Category: Patriot Camp (Page 1 of 2)

The 27 Grievances of the Declaration Explained

Introduction

The Declaration of Independence¹ can be thought of as the “Birth Certificate” of a nation. It established that people have certain Inalienable Rights including Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. The rights people possess come from our Creator (God) and not from people of power. Human rights are also endowed equally to all people. Finally, individuals have the right to defend themselves and others against any tyrannical forces that jeopardize their human rights and freedom. Please make note that the official document title of the Declaration is “The unanimous Declaration of Independence of the thirteen united States of America.” The words unanimous and united are used as adjectives, not nouns. The colonies represented the “States of America”, and all had agreed with the list of grievances.

The “Grievances” refers to a section from the Declaration of Independence where the colonists listed their issues with the British government, specifically King George III. The United States Declaration of Independence contains 27 grievances (injustices) against the decisions and actions of King George III of Great Britain. Historians have noted the similarities with John Locke’s works and the context of the grievances. Additional references for this section can be found on Wikipedia.

Before embarking on a lesson regarding the Declaration of Independence, it is worthy to reflect on why our Colonies were upset enough to go to war, sacrifice, and die for freedom. In all history, there is “Cause and Effect.” The Declaration is all about the cause and effect of the tyrannical rule of a king on “human rights.” The second paragraph of the Declaration could not be clearer:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Where do our roots, this desire to be a free people come from? The path of history is quite long and deep. Our Declaration has become the gateway for understanding liberty. The tablet held in the hand of the Statute of Liberty shows the date of the United States Declaration of Independence, in Roman numerals, July IV, MDCCLXXVI. She welcomes all with the understanding of the price of liberty. Our liberty comes from our Constitution, which guarantees those God-given rights.

To fully understand our nation, our Constitution, and our Bill of Rights, we must look to two vastly different events and parts of the world in the concept of “human rights.” Before the founding of our country, our forefathers had already experienced the “Dark Ages.” The Medieval Inquisition started around 1184 and continued well into the 1400s. Non-believers were those who did not subscribe to a specific model of beliefs. In 1401, the King of England issued an edict to immediately arrest anyone who preached religious thoughts against the king’s brand of religion. A second offense resulted in immediate death. Colonists had fled this type of persecution.

Magna Carta

Magna Carta means “The Great Charter” and is one of the most famous documents in the world. Originally issued by King John of England as a practical solution to the political crisis he faced in 1215. The Magna Carta established the principle that everybody, including the king, was subject to the law for the first time. Although nearly a third of the text was deleted or substantially rewritten within ten years, and almost all the clauses have been repealed in modern times, the Magna Carta remains a cornerstone of the British constitution.

Most of the 63 clauses granted by King John dealt with specific grievances relating to King John’s rule. However, buried within them were a few fundamental values that both challenged the autocracy of kings and proved highly adaptable in future centuries. Most famously, the 39th clause gave all “free people” the right to justice and a fair trial. Some of Magna Carta’s core principles would be echoed later in the United States Constitution, Bill of Rights, and in many other constitutional documents around the world, as well as in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the European Convention on Human Rights (1950).

The Iroquois Constitution (Great Law of Peace)

There is a tendency to think of any formal constitution as something contemporary, developed as part of the creation of the United States. However, the Iroquois beat us to that goal somewhere around 1450. The Iroquois created the Great Law of Peace², also known as the Hiawatha Wampum, to stop neighboring tribes from fighting with each other. It was not a paper document, but a belt of beads made from the quahog shells and woven into a historical record through the patterns of purple and white beads. Hiawatha was a pre-colonial Native American leader and co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy. Depending on the version of the narrative, he was a leader of the Onondaga or the Mohawk, or both. To convince the five tribes of the Iroquois that unity provided safety, Hiawatha took a single arrow, grabbed each end, and easily broke it. He then gathered five arrows in a bundle and showed there was superior strength as a group. The bundle of arrows could not be broken easily. This concept would later be emulated in our nation’s great seal, where the eagle holds 13 arrows in its left claw. The unity of the Colonies was one critical element behind their success during the Revolution.

The purpose of the Iroquois Constitution was to prevent tribal interference in everyone’s daily lives and meant to enhance individual freedom by separating their civilian governing bodies from the military and religious affairs. The Great Law allowed differing beliefs among tribes to coexist and recognized the importance of one’s beliefs, no matter what their origin. There was outright freedom of religion in the “The Great Law of Peace.” While beliefs may have differed within tribes, all accepted the concept of one Creator of the Universe.

Our early forefathers, especially Ben Franklin, noticed that the Iroquois tied their tribes together into a perfect union, much like we see in our preamble of the U.S. Constitution. Both stressed unity and provided liberty for posterity. The Great Law defined the number of representatives, their powers, and requirements, just as our Constitution does. The formal creation of an executive office was also defined by the Iroquois. The Iroquois Law also defined checks and balances and created a centralized government. It included a guarantee of free speech, defined levels of authority between tribes, and gave individual rights to each tribe just as we have done with our States. Concepts like the forbidding of quartering, and the unauthorized entry or seizure of one’s lodge, was also a principle of The Great Law. The same can be found in our own Article 3 of the Bill of Rights.

How to Use This Material

To use the material, herein, take time to understand each grievance. If time allows, search out the historical events to give context to each. Discuss why a person would be upset if that specific right(s) was infringed. Then go to the U.S. Constitution and/or Bill of Rights to see and understand why these two governing documents are so important to the freedom found in the United States.

Grievance 1

“He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.”

It is most important in understanding the Declaration that Colonies had their own form of government. These were much like our state governments today. The Colonial assemblies passed various legislation, including ones on governing their slaves, creating colonial currencies, and requesting representatives to be sent to Parliament, but the King withheld his approval (called Assent). Britain’s Henry Seymour Conway, the Secretary of State for the Southern Department, informed the Americans that Parliament would not pursue legal action against colonists who had actively protested the Stamp Acts, provided that the assemblies would pay for any public property that had been destroyed. In complying with this demand, the Assembly of Massachusetts stated it would be “wholesome and necessary for the public good” to grant “free pardon” to all who had been engaged in the protests and passed an act stating such. However, King George III refused to ratify it. Self-government was at the heart of the Founding Fathers’ concerns. Each time the King refused to ratify any colonial legislation; he intensified their concerns. As this is the first grievance, it carries special importance. Some colonies had passed measures intended to slow the pace of slavery. However, any time such laws were introduced by local colonial assemblies, they “were routinely vetoed by the British Board of Trade, the Secretary of State, and King George III”.

Constitutional Response

The Preamble of the U.S. Constitution establishes that it will be the people of the United States in total and complete charge of what was then known as the Colonies. The purpose was to form a more perfect union (country), establish justice, maintain domestic tranquility (peace), provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to the people and for their posterity. In Article I, Section I, all powers to do this were explicitly granted to a Congress, consisting of a Senate and House of Representatives. The Congress is to be a representative government, comprised of people freely elected by the citizens. In the case of the House of Representatives, the number of seats is apportioned by the census every ten years. Senators were originally selected by the governor of a state. The 17th Amendment to the Constitution changed this to the direct election of U.S. Senators by each State.

Grievance 2

“He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.”

This is an indictment of the King’s appointed governors in the colonies, who had refused to endorse laws colonists viewed as conducive and necessary to the public good. The Massachusetts Assembly passed a law in 1770 for taxing Government officers in that colony, but the King ordered the governor to withhold his approval. By doing this, the King violated his colonial charter with the colonies and showed little regard for their local power. John Locke, an English philosopher of the times, had a great impact on the thinking of colonists. John Locke’s social contract theories differed in one key aspect from others. Locke felt that mankind’s natural state was freedom and individuals entered a contract with other people to ensure that freedom. He considered “Neglect” as a valid reason for dissolving a government.

