theory has not been proven, "he is an exhaustive researcher and it is quite possible" that at least the idea of the five-pointed star came from the Treats.

Historian Robert Hieronimus said that while Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams all submitted designs for the Great Seal, those designs were rejected by the State Department. The Great Seal, which has been slightly modified over the years, was first used by John Jay and Franklin on a diplomatic mission to Spain in 1787, according to a State Department website.

Gianotti said the Swan Family Foundation in New Jersey, which owns a nearly 5,000-piece collection of American Revolution artifacts, purchased what may be that original seal several years ago for $7. Gianotti said on the podcast that he hopes to authenticate it by comparing the impression made with the Swan Foundation seal to State Department documents known to have been made with the original seal.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Regular blog postings begin on DECEMBER 26, Monday.

Intel Insights: Remembering Washington’s Christmas Rally

From Intel Patch: Intel Insights: Remembering Washington’s Christmas Rally
Christmas 1776. The Revolution was not going well. The previous months had brought news that New York, Rhode Island and most of New Jersey had fallen to the British. Operational and intelligence blunders committed by Washington and his generals during these campaigns could have resulted in his dismissal as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. Washington knew he needed to make a bold move in order to galvanize the Continental Army and rally the American people to his cause.

But before he could make that decisive move, Washington had to overcome a series of problems. Among these was the dwindling strength of the Continental Army. Many soldiers only enlisted for months at a time. Their enlistments were often up just as key campaigns were about to get underway. More importantly, though, poor sanitary conditions and lack of medical care resulted in extraordinarily high deaths from diseases like dysentery and malaria.

Soldiers also lacked adequate clothing and shoes. More than one contemporary account describes bloody footprints left by barefoot Revolutionary soldiers in the snow.

Both combatants and non-combatants had experienced the scourge of war by this point in the Revolution. For the combatants, the brutality of the British Red Coats and their Hessian mercenary allies was particularly visible when they killed scores of Americans trying to surrender during the battles for New York. They imprisoned thousands of others in conditions that could only be described as barbaric.

For non-combatants, their farms were routinely pillaged and their cities laid waste by fire, as had happened in New York that September. Some tried to switch sides to protect their families and property. Most failed to buy safety or protection in this way.

There were, however, other currents affecting political sentiments in 1776. For one thing, news of British and Hessian brutality against both soldiers and civilians spread like wildfire throughout the colonies. Such stories not only spurred enlistments in the Continental Army, but they also helped convince many to provide material support to the Revolutionary cause.

Additionally, accounts of such atrocities served as the catalyst for Thomas Paine’s essay, The American Crisis, which begins with the stirring words: “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.”

First appearing in print on Dec. 19, Paine’s words quickly galvanized the young nation. They could only have inspired Washington and his troops to attempt one of the most audacious operations in our nation’s military history.

After losing New York and being chased by the British and their Hessian allies across New Jersey, Washington saw an opportunity to halt the British campaign. He decided to attack the Hessian garrison at Trenton.

His original plan called for a three-pronged attack. Three separate American forces would cross the Delaware River at different points and converge on Trenton and surprise the Hessians encamped there. They would do so under the cover of darkness on Christmas night.

That would have been difficult enough, but a violent winter storm ripped through the American encampments along the Delaware River just as the troops were about to board boats to cross the river. It was a classic “nor’easter”. Rain, sleet, hail and snow pummeled the attacking force. The storm also created dangerous ice floes, making it impossible for two of the three American forces to cross the Delaware. Washington’s force was the only one able to do so.

Once they got to the New Jersey side, they found the roads to be practically impassable. At one point, Washington discovered his troops’ movements were four hours behind schedule.

But Washington’s soldiers not only managed to get themselves to Trenton a little after dawn; they also brought a few cannons that would prove to be decisive in the ensuing battle with a well-entrenched and well-prepared enemy. Most importantly, they achieved surprise and benefited from an amazingly accurate intelligence picture. They had clearly learned from their failures.

The Americans routed the Hessians during this Christmas raid on Trenton. It proved to be both a victory and a turning point in the American Revolution. Although there would be other grave challenges to the American cause in the years ahead, the victory at Trenton served to inspire generations of American patriots. It showed what thorough preparation, willingness to learn from previous failures, determination in the face of overwhelming odds, and good intelligence could do to further a worthy cause.

This Christmas we can thank a band of patriots for showing us the way 235 years ago.

Friday, December 23, 2011

America’s First Christmas Tree: The Connecticut Connection

From Middletown Patch: America’s First Christmas Tree: The Connecticut Connection
That evergreens should somehow be associated with Christmas is no surprise. The holiday occurs within a few days of the darkest time of the year—the winter solstice—when the hours of darkness most exceed the hours of sunlight, and most plants in nature are dead or dormant. The enduring life and vitality of the evergreen—even in the dead of winter—quite naturally became a symbol both of hope and of the continuity of life. These symbols of the enduring quality of life have their roots in many ancient cultures, including the ancient Egyptians and Romans, and they antedate Christianity. For example, the Romans celebrated the feast of Saturnalia—in honor of one of the Roman gods of agriculture, Saturn—by decorating their homes with greens and by exchanging gifts during the winter solstice.

The modern tradition of the Christmas tree has its roots in German culture. St. Boniface, who brought Christianity to Germany over a millennium ago, is said to have discovered pagans worshipping an oak tree. He cut it down in anger, and a fir tree grew where it once stood; thus, the close association between evergreens and the Christian faith evolved.

Several hundred years later, Christians brought the evergreen tree indoors to celebrate the birth of the Christ child born, significantly, at the darkest time of the year—light in the midst of darkness-- showing the way to salvation, according to their beliefs. The German theologian, Martin Luther, is said to have been the first to start the tradition of lighting the Christmas tree with candles.