Constitutional Response

The Constitution’s articles, and the subsequent Amendments, specify the responsibilities and powers of our government. They are listed in Article I, Sec. 8; Articles 2-5; Amendments 8, 16, 19, 20, 23, and 26. These powers are derived from one of the following categories:

Defense, war prosecution, peace, foreign relations, foreign commerce, and interstate commerce;
The protection of citizens’ constitutional rights (e.g. the right to vote) and ensuring that slavery remains illegal;
Establishing federal courts inferior to the Supreme Court of the United States;
Copyright protection;
Coining (and printing) money;
Establishing post offices and post roads (a road designated for the transportation of postal mail);
Establishing a national set of universal weights and measures; and
Taxation when needed to raise revenue to perform “these” essential functions. (Only the above list)

The list above is the only prerogatives of the Federal Government. The 10th Amendment of the Bill of Rights states that all prerogatives not explicitly given to the Federal Government, or explicitly prohibited by the states, are reserved to the states or the people (citizens). Our Federal Government has been prohibited via our Constitution from handling any issues not explicitly listed in the Constitution; their prerogatives were limited to what the Constitution explicitly outlines here.

Grievance 3

“He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.”

Chapter 19 of the book entitled “Two Treatises of Government” written by John Locke notes that “when such a single person, or prince, sets up his own arbitrary will, in place of the laws, which are the will of the society, declared by the legislative, then the legislative is changed.” Locke lists changing the legislature without the people’s knowledge or consent as another situation that justifies the dissolution of the government. In summary, King George III was willfully negating the will of the people by ignoring and/or negating laws that were established by the people of the colonies.

Constitutional Response

Today, we have no prince or king. We have a president. The president’s responsibilities are outlined in Article II of the Constitution and include:

The power to call state units of the National Guard into service. Only in times of emergency can the President claim power if such power has been given the power by Congress to manage national security or the economy.
The President can receive ambassadors and work with leaders of other nations. With Senate approval, the president can make treaties.
The President has the power to nominate the heads of governmental departments, judges to federal courts, and justices to the United States Supreme Court. However, all nominations must then be approved by the Senate.
The power to issue pardons for federal offenses.
The power to convene Congress for special sessions.
The power to veto legislation approved by Congress. However, the veto is limited. It is not a line-item veto, meaning that the veto cannot be for only specific parts of legislation. A presidential veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote by Congress.

The President’s powers are limited by the Constitution. It is only through required negotiation and collaboration between the president and Congress that our nation’s initiatives, concerns, and problems are to be addressed. Additional presidential powers can only come from the abdication of powers originally reserved for Congress.

Grievance 4

“He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, and also uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.”

British General Thomas Gage was instrumental in shaping Parliament’s retaliatory Intolerable (Coercive) Acts (1774), by which the port of Boston was closed until the destroyed tea (Boston Tea Party) could be paid for. He was largely responsible for the inclusion of the inflammatory provision for the quartering of soldiers in private homes. Gage is chiefly remembered in U.S. history as the protagonist of the British cause while he served as military governor in Massachusetts from 1774 to 1775. On May 20, 1774, the British Parliament passed the Massachusetts Government Act, which nullified the Massachusetts Charter of 1691. This allowed Britain’s acting governor Thomas Gage to dissolve the local provincial assembly. This forced the Massachusetts government to meet instead in Salem. Gage also ordered the march of the redcoats on Lexington and Concord (April 1775), which was intended to uncover ammunition caches and capture the leading Revolutionary agitator, Samuel Adams.

Constitutional Response

In the 10th amendment to the Bill of Rights, it is stated that the powers not delegated to the United States directly by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. The Federal government cannot dissolve the government of any U.S. State. There is also a response in the 2nd amendment of the Bill of Rights, assuring that the right of the people to keep arms, is not infringed.

Grievance 5

“He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.”

The Massachusetts Assembly had sent a letter to other colonial Assemblies in 1768 urging mutual co-operation in asserting the principle that Great Britain had no right to tax the colonists without their consent. This is clearly where the motto, “No taxation without representation” came from. King George III demanded that the Massachusetts Assembly rescind the resolutions expressed in their letter. He ordered the governor to dissolve the Massachusetts Assembly immediately if they refused. Other colonial assemblies were warned by the Government not to follow the lead of Massachusetts. The North Carolina General Assembly and Virginia General Assembly were dissolved for denying the right of the King to tax the colonies or to extradite Americans from the colonies to stand trial. In 1774, several other colonial assemblies discussed forming a general Congress with delegates from all the colonies. King George III dissolved nearly all those who had entertained the ideas noted in the Massachusetts letter.

Constitutional Response

Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution empowers Congress to levy taxes against the States and/or their citizens. Such taxes are to emanate from the House of Representatives and be approved by the Senate. Section 8 establishes the purposes for such taxation and appropriate controls for levying taxes both at the Federal and State levels. Since each state is represented by a properly apportioned number of Representatives (based on population via census) and has two Senators, the equality of representation for purposes of taxation is therefore maintained.

As to whether the U.S. Federal Government can dissolve a state government, the answer is no. The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, or prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. The U.S. Congress, with the concurrence of the Presidents of the United States of America, could potentially expel a state from the union. Expulsion, however, doesn’t change that state’s Sovereignty. The United States of America was created by combining 13 sovereign states (colonies). Article IV of the Constitution, Section 3 defines a process to add new states with the consent of the existing States and Congress. No new States can be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other State, or any State formed by the junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.

Grievance 6

“He has refused for a long time, after such Dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining, in the meantime, exposed to all the Dangers of Invasion from without, and convulsions within.”

The Assembly of New York refused to comply with the provisions of the Mutiny Act in 1766. The Mutiny Acts were an almost 200-year series of annual Acts passed by the Parliament of England, the Parliament of Great Britain, and the Parliament of the United Kingdom for governing, regulating, provisioning, and funding the English and later British Army. A new Mutiny Act was passed each year until 1879. The Mutiny Act allows court-martial for other military crimes besides mutiny, sedition, and desertion. Modifications to the Mutiny Act allowed court-martial trial of soldiers for acts prohibited by the Crown’s articles of war. In response to New York’s refusal to comply, the British Parliament passed the New York Restraining Act 1767 which suspended the Assembly’s legislative authority. The Assembly of Massachusetts was then dissolved in July 1768 and was not permitted to meet again until May 1769.

Constitutional Response

The English kings were endowed with the power not only to initiate war but the power to raise and maintain armies and navies. Aware historically that these powers had been used to the detriment of the liberties and the well-being of Englishmen, in 1688, a declaration was instituted in English law that standing armies could not be maintained without the consent of Parliament. Our Founding Fathers had those same concerns.

The authority and powers to raise an army, whether in peacetime or war reside in Article I, section 8 of the Constitution. This authority resides with Congress with no appropriation of money to be for a longer term than two years. This section refers to the President as the “commander-in-chief of the army and navy of the United States.” This means that once a war was declared, it would then be the responsibility of the President, as the commander-in-chief, to direct the war. The Congress holds the authority to make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval Forces. Congress is granted the authority to call forth the army to execute the laws of the union, suppress Insurrections, and repel Invasions.

Grievance 7

“He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose, obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.”

There had been a large influx of German immigrants coming to America. King George III wanted to discourage such immigration. The king and Parliament were concerned over the increasing power of the colonies themselves. The ideals expressed by German immigrants were conservative by nature. Most preferred to be free of British rule and did not practice the religion of the Anglican Church. This population shift was seen by Britain as adding to the growing tensions the king was having with the colonies. After the peace of 1763 (French and Indian War), few people settled west of the Alleghenies. King George III had issued a Royal Proclamation of 1763 which outlined the division and administration of the newly conquered territory. It established relations between the government of Canada and the First Nations (native Indians). Included in its provisions were assurances to the Indian populations that there would be no further expansion past lands west of the Appalachian Mountains. History tells us, however, that this would be only a temporary impediment to a rising tide of westward-bound settlers.

Constitutional Response

In Article I, Section 8, the U.S. Constitution grants Congress the responsibility “To establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization,” determining how immigrants can become citizens. The Constitution allows immigrants who become naturalized citizens to serve in any government office except for one. In Article II, Section 1 the Constitution affirms that “No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President.”

Grievance 8

“He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.”

Parliament deprived the people of Massachusetts the right to elect their judges in 1774. Instead, the King appointed all the colony’s judges. The same act deprived the colonists of the benefit of trial by jury, and the “administration of justice” was obstructed. Other colonies expressed similar grievances concerning the courts of law.

Constitutional Response

The right to trial by jury in a criminal case resides in both Article III, Section 2 of the federal Constitution “The Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment, shall be by Jury” and the 6th Amendment to the Bill of Rights “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury.” This section assures local jurists, the right to call witnesses and an attorney. The 7th Amendment to the Bill of Rights has two clauses. The first, known as the Preservation Clause, provides: “In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved.” The 7th Amendment also establishes the types of cases juries are required to decide by requiring “Common Law” to apply. Common law is a body of unwritten laws based on legal precedents established by prior courts. Common law influences the decision-making process in unusual cases where the outcome cannot be determined based on existing statutes or written rules of law. The U.S. common-law system evolved from the British tradition that spread to North America during the 17th- and 18th-century colonial periods.

Grievance 9

“He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.”

Judges and royally appointed governors did not depend upon the colonists for their income. The judges were dependent on King George III and were subject to his directions. Yet those salaries came from taxes and duties on the colonists. The American colonists saw that this led their officers to be sympathetic to Parliament but not to the colonies. The Colonial assemblies protested these measures, leading to the formation of the Committees of Correspondence in 1774.

Constitutional Response

There are both Federal judges and State judges. The Federal requirements of this part are found in Article II, Section 2, and apply to principal officers, in contrast to inferior officers, whose appointments are addressed in a later clause. Although the Senate must confirm principal officers, including ambassadors and Supreme Court justices, Congress may still require that any inferior officers whose office is “established by law” also be confirmed by the Senate. For State judges, State Constitutional laws establish the methods of appointment. Compensation is either Federal or State.

Grievance 10

“He has erected a multitude of New Offices and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.”

After the passage of the Stamp Act, stamp distributors were appointed in every town. In 1766 and 1767, acts for the collection of duties created “swarms of officers“, all of whom received high salaries. In 1768, admiralty and vice-admiralty courts were also established. This increased, even more, the number of officers. The high salaries and extensive perquisites of all of these were paid with the people’s money, and thus the term, “swarms of officers ate out their substance.”

Constitutional Response

King George III imposed a tax on official documents in American colonies. This included bonds, licenses, certificates, and any other official documents as well as more mundane items such as plain parchment and even playing cards. Unfortunately, the Stamp Act is still alive and well today. It is a tax, defined and approved lawfully by our House of Representatives and placed into law through Senate approvals. Many states have similar taxes. The sale of property carries title taxes, and the sale of stocks and bonds carries Federal and State tax implications. There are licensing fees (taxes), sales taxes, and luxury taxes, all defined by and approved by our Congress and/or State legislators. The right of citizens to protest taxes is handled through the ballot box. Therefore, the integrity of our voting system is critical. If the people can fairly elect their representatives, both Federal and State, the swarms of officers (Internal Revenue Service) or (County Tax Assessors) will heed the will of the people.

The word “vote” (and its variants “voted”, “votes”, “voting”, etc.) occurs a total of 39 times throughout the Constitution of the United States and the 27 Amendments. However, the Founding Fathers did not devote any reference to the “right to vote” by “We the People” anywhere in the original Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. The closest reference to the people’s “right to vote” is in Article 1, Section 2, about the election of members to the House of Representatives. However, in our Constitution and its amendments, the mechanics of election and voting are well-defined:

Article 1, Section 3, Article 1, The Senate, Vice President
Article 1, Section 7, the process of creating laws
Article 2, Section 1
Amendment 12 – Choosing the President, Vice-President.
Amendment 14 – Citizenship Rights
Amendment 15 – Race No Bar to Vote
Amendment 17 – Senators Elected by Popular Vote (before this, Senators were chosen by State legislative bodies)
Amendment 23 – Presidential Vote for District of Columbia
Amendment 25 – Presidential Disability and Succession
Amendment 26 – Voting Age Set to 18 Years

Grievance 11

“He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.”

In 1763, Britain and France signed the Treaty of Paris (1763) to end the Seven Years’ War. Parliament realized they needed to keep a permanent army in the American colonies in order both to keep the French from reasserting their control of their former territories and to prevent open warfare between the colonists and the Native Americans along the frontier. Although the colonists initially welcomed the protection provided by the British soldiers, by the 1760s and early 1770s they had increasingly come to see the army as nothing more than a tool for Parliament to enforce various revenue acts (Taxes). It would be the British military occupation of Boston by Thomas Gage that would lead the Second Continental Congress to include this grievance in the Declaration of Independence.

Constitutional Response

Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution lists 17 separate powers that are granted to Congress. Six of those powers deal exclusively with the national defense, more than any other specific area of governance. This section grants the full range of authorities necessary for establishing the defense of the nation as it was then understood. Congress is given specific authority to declare war, raise and support armies, provide for a navy, establish the rules for the operation of American military forces, organize and arm the militias of the states, and specify the conditions for converting the militias into national service.

Grievance 12

“He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.”

Thomas Gage, commander-in-chief of the British forces in North America, assumed control of the civil government as royal governor of Massachusetts in 1774. Both his positions were obtained by the royal appointment of King George III. The appointments were also made without the approval of the people or the provincial government of Massachusetts. (Massachusetts Government Act). The purpose of Gage’s role was to enforce the payment of customs, quell insurrection and resistance, and execute punitive measures. The Continental Congress considered that the police power of the state had been removed from any accountability to the people. Their local, duly elected leaders had no control over any of the unjust policies imposed by Thomas Gage and Great Britain.

Constitutional Response

The Insurrection Act (found in Section 253 of Title 10 of the U.S. Code), signed March 3, 1807, gives U.S. presidents the authority to deploy the active-duty military to maintain or restore peace in times of crisis. There are five circumstances:

If asked by a state legislature
If asked by a state Governor
If there is a threat that a federal law will be broken
If the “constituted authorities of that state are unable, fail, or refuse to protect the rights, privileges, or immunity of any part or class of the people”
If domestic violence opposes or obstructs the execution of federal law

Grievance 13

“He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:”

The “others” with whom King George III is linked are said to have been the members of the British Parliament. The Americans refused to recognize Parliament’s authority over the colonies. This grievance was triggered by Britain’s establishment of a Board of Trade. The Board of Trade could act independently of colonial legislation through its resident commissioners of customs. This meant the appointed commissioners were granted the power to enforce revenue laws. This concept did not exist in any of the colonies’ constitutions. Within this issue was the establishment also the remodeling of the admiralty courts to exclude trial by jury. Almost unlimited power was also given to the king’s appointed governor, and the people were indeed subjected to “a jurisdiction foreign to their constitution” by these members of royalty.

Constitutional Response

Article I, Section 8, specifically grants the Federal Government the right to regulate commerce among the several states. This is known as the Commerce Clause. State law cannot intend to regulate or substantially conflict with interstate commerce. The “substantially conflict with“ provision is known as the Dormant Commerce Clause. Simply put, the Commerce Clause allows the Federal Government to regulate any activity that affects interstate commerce. This is just one of many areas of law that are handled by Congress. The redress of the citizens is through our judicial system and the ballot box.

Grievance 14

“For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:”

In 1765, Parliament passed an amendment to the Mutiny Act commonly referred to as the Quartering Act. It allowed soldiers stationed in the colonies to request shelter from any citizen and created a punishment for refusal. This act allowed army officers to appropriate private property to quarter their troops without the consent of the property’s owners. When General Thomas Gage occupied Boston in September 1774, he relied on this act to quarter (house) his troops.

Constitutional Response

The 5th Amendment of the Bill of Rights is quite specific and to the point: “No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.” The reference to the law is to assure fair treatment and compensation.