Many American Christmas traditions have their roots in German culture. One commentator on German Christmas traditions puts it this way:

The undisputed focal point of the entire Christmas period, in the community and in the family, is the Christmas tree. A German Christmas without the green fir tree is simply inconceivable…It is the symbol of Christmas for all Germans, who have to have their Christmas tree December the 23rd (not a day before!) even if they live abroad in distant countries.

Germanic cultural influences permeate American Christmas traditions in many other areas as well. Many popular Christmas carols have German connections, such as "O Tannenbaum"—German for Christmas tree—and the world’s most popular Christmas carol, "Stille Nacht" ("Silent Night"), written in 1818 by Franz Gruber. (The lyrics for "Silent Night" have been translated into 44 languages.) The Advent Calendar, which starts on the first Sunday after November 26, is another popular German Christmas tradition. The Advent Wreath, originally made of holly flowers and bound by fir twigs with four candles attached may be responsible for the proliferation of wreaths everywhere in America. The word "Yule" itself has a Germanic etymological pedigree.

According to the National Christmas Tree Association, Americans purchased more than 40 million Christmas trees last year. Add to that total the approximately 51 million artificial trees trucked out of the attic every year, and you have 91 million reasons to believe that putting up a Christmas tree annually is an American tradition with staying power. It is also an American tradition that began in Connecticut in 1777-- thanks to the Battle of Bennington (VT) during the American Revolution.

The Battle of Bennington took place on August 16, 1777. It was an interesting battle for a number of reasons. British forces, consisting largely of Hessian troops—German mercenaries—went on a foraging raid in the Bennington area to re-supply their troops with food and horses. They badly underestimated the size and quality of the American forces arrayed against them. Led by the clever American commander, General John Stark, the colonials defeated the British forces after much fierce fighting. The failure of the Bennington raid became a major factor in Burgoyne’s decision to surrender at Saratoga two months later—considered by historians to be the turning point in the war-- as his army had all but run out of supplies. Hundreds of the Hessian mercenaries were taken prisoner.

Many of the prisoners ended up in Boston, from where most were dispersed to various places around the region. One of the Hessians, Hendrick Roddemore, ended up in the custody of Samuel Denslow on his 100 acre farm in Windsor Locks, CT. Denslow allowed Roddemore to live in a small cabin on property located on West Street-- between Spring and North—the current Noden-Reed Farm and home of the Windsor Locks Historical Society. It was within this small cabin in Windsor Locks in 1777 that the German POW from the Battle of Bennington began the tradition of the indoor Christmas tree in America, probably on December 23rd—the traditional German custom for raising a Christmas tree.

Jabez Hayden’s Historical Sketches, published in 1915, describes a cabin "built by the Samuel Denslow, who lived on West Street, for… Hendrick Roddemore, a Hessian soldier." Roddemore continued to live here until his wife died, ironically, on Christmas Day 1790. Today, a stone marks the approximate spot where Roddemore erected the first Christmas tree in 1777 (see photos). By 1900, one in five American households had Christmas trees in their homes; by 1920, the vast majority of American homes were putting up Christmas trees.

Today, just over 75% of Americans consider themselves members of a Christian church; 16% of Americans consider themselves atheists, and about 8% have other religious beliefs. Many of the non-Christian 25% in America, nevertheless, celebrate the holiday as well, just as it had been celebrated for centuries prior to the advent of Christianity for a variety of reasons and according to different cultural traditions.

Given the central importance of Christmas in general and the Christmas tree in particular to German cultural traditions, it should come as no surprise that a lonely German POW in Windsor Locks, CT - my hometown - sought comfort in raising the first Christmas tree in America in December 1777. Little did he realize what he had started; 234 years later over 91 million Christmas trees in America carry forward a tradition begun by a POW from the Battle of Bennington!

Notes and Sources:

1. Historical Sketches by Jabez Hayden; Windsor Locks Journal Corporation, 1915.
2. holiday.com-(Germany)
3. christmastree.org
4. historicvermont.org/bennington/
5. christmas-tree.com

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

American Revolution: Tea in the Harbor

From About.com: Military: American Revolution: Tea in the Harbor
December 16, 1773 - Angry colonists conduct the Boston Tea Party (right). In the years after the French & Indian War, the British government attempted to levy several taxes on the colonies to aid in paying for the war and their defense. Lacking representation in Parliament, the colonials argued that their rights were being violated via "taxation without representation." In 1770, they succeeded in forcing Parliament to repeal a series of taxes known as the Townshend Acts after a series of boycotts. Though the bulk of the duties were removed, one remained on tea. In an effort to aid the ailing East India Company and break colonial boycotts, Parliament passed the Tea Act in 1773. This allowed the company to sell tea directly to the colonies.

The company dispatched tea ships to North America that fall. Recognizing Parliament's intent, colonists in Philadelphia and New York blocked the tea from being landed and forced the ships to depart. Arriving in Boston, the tea ships were prevented from unloading, but were unable to leave as Gov. Thomas Hutchinson desired the taxes to be paid. Rallying the community, the Sons of Liberty boarded the ships on the night of December 16, 1773, and threw the tea into the harbor as a protest. A direct affront to royal authority, the Boston Tea Party resulted in Parliament passing the punitive Intolerable Acts in early 1774. These new laws and their effects rapidly pushed both sides towards the American Revolution which would begin in April 1775.

Guard celebrates 375th birthday

From Omaha.com: Guard celebrates 375th birthday
ASHLAND, Neb. — A 375-year tradition of citizen soldiers stood front and center Sunday at Camp Ashland during a birthday celebration for the National Guard.

The National Guard began on Dec. 13, 1636, when the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony passed a law establishing formal militia companies. Since that time, guard units have participated in every major conflict involving the United States from the American Revolution to the war on terror.

Nebraska National Guard Adj. Gen. Judd Lyons said members of the guard have been severely tested since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Units have been deployed all over the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

“There have been countless deployments, but the thing that impresses me is that these men and women joined up knowing they would deploy,” Lyons said. “They are just so proud to serve their country, and you see that all across the board.”