Grievance 15

“For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:”

In 1768, two citizens of Annapolis, Maryland, died in a violent dispute with a group of British soldiers. The trial was controversial. In the face of overwhelming evidence against the soldiers, the defendants were acquitted.

Constitutional Response

Article III, Section 2 provides: “The trial of all crimes shall be by jury and such trial shall be held in the state where the said crimes have been committed.”

The 6th Amendment of the Bill of Rights says: “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury of the state where the said crimes shall have been committed.”

For civil matters, the 7th Amendment of the Bill of Rights provides: “In all suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved and no fact tried by a jury shall be otherwise reexamined by a court of the United States.”

Grievance 16

“For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world”.

In the years leading up to the American Revolution, the Navigation Acts had been passed to control trade with the colonies of Spain and France, hindering significant sources of revenue for the American colonists.

Constitutional Response

The U.S. Constitution, through the Commerce Clause, gives Congress exclusive power over trade activities between the states and foreign countries. Trade within a state is regulated exclusively by the states themselves. Federal agencies that help in trade regulation include the Department of Commerce (DOC) and the International Trade Administration (ITA). The DOC is an agency of the executive branch that promotes international trade, economic growth, and technological advancement. The ITA is a branch of the DOC that works to improve the international trade position of the United States.

Grievance 17

“For imposing taxes on us without our consent:”

In addition to the revenue taxes imposed on many goods and services, there was the Molasses Act of 1733, The Currency Act of 1764, The Sugar Act of1764, The Stamp Act of 1765, The Townshend Acts of 1767 (Also called Intolerable Acts), and The Tea Act of 1773 to name a few. The constant implementation of taxes worsened tensions between the colonists and the British government. Most colonists believed that representation was needed as a justification for being taxed. Britain had incurred a large debt due to the Seven Years’ War (the French and Indian War was part of this) and was seeking revenues from the Colonies to retire these debts.

Constitutional Response

Grievance 18

“For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Jury trial:”

After colonial governments were driven from Boston in 1768, an act was passed by the British Parliament placing violations of revenue laws under the jurisdiction of the British admiralty courts. Here, offenders were tried, but the prosecutors were biased towards Great Britain.

Constitutional Response

Article III, Section 2 provides: “The trial of all crimes shall be by jury and such trial shall be held in the state where the said crimes have been committed.”

The 6th Amendment of the Bill of Rights says: “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury of the state where the said crimes shall have been committed.”

Grievance 19

“For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offenses:”

On April 15, 1774, Lord North introduced a bill in Parliament, entitled “A bill for the impartial administration of justice in the cases of persons questioned for any acts done by them in the execution of the laws, or for the suppression of riots and tumults in the province of Massachusetts Bay, in New England.” This bill was known as the Administration of Justice Act. If any person was indicted for murder in a specific colony, or any other capital offense, or indicted for rioting, the resistance of the British magistrate, or impeding the revenue laws in the smallest degree, the accused could, at the option of the Governor, or, in his absence, of the Lieutenant Governor, be taken to another colony, or transported from the colonies to England for trial.

Constitutional Response

Article III, Section 2 provides: “The trial of all crimes shall be by jury and such trial shall be held in the state where the said crimes have been committed.”

Grievance 20

“For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighboring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:”

This refers to the Quebec Act of 1774 which expanded the use of French civil law in Quebec (as compared to English common law) and expanded Canadian borders into what is now the Midwestern states of the United States.

The Quebec Act also granted emancipation to the Catholic, French-speaking settlers of the province. The act repealed the loyalty oath and reinstated French civil law in combination with British criminal law. While the French-speaking settlers were given the freedom to participate in the Catholic religion, the colonists were still required to participate only in the Angelical religion.

Constitutional Response

Article IV, Section 3 gives Congress the power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States.

The 1st Amendment of the Bill of Rights established freedom of religion.

Grievance 21

“For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:“

This is a restatement of a charge already made, and refers to the alteration of the Massachusetts charter, to make judges and other officers independent of the people, and subservient to the crown. The British-appointed governor was empowered to remove and appoint all judges, attorney-generals, provost-marshals, and justices of the peace, and to appoint sheriffs independent of the council. As the sheriffs chose jurors, trial by jury became mostly nonexistent. Before this event, the people had been allowed, by their charter, to select their jurors. Now the entire matter was placed in the hands of the British government.

Constitutional Response

The US Constitution states in Article 6 states:

“This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every State shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding.”

“The Senators and Representatives of the Federal Government, and the members of the State legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and the States, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support the Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”

Therefore, any state that joins the United States by ratifying the Constitution or petitioning for admission to the Union must make the US Constitution superior to their state constitutions and the laws made under the State constitutions. In addition, clause 3 requires government officials to take an oath or affirmation to support the U.S. Constitution.

Grievance 22

“For suspending our Legislatures and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever”.

This, too, is another restatement of a prior grievance. Suppression of the Legislature occurred in New York, and in several cases, the governors, after dissolving Colonial Assemblies, assumed the right to make proclamations that stood in the place of existing law.

Constitutional Response

Article I, Section 7, and 8 empower Congress through the House of Representatives to pass legislation. Each state is represented by a properly apportioned number of Representatives (based on population via census) and has two Senators. The equality of representation for purposes of redress is therefore maintained.

Grievance 23

“He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.”

In his message to the British Parliament early in 1775, George III declared the colonists to be in a state of open rebellion. By sending armies to the Americas, King George III “abdicated government,” by this it was meant that the King declared them no longer under his protection. Shortly after, the Prohibitory Act was passed by Parliament. The King then sanctioned the acts of governors in employing Native Americans to quell his rebellion and negotiated to hire Hessian German soldiers.

Constitutional Response

The colonists were taking the position that King George III had declared war against the colonies. U.S. Constitution, Article I, section 8, gives Congress the power to declare war and raise armies and a navy. Congress can make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces. They can call forth a Militia (military) to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections, and repel Invasions. The framers of the Constitution were reluctant to concentrate too much influence in the hands of too few. Therefore, they denied the office of the President the authority to go to war unilaterally.

Grievance 24

“He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.”

In the years before the American Revolution, Lord Dunmore, whose roots ran back to Scotland, served as the Colonial Governor in both New York and Virginia. He was a staunch supporter of Great Britain and its Parliament’s policies. Dunmore had no problem taking issue with the patriot cause, especially with Patrick Henry. Dunmore tried to dissolve the Virginia House of Burgesses and then attempted to deny the patriot militias access to guns, powder, and shot. It was a challenge to Dunmore that Patrick Henry famously shouted, “Give me liberty, or give me death.” Lord Dunmore ordered the seizure of several American merchant vessels, and several naval assaults were made upon the colonies, disrupting life in the affected towns.

British Captain Henry Mowat burned Falmouth (October 18, 1775 – Now Portland) with a fleet of Royal Navy vessels. Mowat directed the flotilla’s 9-hour bombardment which included incendiary shots. The town’s winter food supplies were destroyed. The attack was the only major event in what was supposed to be a campaign of retaliation against ports that supported Patriot activities in the early stages of the American Revolutionary War. Residents of Machias took it upon themselves the same year to stop British commerce between Boston and the towns further down the East Coast. The first naval battle of the American Revolution happened when the patriots captured the British ship, Margaretta.

Constitutional Response

Refer to the Constitutional powers to declare and wage war.

Grievance 25

“He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.”

The hiring of German Hessian Soldiers for use against the Thirteen Colonies was seen as an outrage by the Americans. The Hessian army was noted for its brutal tactics. They frequently used their bayonets on even those who might surrender. This brutality had enraged George Washington to the point that at the surrender of Trenton (crossing of Delaware river) by the Hessians, George Washington refused to accept the sword of surrender directly from the Hessian commanding officer, Colonel Johann Rall. During the battle Rall was mortally wounded, dying later that evening.

Constitutional Response

There is no direct Constitutional response to this grievance. It was most difficult for the colonists to deal with this uncivilized behavior.

Grievance 26

“He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.”

An act of Parliament passed toward the close of December 1775, authorized the capture of all American vessels, and directed the treatment of the crews of armed vessels to be impressed and not kept prisoners of war. Impressment was the taking of men into a military or naval force by compulsion, with or without notice. This act was even condemned on the floor of Parliament as unworthy of a Christian people, and “a refinement of cruelty unknown among savage nations.”

Constitutional Response

There is no direct Constitutional response to this grievance. The idea is more appropriately classified with the long-standing position of making sure all citizens are returned from wars in foreign countries. The idea that colonial citizens could be forced into serving with the enemy was viewed as savagery.

Grievance 27

“He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions.”

This is a complex grievance. Colonists wanted to expand west. King George III had established a treaty with the American Indians to stop all immigration west of the Appalachian Mountains. This subjected tribes to take sides in the Revolution. Those aligning with the British took the position that their word and treaty required such cooperation. Of course, this angered the colonists.

Constitutional Response

There is nothing in the U.S. Constitution that defines, constrains, or limits the expansion of the colonies westward. Because most tribes supported Great Britain because of a prior treaty, after the end of the Revolution, they were considered enemies and losers. No considerations were given to indigenous property rights. Lands were absorbed into the United States as expansion took place.

Conclusion

The purpose of this resource is to demonstrate that the U.S. Constitution and its corresponding Bill of Rights (the first 10 amendments) were developed by people experiencing real issues with their governing body (Great Britain). Their freedoms had been stripped from them; they became subjects to a tyrannical king. Without our Constitution, the United States would not remain One Nation Under God. Our Constitution and our rights are worthy of defending as if life and freedom both depended on it. Why, because they do!

Visit Lostpine.com

1
https://www.govinfo.gov/features/pocket-constitution
2
https://oneida-nsn.gov/our-ways/our-story/great-law-of-peace/

Civics (History and Government) Questions for the Naturalization Test

Is your understanding of how the U.S. Government works sufficient to become a citizen? Feel free to test your knowledge with Lostpine’s anonymous quiz. The 100 civics (history and government) questions and answers for the naturalization test were taken from the study guide provided by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The real civics test is actually an oral test and the USCIS Officer asks the applicant up to 10 of the 100 civics questions. An applicant must answer 6 out of 10 questions correctly to pass the civics portion of the naturalization test. You can download the latest study guide by clicking here.

Note: in 2020, this test was updated to include two additional required questions and some of the terminology was revised to reflect a more contemporary understanding of language. This review is for educational use only and should not be used to practice for the actual naturalization exam.

Because the quiz is long, we have broken it up into its sections as defined in the study guide. If you complete each section, you will have answered the 100 questions.

Lostpine does not need your personal information such as your name or email for this quiz. We do not retain any information.

To take the full quiz, all 100 questions, use the quiz below:

To break the above quiz up into smaller sections, take each module below:

Patriot Camp

Introduction

What is the purpose of learning history? For most of us it is to avoid the repetition of mistakes, to advance our learnings based on the experiences of others. However, there is one additional proposition that needs to be presented. History itself offers visible proof of the existence of a Creator, a power greater than ourselves. History can answer the questions of why we are here and define our significance and purpose to this earth.

Rev. William Paley

William Paley (1743-1805) was an English theologian, born at Peterborough near Northampton. In 1758 Paley entered Christ College, Cambridge. Paley was made a prebendary of the cathedral church of Carlisle in 1780, he became archdeacon of the diocese in 1782, and chancellor in 1785, the year he published Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy. He wrote “Horae Paulinae” (1790), in proof that the New Testament is not a cunningly devised fable, and A View of the Evidences of Christianity (1794), for which he is celebrated. Natural Theology; or, Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity (1802) also achieved great popularity. In 1825 a complete edition of his writings was published by his son, Edmund Paley. He died at Lincoln May 25, 1805.

William Paley may be most noted for his “Parable of Paley,” a logical view offering proof that God exists. It is noted below.

“In crossing a heath, suppose I pitched my foot against a stone, and were asked how the stone came to be there: I might possibly answer, that, for anything I knew to the contrary, it had lain there forever; nor would it perhaps be very easy to show the absurdity of this answer. But suppose I had found a watch upon the ground, and it should be inquired how the watch happened to be in that place; I should hardly think of the answer which I had before given, — that, for any thing I knew, the watch might have always been there. Yet why should not this answer serve for the watch as well as for the stone? Why is it not as admissible in the second case, as in the first? For this reason, and for no other, that when we come to inspect the watch, we perceive (what we could not discover in the stone) that its several parts are framed and put together for a purpose, e.g. that they are so formed and adjusted as to produce motion, and that motion so regulated as to point out the hour of the day; …This mechanism being observed (it requires indeed an examination of the instrument, and perhaps some previous knowledge of the subject, to perceive and understand it; but being once, as we have said, observed and understood), the inference we think is inevitable, that the watch must have had a maker: that there must have existed, at some time, and at some place or other, an artificer who formed it for the purpose which we find it actually to answer: who comprehended its construction, and designed its use.” (Paley, 1807)

If God Himself gave us history then for a reason, it is worthwhile to look at how to use history to do more than laying out of a chronological set of dates, places and events. History should lead us to a higher level of learning, one that strengthens the students to seek the evidence that defines our very existence. To do that effectively, we need “Common Sense.” For this, we look to another notable theologian, Reverend Thomas Reid (1710 – 1796).

Rev Thomas Reid

As Reid saw it, all human inquiry must have a starting place, and the natural starting place is a set of principles, implanted by God, that make up ‘common sense’. Because philosophy, like any other branch of knowledge, is dependent on those principles, any attempts it makes to find foundations for them, or challenge them, will be incoherent. The failure to realize this, Reid claimed, was responsible for many of the debates and absurd conclusions people reach. Reid’s philosophy was pervasive during the American Revolution and served as a stabilizing philosophical influence through the education of our founding fathers such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. ¹ Summarized, Reid stated these principles of education, to teach:

There is a God
God placed a conscience (a moral sense) into every individual – (as part of Natural Law)
God established “first principles” such as law, government, education, politics, and economics, all to be discovered by “common sense.”² ^– ³
There is no conflict between reason and revelation – both come from God and revelation fortifies and clarifies reason.

Why start Patriot Camp with Paley and Reid? It is the attempt to do more than entertain or amuse our youth. The events of history, when woven correctly, can strengthen one’s common sense. Patriot Camp’s goals are to show that the rights of freedom are part of every human’s soul, placed there by God. When those rights are withheld, when liberty is missing, when oppression is present, the human soul responds. To the teachers, reenactors and helpers that decide to conduct a Patriot Camp, it is this author’s hope that you use our nation’s history to fortify the future citizens you have before you with the skills to keep our great nation prosperous and free.

Presented Below is Patriot Camp

Mechanics

The Roots of Freedom

The Colonies Before the Revolution

The American Revolution

The War

Formation of a Government

US Constitution

The Bill of Rights

Citizenship

Camp Photo Gallery

General Lostpine Photo Gallery

1
Robinson, Daniel (April 2007). “The Scottish Enlightenment and the American Founding”. Monist 90 (2)
2
https://lostpine.com/home/passions/patriots/thomas-paine/
3
Consider the printing or purchase of a reproduction of Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense.” Great discussion piece to use with your class. You can purchase one from http://18thcenturybibles.org/

Mechanics

The material included in this course has been given in a day, in a week and used over extended periods of time. The level of detail, the use of materials is all subject to the resources available to the teaching team. Depending upon the age of the students, the length and complexity will vary. You should consider having as many “Hands on” artifacts available to bring the history alive. Clothes make the class. Reenactors in your community will be more than happy to help you dress the part. Decorate the room, be creative and most importantly, have fun. Do not forget to start each day with The Pledge of Allegiance. Use a 13 Star Flag.