The belated birthday celebration included inspirational music by members of the 43rd U.S. Army Band, speeches by dignitaries and the ceremonial cutting of the guard's birthday cake. Following tradition, the youngest guard member present, Pvt. Lucas Kinsey, 20, and the oldest, retired Maj. General Edward Binder, 88, cut the cake with a saber.

Staff Sgt. John Tolliver, 51, of Lincoln, has deployed to Iraq, Kuwait and Egypt. He said he feels a kinship of service with older veterans.

“Anything we can do to preserve what the founders gave us is an honor,” Tolliver said. “What we're doing is maintaining what other generations have given us and then handing it over to the next generation.”

That spirit of tradition and honor hit home with Tolliver one day while he was shopping in uniform. An elderly man approached him and thanked him for his service.

“I asked if he had been in the service and he said that he had,” Tolliver said. “So, I asked where he had been and he said ‘Omaha Beach.' I couldn't believe he was thanking me after what he went through there. I don't want to be the one to let that guy down.”

The way Chief Warrant Officer Kevin Monismith of Lincoln sees it, the National Guard is better equipped, trained and motivated than when he joined 20 years ago.

“We move at a lot faster pace because we have a two-fold mission — (disaster relief) in the states and our work abroad,” Monismith said. “We've gotten better at all the things we need to do. We're better equipped and we have experienced leaders that are directly responsible for keeping the guard motivated.”

Monismith deployed to Bosnia in 1998 and Afghanistan in 2007. His wife, Chief Warrant Officer Carrie Monismith, has served two tours in Iraq.

The couple has an 11-year-old daughter. Kevin Monismith said serving on the home front while his wife is away has been interesting. He credited support from other guard members with helping him get through the difficult times.

“For the people at home, it's quite the commitment,” he said. “You're mom, dad, cook, gardener … everything that you need to be, but there is a lot of support from the guard and I'm grateful for that.”

Now that all U.S. combat forces have left Iraq, the Nebraska National Guard has only about 200 soldiers deployed abroad. That contrasts with a high of about 1,400 Nebraskans deployed a few years ago.

“We'll take a minute to reload and reset, but we'll be ready to do it again if we have to,” Kevin Monismith said. “That's our history. We're always ready if the country needs us.”

Monday, December 19, 2011

SAR chapter has busy November and December

From Cleveland Daily Banner: SAR chapter has busy November and December

view slideshow (14 images)
PREV NEXT

<< >>
The Col. Benjamin Cleveland Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution recently held its annual meeting at the Elks Club.

Tennessee Society SAR President-Elect Charles Dammann spoke on “SAR: Who Are We?”

He said the society was created as the National Society, Sons of the Revolution in 1876 then as the “Sons of Revolutionary Sires.” It was incorporated in April 1889 as the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. He also talked about the special act of Congress in June 1906, signed by President Theodore Roosevelt.

The Tennessee society was created in 1889 in Nashville. From 1889 until 1922, there were no chapters in the Tennessee Society; all were at-large.

In 1923 the first chapter was installed which was the Andrew Jackson Chapter in Nashville, the second was the John Sevier Chapter in Chattanooga in 1925, and the others then followed. At present there are 20 chapters in the Tennessee Society.

Dammann said the national headquarters of the SAR was in Washington, D.C., from 1927-1979. At that time the headquarters moved to Louisville, Ky., and took over the old Masonic Grand Lodge Building there. This building has now become too small, and in 2010 the first phase of the new building site, consisting of the new library, was dedicated. It is on west Main Street across the street from Louisville Slugger business.

Fundraising is continuing through the efforts of the Center for the Advancement of America’s Heritage to finish the completion of the final phases of the new Headquarters building on west Main Street in the museum district.

Dammann explained the various objectives, programs and activities of the SAR at the national, regional, state and chapters levels.

The visitors attending this meeting from the John Sevier Chapter in Chattanooga were Past State President Bill Eubank, Past State President and dual member John Echerd, Jim Carter and wife, Phyllis, (DAR member), and guest speaker Dammann and wife, Marilyn (DAR member).

Visiting SAR members of the Ocoee Chapter in Cleveland were Marilyn McReynolds, Harriet Caldwell, Regent Linda Foster, Jo Webb, Maggie Evans, and prospective member Gussie Ridgeway. Also recognized were Debbie Arp, Virginia Orr and Katye Beard, and the many wonderful wives present. Prospective members attending were Dan Crook, Bill Brown, Harrison Brown and Bill McClure.

Three new members, Larry W. Grant, the Rev. J. William Beard and Jeffrey A. Byrd, were sworn-in, and membership certificates presented by Stan Evans. Stone gave them the history of the Society rosette, and presented each a rosette as new members.

They each said a few words showing their appreciation for those helping them become members of this prestigious society.

East Tennessee Vice President Claude Hardison spoke on several issues and recent events in which the chapter has been involved, including the Gen. Cleveland statue fundraising efforts, the installation of the new State of Franklin chapter, the Christmas parade and several Color Guards efforts.

He also spoke on the recent growth of the chapter. He presented two chapter member certificates from the State of Franklin Chapter to Van Deacon and David Hicks.

Evans encouraged all members to attend the Wreaths Across America program. Chapter members taking part included Kevin Brooks, Evans, Stone, Allen, Hardison, Hicks and Jack Murphy. Cleveland resident Bill Norwood will also be involved. This year the chapter bought more than 80 wreaths, which will be part of the ones that will be laid.

Hunter McLain read a letter from President Tommy McLain, his grandfather, expressing his regrets for not being able to attend this annual meeting, and his appreciation for how the chapter officers and members have come forth and kept the chapter running in his absence.

He also reflected on the progress of his grandfather’s general health, and how he had lost about 49 pounds. Hunter stated he really appreciates all cards, calls and visits from members and friends.