The written history is for the teachers. Familiarize yourself with our history but make sure you convert the dates and events into stories and Hands-On experiences. There is nothing more impressive to a student than to hold an object in their hands. Please do not just read history to them. There are plenty of history books they can read themselves. Patriot camp is about understanding our nation’s beginnings, understanding the hardships our founders and citizens experienced and gaining an appreciation for the great land we live in.

Games, snacks, crafts are all good ways to help tie the program together. There is, however, one suggestion that you should use to help demonstrate the entire point of this camp. Encouraging questions is critical to teaching history. The camp should be interactive and not a one-way presentation on historical events. When students ask a good question, they should receive a reward. As a suggestion, consider using candy coins or wrapped gold colored candies, especially for longer camps of several days to a week. They should be told to save them so that at the end of the camp, the “coins” can be used to purchase items in a “colonial store.” The store should be outfitted with small inexpensive items and priced accordingly. It is a nice last day activity that younger campers enjoy.

On the last day, the use of this incentive will become apparent. A small bag or pouch to keep them in will help keep the concept of rewards organized. Making a pouch can be a great first day project. To end your camp, there will be a discussion about the Bill of Rights. It is important to make sure that at the end of the camp, the concept of a “Constitutional Republic” is understood by the students. Our country is uniquely different than most. To describe a constitutional republic, plan to do this:

Ask the students on the beginning of the last day, who has the most coins? There will be one student who has been the most inquisitive. Now ask the other students who would like some of that student’s coins? You will always have every other hand go up. Everyone always wants some of what the high achiever has earned. What the class has just done is demonstrated a pure democracy where the majority can vote away the earned benefits of a minority.

To demonstrate Socialism, everyone would put all their coins in a bowl. After the persons in charge took out whatever amount they wanted, the rest would be divided equally among the students. There would be no regard to who asked the most and best questions, just equal distribution and wealth for those in charge. The unfortunate part of Socialism is that for the next camp or class, there would be no incentive to ask questions because everyone would get candy anyway. This probably would result in less and less candy with each class until you run out of candies in your bowl. Good time to discuss what the “Incentive” means when we apply it to personal success. Finally, there probably are a few that have no candy or very little. This is a good time to teach about the virtue of generosity. Those who have much should consider sharing.

Begin your discussion on our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Explain that under our government, the student with the most coins has rights, inalienable rights, that protect them from the majority. It will be then that you walk through each of those rights on that last day, pulling together the story of American history, using common sense. Our Bill of Rights was carefully crafted through the lessons of history, thereby, sustaining the very nature of human rights long before our country was even born. The student with the most coins earned them and, in our Constitutional Republic, gets to keep them.

Goals and Objectives, Other Worthwhile Pursuits

The Patriot Camp concept is meant to be a short program, something fun to bring history alive. There are however, some goals and objectives that should be at the core of any camp. While not every game or exercise is defined here, the camp experience should always have at a minimum, the following concepts:

Debt – to borrow is not necessarily a bad thing but to borrow too much and for the wrong reasons can lead to painful consequences. Debt must always be paid back.

Liberty – The idea that there are truths that are self-evident, the truth that all men are created equal, that people are endowed by a Creator, a power greater than us, with certain unalienable Rights, and that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. This is what separates our nation from most others. At the foundation of Liberty is the Bill of Rights. To lose any of those rights is to lose our liberty.

Taxes – The concept that a government must legitimately raise funds to function but that with taxes, there is always an attempt to control the citizens behavior. Taxes are rarely applied to things people do not want. Taxes, the resources of the people, should never be squandered.

Inflation – The concept of a value that can change over time due to events such as supply, demand, even just rules and regulations. What controls inflation? Adequate supply, reasonable demand and the elimination of the constant rule-making of a bureaucracy.

Sacrifice – There is no greater learning that can occur than to understand that to be free, to have freedom has never been “free.”

Injustice – While difficult for young students to grasp, the world is not a just and fair place. It is our response to injustice, what we do when we see it, that defines its people.

Monopolies – While the greatest of historical monopolies was the East India Tea Company, monopolies still exist today. They can be government sponsored or created by private industry. The camp should always stress the benefits of individual competition.

Something for Nothing – The idea that people never really receive things free without work, sacrifice or even a few strings attached is a hard lesson to learn. Life is to be built upon Hope, Hard Work, Sacrifice, Charity and Faith. These are the greatest lessons any student can learn from history.

Next Section: The Roots of Freedom

The Roots of Freedom

Where do our roots, our desire to be a free people come from? While the path of history is quite long and deep, to fully understand our nation, our Constitution and our Bill of Rights, we can look to two vastly different events and parts of the world. This exercise is intended to make students aware of the concept of “human rights.”

The Magna Carta ¹

One of four surviving copies of the 1215 Magna Carta. This copy is one of two held at the British Library. It came from the collection of Sir Robert Cotton, who died in 1631. In 1731, a fire at Ashburnam House in Westminster, where his library was then housed, destroyed or damaged many of the rare manuscripts, which is why this copy is burnt.

Before the founding of our country, our forefathers had already experienced the “Dark Ages.” The Medieval Inquisition started around 1184 and continued well into the 1400’s. During this period, tens of thousands of “non-believers” were tortured or killed. Non-believers were those who did not subscribe to a specific model of beliefs. In 1401, the King of England issued an edict to immediately arrest anyone who preached religious thoughts against the king’s brand of religion. A second offense resulted in immediate death.

Magna Carta, means “The Great Charter” and is one of the most famous documents in the world. Originally issued by King John of England as a practical solution to the political crisis he faced in 1215, the Magna Carta established for the first time the principle that everybody, including the king, was subject to the law. Although nearly a third of the text was deleted or substantially rewritten within ten years, and almost all the clauses have been repealed in modern times, Magna Carta remains a cornerstone of the British constitution.

Most of the 63 clauses granted by King John dealt with specific grievances relating to his rule. However, buried within them were a few fundamental values that both challenged the autocracy of the king and proved highly adaptable in future centuries. Most famously, the 39th clause gave all ‘free men’ the right to justice and a fair trial. Some of Magna Carta’s core principles are echoed in the United States Bill of Rights and in many other constitutional documents around the world, as well as in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the European Convention on Human Rights (1950). Many other charters would follow. Surviving from the Magna Carta is also the right of free trade without custom restrictions between cities and the freedoms granted to the Church of England.

Hands-On Opportunity

Replica copies of the Magna Carta are readily available, produced to look like the original document itself. Let the students handle and try to read the script. Talk about how hard it was to inform and entire country like Britain without radio, TV or the Internet. This is also an excellent place to introduce a journal for your camp. A few pieces of leather, pages, leather lace and you have an heirloom in the making. Letting students write down their impressions can further serve to hone their skills on history.

Teaching Opportunity

The concept of a “right” is not easily understood by students. As you progress through the history of the American Revolution, it will be important to continually draw a distinction between a Democracy (majority rules) and a Constitutional Republic (the majority rules but cannot take away individual rights as defined by their Constitution). Have the students pick several “rights” that they would like to keep as part of the Patriot Class. As they build their list, have them look for rights that the entire group should follow and rights that may vary with the student. Some ideas to guide the exercise would be a right to have a snack but everyone needs to eat the same snack peanuts (discuss peanut allergies); the right to ask questions but should that right let them interrupt others; the right to be first in line or handle an artifact but who should get that right.

The Iroquois Constitution (Great Law of Peace) ²

We tend to think of any formal constitution as something contemporary, developed as part of the creation of the United States. However, the Iroquois beat us to that goal somewhere between A.D. 1000 and A.D. 1400. More recently, the date is estimated to be closer to A.D. 1450.³ The Great Law of Peace, also known as the Hiawatha Wampum, was created by the Iroquois to stop neighboring tribes from fighting with each other. It is not a paper document, but a belt of beads made from the quahog shells and woven into a historical record through the patterns of purple and white beads.