All members present signed a get-well card for chapter member James McLain, who is battling cancer of the esophagus.

This year Certificates of Recognition went to chapter officers and members: Joe Brock, Colloms, Lynn Freeman, Bob George, Stone, Roy Queen, Deacon, Hal Taylor, Sam Allen and Doug Carpenter.

A special Bronze Good Citizenship Medal was presented to Jim May for all his work in assisting Freeman and Evans in the recruiting of new members.

Evans stated that May was a large contributor to the recent climb to 126 chapter members, and the 18 new applications in the system to be worked at National.

This year’s past president Brian Webb presented the “Stanley A. Evans Outstanding Service Award” to the member who the past chapter presidents chose for his untiring service to the chapter in 2011. The recipient for 2011 was Stone.

Webb was the one who developed this special chapter award in 2006 presenting it then to its first recipient, Evans.

Newman presented to Stone the first-place “Civics Honors” trophy the chapter won in the recent Cleveland Christmas Parade.

Allen, chairman for the Christmas Parade float, working with volunteers, prepared Newman’s large cannon, caisson and trailer as the float for the chapter’s entry into the Cleveland Christmas Parade on Dec. 4. Those involved in the preparation and parade were chapter members Allen, Newman, Evans, Hardison, Chris Carter, Taylor, Stone and Hiwassee chapter member Jason Wright. Two ladies, Maggie Evans and Harriet Caldwell, rode on the float during the parade in period dress.

On Nov. 11, Veterans Day, the chapter Color Guard paraded and posted the Colors for the Cleveland Middle School’s special Veteran’s Day Program. Participating were Evans, Stone, Hardison and Allen.

The chapter Color Guard participated in a special program at First Baptist Church Nov. 15. This most impressive program was the Cleveland Community Concert Band, who honored veterans of all wars, starting with the Revolutionary War up to the present Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Those participating were Stan Evans, Hardison, James Stone and Allen. There was total darkness in the church when the Colors and flags were paraded and posted, with only a light shining on the Color Guard, creating a most interesting effect.

Dammann installed the chapter officers for 2012. The elected/appointed officers were:

President: James K. Stone

1st Vice President: C. Van Deacon

2nd Vice President: David L. Whaley

Secretary: Joe E. Brock

Treasurer: Doug E. Carpenter

Genealigist/Registrar: E. Lynn Freeman

Chaplain: Eddie G. Cartwright

Sergeant-at Arms: Sam H. Allen

Historian: Robert L. George

Chancellor: Jim S. Webb

Dammann presented the chapter gavel to Stone, and placed the president’s ribbon around his neck. As the newly installed chapter president, Stone then gave his incoming speech.

First Vice President James Stone called the meeting to order. The invocation was given by Judge Carl Colloms, which was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. flag led by Judge Van Deacon, the pledge to the SAR flag led by Phil Newman and the pledge to the Tennessee flag led by Dave Whaley.

Stone announced the next meeting will be held Jan. 8. He closed the meeting with Evans leading the recessional. Colloms gave the benediction, and the closing gavel was struck.

Friday, December 16, 2011

TRENTON: Group looking for help refurbishing war marker

From the News-Herald: TRENTON: Group looking for help refurbishing war marker

TRENTON — The Monguagon Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution is working to raise funds to refurbish a marker on the perimeter of Elizabeth Park.

The War of 1812 “Battle of Monguagon Marker” was first dedicated in August 1962.

The DAR is hoping to have a rededication in August, the 200th anniversary of the battle.

The battle of Monguagon was the only battle won by the Americans in Michigan during the War of 1812.

The Monguagon Chapter is applying for grants to refurbish the marker and landscaping of the site.

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution has matching grants for organizations that quality.

The group is asking for donations and pledges within the next month. The deadline to donate is Jan. 27, 2012.

Pledge money can be given through March.

Checks can be made payable to Monguagon Chapter NSDAR.

Chapter members said they need the help of Downriver communities or the project will not be possible. The chapter is a nonprofit organization.

The faith (and doubts) of our fathers

From the Economist: The faith (and doubts) of our fathers
IN THE year of our Lord 1816 two grand old men of the American Revolution corresponded eagerly about the work they had recently done, in their rural retirement, on the Bible. Ex-President Thomas Jefferson thanked his old friend Charles Thomson, a co-sponsor of the Declaration of Independence, for sending a copy of his newly completed synopsis of the Gospels.

At a time when many modern Americans are arguing feverishly over the real significance of the nation’s religious and political beginnings, such letters can be dynamite. So let the contents of this exchange be noted carefully. Thomson, like most members of the first American Congress, which he had served as secretary, was a committed member of a church—in his case Presbyterian—but he still felt that there might be things in the Bible that organised Christianity hadn’t grasped. So he spent years re-translating the scriptures; the ex-president approved.
In this section

* The Company that ruled the waves
* Frog-hunters of the Western Ghats
* The game
* A path through time immemorial
* How Luther went viral
* »The faith (and doubts) of our fathers
* The servant problem
* Why have servants?
* Pirate, colonist, slave
* A Riche history
* Little red card
* Sun Tzu and the art of soft power
* The one-shot society
* Retail therapy
* Brewed force
* The wisdom of crowds
* Portrait of the artist as an entrepreneur
* Seven seconds of fire

Reprints
Related topics

* Virginia
* History
* American history
* World history
* Culture and lifestyle

But Jefferson, like most of the top figures in the American Revolution, was far more of a sceptic in religious matters. He was fascinated by metaphysics but he had no time for the mystical. In contrast with today’s vituperative exchanges, these differences did not stop the two gentlemen maintaining a warm correspondence. But Jefferson’s approach to redacting the Bible involved something more radical than translation. He literally snipped out everything supernatural: miracles, the Virgin birth, the resurrection. The result was his own, non-mystical account of the life of Jesus. He told his old comrade: “I too have made a wee little book from the same materials which I call the ‘Philosophy of Jesus.’ It is a paradigma [sic] of his doctrines, made by cutting the pages out of the book and arranging them on the pages of a blank book…A more beautiful or precious morsel…I have never seen. It is a document in proof that I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus, very different from the Platonists who call me infidel and themselves Christians.”

If Jefferson was a Christian of any kind, he was an idiosyncratic one. He admired Jesus as a moral teacher but like many of America’s revolutionaries, he had a visceral loathing for priestcraft. Jefferson blamed Saint Paul, the early Church, and even the Gospel writers for distorting the mission of Jesus, which, as he saw it, had been to reverse the decadence of the Jewish religion. Starting from the (correct) proposition that mystical ideas originating from Plato were influential when Christian theology was being developed, he castigated followers of the Greek philosopher for corrupting what he saw as the original Christian message.

Did Jefferson believe in God? Certainly not the Christian idea of a God in three Persons; he saw that notion as incomprehensible and therefore impossible for a rational person to accept. One view is that like many of America’s founders, he was a Deist, believing in a Creator who set the universe and its laws in motion but did not intervene thereafter. (The Deist God has been described as rather like a rich aunt in Australia—benevolent, a long way off, and mostly leaving the world to its own devices.)

The shape of the Earth, for example, he ascribed to a Creator’s genius. “Had He created the Earth perfectly spherical, its axis might have been perpetually shifting by the influence of the other bodies of the system,” Jefferson once told Thomson. Others think Jefferson’s views were somewhere between Deism and traditional Theism. In language that some modern American conservatives can pounce on, he once asked whether the young republic’s liberties could be secure without “a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift from God”. But that does not imply he held such convictions. Although we know what Jefferson did not believe, it is harder to say what he did believe.

Between now and the 2012 presidential election, many pronouncements by the founding fathers—especially but not only on the subject of Christianity—will be parsed and dissected with passion by both sides. Liberals, keen to protect the American variety of secularism from what they see as a resurgence of zealotry, will stress the rationalist leanings of most of the revolution’s protagonists; religious conservatives will point out that the revolution’s foot-soldiers were generally people of faith who would be shocked, for example, by the idea of banning prayer in schools.

Believers in the idea that America was established as a Christian state scored a hit last year when the Texas school board, a politicised body in which evangelicals control crucial votes, ordered up textbooks laying out this view. Given the size of the Texan market, school-book publishers across the country often follow its lead. The best-known advocate of the “Christian nation” theory is a Texan, an author and evangelist called David Barton, who has been writing on the subject since the 1980s.

Among his recent claims are that the founding fathers rejected Darwinism (although they pre-dated Charles Darwin), and that they broke away from Britain in order to abolish slavery. In fact the southern states only joined the Revolution on the understanding that slavery would not be questioned. Strange as his views may sound to most scholars, Mr Barton’s philosophy is taken seriously in Republican circles. When Rick Perry, the Texas governor and presidential candidate, held a day of prayer for the nation in August, Mr Barton was an acknowledged endorser. One of Mr Barton’s admirers is Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker who argues that American history has been distorted by secular historians to play down the role of faith. “I never listen to David Barton without learning a whole lot of new things,” Mr Gingrich has said.

It is easy to see why politicians are attracted by the assertion that America was founded as a Christian land, and is hence called to be a place of exceptional virtue. It elegantly fuses two beliefs: Christianity itself, and belief in American history as another sacred narrative, one that sees the founders as people of near-infallible wisdom and virtue waging a noble war against the forces of darkness.

If Mitt Romney, a Mormon, and Mr Gingrich confirm their place as front-runners for the Republican nomination, debates over sacred texts and stories—from the Book of Mormon to the days of prayer and fasting decreed by the first Congress—could take some unpredictable turns, even if Mr Romney tries to avoid them. As a political slogan, citing the founders (to condemn welfare, as Mr Perry does) is a formidable weapon; invoking Jesus Christ (to make the case against the minimum wage, as Mr Barton does) is even stronger medicine. Arguments that use both sources at once can seem almost irresistible.

Academic historians are bemused at times by the inquiries they get from people with no previous interest in the nation’s beginnings: what did America’s creators really believe? Jill Lepore, a Harvard professor who deconstructs the uses and abuses of the past, is wary of would-be historians with an agenda. For her, the founders’ genius lay in their willingness to cast doubt on fixed ways of thinking inherited from the past. So to make them final arbiters is to traduce their spirit.

Nor, indeed, were the fathers of one mind. They did not spend their time producing pearls of unanimously agreed wisdom. They quarrelled bitterly. Indeed, if something about this period still resonates in modern politics, it may be the fathers’ disputes, and the subtle points each side brought to bear. The tug-of-war between Alexander Hamilton, who successfully campaigned for an American central bank and other federal authorities, and Jefferson, who favoured states’ rights, is in many ways still going on.

Linda Bilmes, a public policy professor at Harvard, sees in Hamilton’s argument a practical application of the metaphysical belief that man is neither utterly wicked nor naturally virtuous; it followed, Hamilton thought, that honest, competent administration was needed to maximise the chances of virtue prevailing.
The founders’ genius lay in their willingness to cast doubt on fixed ways of thinking inherited from the past. To make them final arbiters is to traduce their spiritJefferson might disagree, but he would enjoy the ensuing debate.

Above all, the fathers were pragmatists. The exigencies of war with Britain, and survival in an unconquered frontier, gave them little choice. Take George Washington. Unlike Jefferson, Washington does not seem to have had much personal interest in matters philosophical. He was a general and politician, not a theologian. Still, when exhorting troops before battle, or addressing fellow citizens of the republic, he could use religious rhetoric. “No people can be bound to acknowledge the invisible hand, which conducts the affairs of men, more than the people of the United States,” he declared in his inaugural address. But these circumlocutions were typical of his references to God.