The Hiawatha Belt⁴ is made of 6,574 wampum beads – 38 rows by 173 columns and has 892 white and 5,682 purple beads. The purple represents the sky or universe that surrounds us, while the white represents purity and Good Mind (good thoughts, forgiveness and understanding). Hiawatha was a pre-colonial Native American leader and co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy. Depending on the version of the narrative, he was a leader of the Onondaga, or the Mohawk, or both. To help the five tribes of the Iroquois that unity provided safety, Hiawatha took a single arrow, grabbing each end, easily broke it. He then gathered five arrows in a bundle and showed there was superior strength as a group. The bundle of arrows could not be broken. This concept would later be emulated in our nation’s great seal, where the eagle holds 13 arrows in its left claw. Unity of the colonies was one critical element of their success during the Revolution.

The belt symbolizes Five Nations from west to east in their respective territories across New York state: Seneca (keepers of the western door), Cayuga (People of the Swamp), Onondaga (Keepers of the Fire), Oneida (People of the Standing Stone) and Mohawk (keeper of the eastern door)—by open squares of white beads with the central figure signifying a tree or heart. The white open squares are connected by a white band that has no beginning or end, representing all time now and forever. The band, however, does not cross through the center of each nation, meaning that each nation is supported and unified by a common bond and that each is separate in its own identity and domain. The open center also signifies the idea of a fort protected on all sides, but open in the center, symbolizing an open heart and mind within.

The purpose of the Iroquois Constitution was to prevent tribal interference in everyone’s daily lives and meant to enhance individual freedom by separating their civilian governing bodies from the military and from religious affairs. The Great Law allowed differing beliefs among tribes to coexist and recognized the importance of one’s beliefs, no matter what their origin. There was outright freedom of religion in the “The Great Law of Peace.” While beliefs may have differed within tribes, all accepted the concept of one Creator of the Universe.

US Coat of Arms

Our early forefathers would have noticed⁵ that the Iroquois tied their tribes together into a perfect union, much like we see in our own preamble of the U.S. Constitution. Both documents stress unity and providing liberty for posterity. The Great Law defined numbers of representatives, their powers, and requirements, just as our own Constitution does. The formal creation of an executive office was also defined by the Iroquois. But unlike our own Constitution, the election and choice were left to the clan mothers. The Iroquois had the wisdom to know that the mothers of their warriors were the ones to choose their commander in chief who held the power to make war and to place their children in harm’s way. The Iroquois Law defined checks and balances, created a centralized government. It included a guarantee of free speech, defined levels of authority between tribes and gave individual rights to each tribe just as we have done with our own States. Concepts like the forbidding of quartering, the unauthorized entry or seizure of one’s lodge, was also principle of The Great Law as well as in our own Article 3 of the Bill of Rights.

Hands-On Opportunity

Purchase a few quahog shells and some wampum beads, white and purple. Let the students handle them. Explain the process of stringing beads on threads and weaving them together. Possibly purchase a beaded belt with contemporary glass beads so they can see the construction method. Have a picture of our nation’s great seal to show the tie to the Great Law.

Teaching Opportunity

To help understand the concept of rights and freedoms, the following exercise is presented.

Discuss a narrow topic that is familiar with the group. It could be their desire to be treated fairly, not to be bullied, even to get less homework. Break into smaller groups and ask them to draw symbols that would explain their position to someone who does not speak their language. Have each group explain their drawing and why they chose the symbols that they used and how those symbols communicate their message. That is exactly what the Hiawatha Wampum belt did, used symbols to document a constitution and agreement between tribes.

Next Section: The Colonies Before the Revolution

1
Article by: Claire Breay, Julian Harrison. Medieval origins. 28 July 2014.
2
Smithsonian. Article by: Emory Dean Keoke and Kay Marie Porterfield. The Great Law. Fall 2004. Pg. 77
3
Edward Dean Keoke and Kay Marie Porterfield. Encyclopedia of American Indian Contributions to the World. 140.
4
Wikipedia. https://www.wikipedia.org/Hiawatha.
5
https://www.mollylarkin.com/u-s-constitution-great-law-peace/

The Colonies Before the Revolution

Life in the Colonies

There were 16 colonies in existence just prior to the American Revolution. We all know our list of the major 13 colonies: The New England colonies were Massachusetts Bay Colony (which included Maine), New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut; the Middle Colonies were New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware; and the southern colonies of Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia, and North Carolina. Florida would add two additional colonies called East Florida and West Florida. Some also include Canada as the 16th colony because of its influence on trade and the American Revolution. ¹

While there were cities, there was also a large rural population. Life was hard and for children, there were chores. Gathering wood daily, fetching water with a pail, feeding livestock and harvesting food would have filled their day. For those lucky enough to live in a town, there was school with a focus on reading and writing. Leisure time was minimal, games were simple.

Hands-On Opportunity

Having the teachers dress as colonials is always a big hit. Buckle shoes, breaches, waist coats, frocks, simple shirts make up the dress for men. For ladies, dress could have been simple as a dresses, skirts, bodices, aprons, hats, gloves, capes and petty coats. If you cannot purchase them and wear them, pictures help show the styles of the times. Other items to include in a show and tell would be lanterns, candles, cooking utensils, homemade soap, currency and coins and writing instruments such as feather quills. This is totally dependent upon the volunteers you can find, people from the period camping and reenacting communities to bring items that can be passed around. Reproduction currency and coins are also a good item to use. ²

Nine Pin

One of the greatest areas of interest are toys. Dolls were handmade, action toys were simple wood objects, hoops, jacks, Jacob’s Ladder, swords, small wooden bows and toy arrows. There still are period wood smiths where you can find samples of 18th century children’s toys. You might want to make the point that “no batteries” are necessary. Setting aside time to play with some of the toys will help reinforce the simplicity of colonial times. How many children today even know what a spinning top is or looks like.

Teaching Opportunity

There is one point to all your demonstrations, life was hard for children. No TV, no electricity, no phones. You might try taking a pail and putting some rocks in it. The average pail holds about 20 pounds of water. Ask each young patriot to carry it across the room. Now tell them that it was their job to do these three times a day and, by the way, the creek is a half a mile from their cabin.

The Molasses Act of 1733

Molasses Act

Government policies, trade, even wars are often underpinned by the things people need and use. During the early 1700’s molasses was an important trade commodity. Made from the juices of sugar cane, the primary purpose for molasses was to produce rum. A large colonial molasses trade existed between the colonies in New England, the Middle colonies and the French, Dutch, and Spanish West Indian possessions. Molasses from the British West Indies, used in New England for making rum, was priced much higher than its competitors. New England colonies also had no need for the large quantities of lumber, fish, and other items offered by the other colonies in exchange.

Rather than prohibit the colonies from trading with the non-British islands to protect trade and profits, the British Parliament passed a prohibitively high tax on the colonies for the import of any molasses from any islands not part of the British Empire. The impact then on the average colonist was to see the price of certain products like rum remain high. This tax would begin the cycle that eventually would lead our colonies to separate from Britain’s control. As a learning opportunity, the concept of a tax to influence and control citizens is introduced.

While the Molasses Act may seem to predate any wars, it represents how Great Britain viewed the colonies as not much more than a source of funds.

Hands-On Opportunity

Purchase a jar of molasses. Pour it out into a bowl so the youth can see its brown color and viscosity. Pass out popsicle sticks and let them dip in to taste it. Keep a trash container with a liner nearby. Most will not like the taste.

Teaching Opportunity

Take time to have a snack break. Pass out coupons as colonial currency. Each gets the same amount. Now offer a nice snack that they must purchase with their colonial currency. Have two piles of snacks. Divide the class into two groups assigning each group to pick from only one of the piles. As they prepare to make their purchase, place a TAX on pile one so they can only get one snack for their money and pile two will give them two snacks. All snacks should be the same. The point will be to ask those who only could spend their money and get one snack to admit, it wasn’t fair. That is how the colonists felt too. Taxes are often used to control the behavior of those required to pay it.