As his biographer Ron Chernow observes, Washington spoke of “Destiny” or the “author of our being” or simply “Heaven”. Another favourite term was “Providence”—a word often used by Freemasons, a movement of which Washington was an active member. For those who know where to look, the Washington home at Mount Vernon is full of Masonic symbols, one Masonic researcher has written. But on this matter, Ms Lepore cautions against over-interpretation: the Masons were just one of the gentlemen’s clubs where squires liked to gather.

Virtually absent from Washington’s pronouncements was any reference to Jesus. He did not take communion—for most Christians, the most important rite of their faith—and he did not summon a Christian minister to his death bed. Was Jefferson right, then, to claim that “[Washington] thinks it right to keep up appearances but is an unbeliever”? Washington was certainly a diplomat. Although he remained formally Anglican, as president he wrote friendly letters to many Christian and Jewish communities and attended their services. And when he needed a job done on the estate, he was firm, for his time, about the irrelevance of religion: “If they are good workmen,” he said, “they may be Mahometans, Jews or Christian of any sect, or they may be atheists.”

As every American youngster has been taught, one thing that Washington, Jefferson and all the founders did believe in was religious freedom. They were appalled by the fusion of religious and political power, epitomised by the divine right of kings.

The emphasis on freedom seems clearer than anything else about the founding texts. People may still argue over whether those texts have any religious inspiration at all. The constitution contains little reference to any deity, while the Declaration of Independence appeals to “Nature’s God”—a formula that sounds more Deistic than Christian. But the constitution’s first amendment seems crystal-clear on the subject of freedom: it bars Congress from establishing any religion, or from erecting any barrier to the free exercise of religion.

Yet for all the sonorous beauty of much early American writing on the subject, religious liberty too should be seen as something pragmatic—a hard-nosed solution to the problem of stitching together a country out of 13 colonies with diverse populations and different religious arrangements. Nine colonies had established churches at the time of the Revolution; most of these regimes sputtered on for several decades afterwards. The religious scene in the colonies ranged from the strict Puritan communities of New England to the suffocating Anglican regime of Virginia. In New England, Anglican clergy acted as fifth columnists for the crown; Virginia had an Anglican American culture of its own. Maryland had always been a comfortable place for Catholics.

It was all a big, volatile mess, to which a regime of religious liberty was the best solution. Among the many impulses behind the Revolution was a network of Presbyterians and other non-conformists who loathed Anglicans’ entitlements. The advocates of “Christian history” rightly point out that conventional scholars sometimes underestimate the role of low-church Protestant zeal as a source of revolutionary fervour. Non-conformists resented the fact that, as Holly Brewer of the University of Maryland has noted, the monarch in some ways had more sway over American Anglicans than he did over the Church of England. This Anglican (and crown) privilege so infuriated dissenting Christians that it spurred them to form countervailing networks across state boundaries. But neither Presbyterian nativism, or any other sectarian impulse, would have sufficed to underpin a revolution.

As things turned out, the founding fathers—and above all Jefferson—had a much broader vision of the danger that religious intolerance of all kinds posed to the new republic. To see how sectarianism was trumped, it is worth looking at the state where freedom of conscience was first established, after a fight—Virginia.

That battle’s heroes, including four of the first five presidents of the United States, were Virginian gentlemen. Jefferson saw the establishment of religious freedom in his native Virginia—overthrowing an Anglican establishment in which he, as a vestryman, had played a part—as one of his greatest feats. On his instructions, his tombstone records three things: his authorship of the Declaration of Independence, his creation of the University of Virginia (pointedly built around a library, not a church), and religious liberty in his home state.

The dismantling of Virginia’s Anglican regime began in 1776, with a sonorous declaration that “the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence”. This ensured there would be no repeat of the incident two years earlier when a Baptist minister was whipped and jailed for preaching without a licence. The state church was finally dislodged in 1786, when a Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom, penned by Jefferson, was passed after a lively debate in which Madison, who had been appalled by the jailing of Baptist ministers in his neighbourhood, prevailed. Madison went on to frame the Bill of Rights for the republic, including its vital provisions on liberty of conscience.

Virginia’s church establishment was ended by a coalition of free-thinking gentlemen like Jefferson and Madison, and non-conformists who resented the curbs on their ability to worship and preach. One of the few conventionally devout figures in the revolution’s front ranks was also one of the few opponents of full religious freedom: John Jay, the second secretary of state. A staunch New York Anglican, he could not stomach the idea of freedom for Catholics. But he was defeated by fellow founders who thought the cohesion of the state should trump any sectarian concern.

On the face of things, the victory for religious liberty, first in Virginia and then in the American republic, was so decisive that no venerator of the founders could plausibly challenge it. Yet Mr Barton, the advocate-in-chief of Christian history, has raised his standard over that very issue. The argument centres on a famous phrase of Jefferson’s, cherished by secularists, which calls for a “wall of separation” between church and state. Jefferson used that formula in a letter to some Baptists who asked him what exactly the constitution’s framers had meant when outlawing the establishment of a state religion. Mr Barton’s line is that the “wall” works only one way, as does the constitution’s ban on a state religion. This principle does not, he says, exclude governance by Christian principles; all it bars is state interference in church life or theology. This argument has been adopted by many other Christian conservatives since he first made it 20 years ago. (A minority of evangelicals take a different view; they think the founding fathers were indeed hopeless freethinkers, and conclude that good Christians should avoid politics. But that is a hard corner to argue.)

There is a great irony about all these disputes over America’s creators, whether they pit Christian against Christian, or religious types against secularists. Regardless of their own views on the spiritual, people like Madison, Washington and Jefferson were intensely concerned for the welfare and cohesion of the new republic. They worried not only about religious wars as such but about political disputes which were “religious” in their intensity. They wanted to create a state and political system to which people with utterly different ideas about metaphysics, and many other things, could offer unconditional loyalty. People who disagree over legal or economic matters ought to be able to respect one another and compromise; people who disagree over things they regard as ultimate—and therefore see one another as heretics—usually can’t.

The religious or non-religious character of the constitution (and what children should learn about it) is only one of many issues on which it is hardly possible, these days, to have a calm debate. Perhaps all sides should ponder the words of Jefferson in his first inaugural address: “Let us reflect that, having banished from our land that religious intolerance under which mankind so long bled and suffered, we have yet gained little if we countenance a political intolerance as despotic, as wicked, and capable of as bitter and bloody persecutions.”

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Rockville student gets historical marker for county’s namesake

From the Gazette.net (Maryland Community News): Rockville student gets historical marker for county’s namesake
Almost three years ago, Stuart Grosvenor stood outside of grocery stores and libraries in Montgomery County, asking residents if they knew anything about their county’s namesake for a history project.

Only about one in 10 people showed a flicker of knowledge about Richard Montgomery, American Revolution hero, head of the western army and the first general to die in the war.

“I knew that I’d be going into Richard Montgomery High School, and I wanted to know who he was,” said Stuart Grosvenor, now a junior at that school.

Now, anyone who travels by the Old Brick Courthouse on East Jefferson Street in Rockville will know, too; Grosvenor succeeded in getting the Maryland Historical Trust to place a roadside marker.

The marker, dedicated Dec. 2 — Richard Montgomery’s birthday — features text written by Grosvenor outlining the general’s role in bringing freedom to the United States.

The Grosvenor name also is regularly seen in the county. The Grosvenor family owned a farm near Grosvenor Lane in Bethesda, part of which was confiscated in the 1960s by the federal government to build the intersection of the Capital Beltway and Interstate 270. The Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro Station also was named after the family. The station opened in 1984 and was so named because of its proximity to the family’s farm.

Grosvenor began researching Richard Montgomery in 2009 as a student at Julius West Middle School for a project for a National History Day contest, when students choose historical topics related to a theme and conduct extensive research to create a presentation or exhibit. Over four to five months, Grosvenor researched the war hero, even traveling to New York to see his burial site.

And after learning Montgomery County does not feature a marker for its namesake, Grosvenor filled out an application in 2009.

“He just sent it in and probably forgot about it,” said Edwin Grosvenor, Stuart’s father and president and editor-in-chief of American Heritage Publishing. “They get a lot of applications and they have to go to committees and everything ... it took some time. He got this letter out of the blue.”

Stuart Grosvenor received a letter from Nancy Kurtz at the Maryland Historical Trust in April informing him that his application had been approved. The state of Maryland funds markers to the tune of $1,641 per marker and post. Including the new marker honoring Richard Montgomery, 19 markers administered by the Maryland Historical Trust and Maryland State Highway Administration sit within the county limits. They include the Clara Barton house, the early headquarters of the American Red Cross in Glen Echo; and White’s Ferry, an old ferry and ford across the Potomac River often used during the war between the states by Confederate forces.

Montgomery County is not the only county named for the general; about 23 counties nationwide use Richard Montgomery as their namesake, said Eileen McGuckian, director of the Montgomery County Historical Society.

Richard Montgomery was born in Ireland in 1733 and served in the British Army during the French and Indian War. He later joined the American Revolution as the most experienced general, leading an invasion into Canada where he was killed in Quebec just before 1776 began.

“He was the first hero of the American Revolution,” McGuckian said. “He was killed when the Americans, under Benedict Arnold, were attacking Quebec in the hopes that they could draw the Canadians into the American Revolution.”

Montgomery County was formed in September 1776. At that time, Frederick County encompassed what is now Montgomery and Washington counties, McGuckian said.

Counties formed in Maryland before 1776 are named after royalty, while counties formed after have American names, McGuckian said.

Richard Montgomery didn’t set foot in most of the places named after him, McGuckian said.

“I do feel strongly that there’s actually really a lot to learn,” Edwin Grosvenor said. “I didn’t know anything about Richard Montgomery and I’ve been a Montgomery County resident all my life.”

Monday, December 12, 2011

Colonial Williamsburg reconstructing Revolutionary War-era tin shop at Va historic area

From The Republic (Columbus Indiana): Colonial Williamsburg reconstructing Revolutionary War-era tin shop at Va historic area
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Colonial Williamsburg is reconstructing a Revolutionary War-era tinsmith shop in the historic area.

Officials say recent archaeological discoveries at the James Anderson Armoury project have confirmed the location of Anderson's tinsmithing operation. The discovery led to an additional $500,000 donation from Forrest Mars Jr. for the project.

When complete, the tin shop will be the only working 18th-century tin shop in the United States.

Historic trades artisans will demonstrate tinsmithing as practiced during the American Revolution.

Reconstruction will follow completion of two other key buildings in the industrial complex, the Armoury and the Kitchen. Those buildings will open to the public in the spring of 2012.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Time Keeps On Slipping Into the Future

Sorry for the dearth of posts recently...I've been working on a project, wanted to devote all my time to it, and kept telling myself...it'll be done today so I can get back to blogging here tomorrow.

The next day it was... okay, it's definitely going to get done today....

Well, today it is done... so back to posting here on a daily basis tomorrow. (With the first post appearing tomorrow afternoon while I'm watching football!)

Thanks for your patience.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

DAR Essay Contest Winners


From Newton Daily News: DAR Essay Contest Winners
Maretta Grattan (left), American History Committee Chairman for the Grinnell Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and Darlene Leib (right), Grinnell chapter regent, present awards to DAR American History Essay winners (center from left) Hope Roland, third place, sixth grade; Faith Roland, second place, sixth grade; and Cecilia Mitchell, first place, eighth grade. Students wrote essays on the topic “Young American Takes a Stand,” pretending they were alive during the War of 1812 and had a friend who became famous in history for standing up for America during that exciting but dangerous time.

The students were to describe the person and how he or she stood up for America, explaining why it is important to honor heroes, especially in light of the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. Central Iowa Christian School had nine entries. Each winner was presented a certificate, bronze medal and pocket-sized dictionary. Honorable mentions in the contest went to Luke Ellis, Isaiah McAlexander, Aleah Kastendick, Gavin McFarland, Zoe Dill and Cori Dahlby Albright. Each received a certificate and pocket-sized dictionary.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

A Valley Forge Winter

From Enid News, Op Ed piece: A Valley Forge Winter:

“What does not kill me, makes me stronger.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

These words from the German philosopher in the year 1888, very well could have been applied to every man in Gen. George Washington’s Continental Army as it entered the bone-chilling winter of 1777-78.

In fact, the famous saying very well could be applied to the American Revolution as a whole.

To say it was the most trying time in American history is a face-blushing understatement.

The 12,000-man Continental Army had been routed by the British at the Battle of Brandywine, Pa., near Philadelphia, in September 1777, leaving America’s then most-influential city undefended, and forcing members of the Continental Congress to flee.

While Congress finally re-established in New York, the British marched into Philadelphia Sept. 26.

Adding to the defeat at Brandywine was another thrashing a week later at the Battle of Germantown, Pa.

Washington was forced to take his weary, demoralized, ill-clothed, ill-fed and ill-equipped army to Valley Forge, a quiet hamlet northwest of Philadelphia, located at the confluence of Valley Creek and the Schuylkill River.

Back in the days of black-powder muskets, the bayonet and endless days of marching the muddy roads of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, armies did not fight one another during the cold and chill of winter weather — save for the icy- surprise Continental victory at the Battle of Trenton.

After active campaigning in the warmer months of summer and into late fall, Revolutionary War armies would fall back into winter camps to rest, resupply and prepare for battle upon the advent of warm weather.

Unbeknownst to Washington, or anyone during the Colonial period, this was to be one of the worst winters in this young nation’s history.

Immersed in what now is called the Little Ice Age, that winter would be as cruel as any previous.

Conditions at Valley Forge were horrendous, with troops forced to live in damp, crowded quarters in the most primitive of scenarios.

Typhoid, dysentery, typhus and pneumonia were rampant among the men, and it is estimated some 2,000 Continental soldiers died there.

As you would expect of such dreary conditions, and with the war going so badly, morale was nowhere to be found.

In despair over the conditions at Valley Forge, and with the suffering of his men, Washington somehow was able to wheedle more food, equipment and new recruits, despite a lack of help from the Continental Congress.

While incremental, all these improvements improved the morale of the men, lifting spirits.

With the help of former Prussian Army general staff officer Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, discipline was increased, renewing pride in the army and its cause against the British.

Von Steuben, upon arriving at Valley Forge, immediately began drilling the Continentals. From dawn to dusk, individuals, companies, battalions and regiments were incessantly schooled in the art of war.

He turned what had been a ragtag, undisciplined mob of individuals into a cohesive fighting force.

Out of the trying winter snows of that frigid winter emerged a new Continental Army, one that was confident and which had been fired on the forge of history.

On June 19, 1778, as the war’s campaigning renewed once again and the British abandoned Philadelphia, Washington’s men took off in pursuit.

At the Battle of Monmouth, N.J., the Continentals fought the British to a draw.

While not a victory, it certainly was not a defeat, and it helped renew American resolve to continue the Revolution.

The Continental Army would meet the British on many more fields during the final five long years of war.

After the war, Baron von Steuben became an American citizen, as did so many Europeans who came to these shores many, many years ago.

He was granted 16,000 acres of land in New York, and died there in 1794 at age 64.

Foreign-born men with names like Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Moetier, Marquis de Lafayette; Louis Lebegue dePresle Duportail; Johann de Kalb; Jean Baptiste Joseph, chevalier de Laumoy; Casimir Pulaski; John Paul Jones; and Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de la Rouerie, all lent their names, their lives and their talents to helping America in its fight for liberty and democracy.

But they, like Washington and so many other native-born colonials who led the Continental Army in those dark days, were no more important than the common soldier who bled and froze and starved and died on so many battlefields.

So this December, as winter winds whip and chill our bones, take a moment or two to remember the men of Valley Forge.

They were the seeds of what eventually would become the finest army on earth, and the most powerful nation.

Who could ever have envisioned that — so long ago — during the winter at Valley Forge?

U.S. Marine Sergeant speaks at Daughters of the American Revolution meeting

From the Cheraw Chronicle: U.S. Marine Sergeant speaks at Daughters of the American Revolution meeting
U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Henry, who directs the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (MCJROTC) program at Cheraw High School, was the featured speaker at the Nov. 21 meeting of the Old Cheraw Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. Sgt. Henry’s presentation was titled “Preparing Young People for Military Service,” and he brought with him three students who are participating in the JROTC program, First Lieutenants Kierra Jones, Lannay Collins, and Tawana Adams.

Emphasis is placed more on self-discipline, building self-confidence, and leadership skills training than on preparing young people for military service, said Sgt. Henry. He said there are currently 141 students in the Cheraw High School program, ranging from 9th grade to 12th grade, and instruction includes developing good habits and attitudes, problem-solving techniques, and planning to meet the challenges of adult life. Also included are military orientation and organization, basic drill instruction, conduct of parades and inspections, first aid, personal hygiene, marksmanship, and physical training.

Lieutenants Jones, Collins, and Adams spoke on the benefits of participating in the MCJROTC program. All felt that their self-confidence and self-discipline had improved as a direct result of the training. They also participate in community programs and are developing a strong sense of civic responsibility.

The members of the local chapter of the DAR expressed great appreciation to Sgt. Henry and the three students for presenting such an interesting and educational look at the MCJROTC program at Cheraw High School.

Read more: The Cheraw Chronicle - U S Marine Sergeant speaks at Daughters of the American Revolution meeting