The French and Indian War

The French and Indian War as called by our colonists, was the beginning of the change of attitude between Great Britain, France and the colonies. By 1700, there were 250,000 people in the colonists. But by 1750, that number had grown to 1.25 million. In Europe, this war was called the Seven Years War and was the first truly global conflict, a world war. By 1754, Prussia, Austria, Britain, France and Spain were involved with the hostilities spreading to the colonies. Eventually, the English dominated the colonial outposts but the cost to Great Britain was staggering. The British Government had borrowed heavily from British and Dutch bankers to finance the war, and therefore the national debt would lead to a series of taxes all aimed at paying for the conflict. Part of the great injustice called “Taxation without Representation” would be the fact that much of costs (debt) of the Seven Years War would come from the European side of the conflict. However, the colonies were to carry a much higher burden of repayments, more than their perceived fair share. The French and Indian War was the colonial conflict with France over expanding westward into Indian territories.

It is important to note that the principle trading partner for the colonies was the East India Tea Company. ³ This company held a privileged position where special rights were granted to them, giving the East India Tea Company exclusive rights (monopolies) aimed at driving out any competing nations. Virtually all cotton, silk, indigo dye, salt peter, tea and opium were under the control of this company. Yes, drugs were a part of our colonies early history. No colony could import or export products unless the East India Tea Company was involved. Colonists were paying much more for their products and receiving much less for the products they produced.

The colonies were very interested in raising their own armies and funding the French and Indian War. Despite petitions to King George II, offers were declined. The king was suspicious and felt that such armies after the war could be turned against Great Britain. The best that our colonies could bargain for was to assist the British in their war. British armies would demand horses, feed, food, wagons and shelter from the colonists but usually deny them the right to defend themselves. The lack of an ability to protect themselves would fester in the minds of America’s early leaders and influence the timing of the American Revolution.

Hands-On Opportunity

This period of history is heavily influenced by the expansion west into the Ohio Valley and much fighting between tribes living in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Canada. Some Indians aligned with the French and others with the English. It would be an excellent place in your program to introduce the American Indian culture. For Hands-On, it would be suggested that beading, leather clothing, bows and arrows, are made available for the youth to see and handle. Much will depend upon the resources of your adult leaders and what they might be able to bring to the Patriot Camp.

Learning Opportunity

Battlefield Scene

This was a brutal time in American History. It is what set in the minds of the colonists that they must be able to defend themselves. The colonies were not only under pressure from France and its native partners, but the British soldiers took what they wanted. The colonies had virtually no rights of freedom or defense.

Have the children discuss how they would feel if they had to give up their home, their food, to a stranger (British Soldiers) and be left with nothing. This introduces the concept of quartering.

The Great Debt

By the end of the French and Indian War, Britain was in debt. The British thought the colonists should help pay for the cost of their own protection. The war had cost the British treasury £70,000,000 and doubled their national debt to £140,000,000. In today’s US currency, Britain’s national debt was equivalent to over 5 billion dollars⁴. ⁵ – ⁶ There is a simple lesson to this segment, too much debt is not good, and debt must always be paid back. The debt would generate oppressive government taxes and help lead to the American Revolution. Depending upon the age of the students, this opens an opportunity to discuss the National Debt of America⁷

In the next years, the following taxes were levied by Great Britain against the colonies. There are too many to cover in a short program. The taxes below were selected as a representative list of those most notable in history. ⁸

The Currency Act – 1764

1764 Currency

The Currency Act is one of many several Acts of the Parliament of Great Britain that regulated paper money issued by the colonies of British America. The first such Act was in 1751. The Acts sought to protect British merchants and creditors from being paid in depreciated colonial currency. The policy created tension between the colonies and Great Britain and would be cited as a grievance by colonists early in the American Revolution.

From the origin of the colonies, they all struggled with the development of an effective medium of exchange for goods and services. After depleting most of their existing monetary resources through imports, the first settlers strained to keep money in circulation. They could not find a suitable medium of exchange in which the value did not depreciate. The colonists generally employed three main types of currency. The first was commodity money, using the currency of a given region as a means of exchange. The second was gold or silver money. Lastly, paper money, issued in the form of a bill of exchange or a bank note, mortgaged on the value of the land that an individual owned.

Each year, the supply of gold and silver in the colonies decreased due to international factors making it ineffective as a means of exchange for day-to-day purchases. Colonists frequently adopted a barter system to acquire the goods and services they required. Essentially, this method also proved to be ineffective and a commodity system was adopted in its place. Tobacco was used as a monetary substitute in Virginia as early as 1619. A major shortcoming of this system was that the quality of the substitutes was inconsistent. The poorer qualities ended up in circulation while the finer qualities were inevitably exported. This commodity system became increasingly ineffective as colonial debts increased.

This Act restricted the issuing of paper money and the establishment of new public banks by the colonies in New England. These colonies had issued paper money known as “bills of credit” to help pay for military expenses during the French and Indian Wars. Because more paper money was issued than what was taxed out of circulation, the currency depreciated in relation to the British pound sterling. The resultant inflation was harmful to merchants in Great Britain, who were forced to accept the depreciated currency from colonists for payment of debts.

The Act limited the future issuance of bills of credit to certain circumstances. It allowed the existing bills to be used as legal tender for public debts (i.e. paying taxes) but disallowed their use for private debts (e.g. for paying merchants).

Hands-On Opportunity

Depending upon the grade levels of the students, this topic can be as simple as passing around samples of the various coins, currency and notes. Reproductions are readily available. For older students, you may consider depreciating the values of the incentive you have been using for “good questions.” You can always re-appreciate them at the end of your program as a reward.

Learning Opportunity

Paper money has no intrinsic value. It is used with complete trust in the issuer. That is why inflation, monetary easing, Federal banking policies impact all of us. The Currency Act by the British Government recognized that the monetary policy of the colonies along with their apportioned debt for the French and Indian War was lowering the value of colonial currency. Today’s fancy word for it is inflation. Inflation impacts the costs of goods and services.

The Sugar Act – 1764

Cone Sugar

Sugar Nippers

The Molasses Act was set to expire in 1763. The Commissioners of Customs anticipated greater demand for both molasses and rum because of the end of the French and Indian war and the acquisition of Canada. They believed that the increased demand would make a sharply reduced rate both affordable and collectible. When passed by Parliament, the new Sugar Act of 1764 halved the previous tax on molasses. In addition to promising stricter enforcement, the language of the bill made it clear that the purpose of the legislation was not to simply regulate the trade (as the Molasses Act had attempted to do by effectively closing the legal trade to non-British suppliers) but to raise revenue.

The new act listed specific goods, the most important being lumber, which could only be exported to Britain. Ship captains were required to maintain detailed manifests of their cargo and the papers were subject to verification before anything could be unloaded from the ships. Customs officials were empowered to have all violations tried in vice admiralty courts rather than by jury trials in local colonial courts, where the juries generally looked favorably on smuggling as a profession. New England ports especially suffered economic losses from the Sugar Act as the stricter enforcement made smuggling molasses more dangerous and risky.

Hands-On Opportunity

At this time in the colonies, sugar was brown and often dried into cones. Cone sugar is still available today in markets that supply ethnic foods to descendants from the Caribbean islands. It was expensive and typically kept in wooden boxes. A form of scissors, called sugar nippers, was used to chip off pieces of the cone for use in their tea. Fill a small container with chips made by a sugar nipper and let the class taste what sugar was like during the colonial period.

Learning Opportunity

High taxes, regulations frequently cause unexpected consequences. This is a good time to introduce the idea of artificial price controls, smuggling and the connection to crime. When a government attempts to force purchasing or selling goods/services from only one supplier, that is a monopoly. When the item is something that people really want like sugar for making rum, laws are ignored, and illicit industries are created. Moonshine, the prohibition of alcohol, even the war on drugs are contemporary examples of this issue.

The Quartering Act – 1765

The Province of New York was the headquarters of British troops remaining in the colonies after the end of the French and Indian War. Britain’s Parliament had passed an Act to provide for the quartering of British regulars, but it expired on January 2, 1764. The result was the Quartering Act of 1765, which went far beyond the previous law. No standing army had been kept in the colonies before the French and Indian War, so the colonies asked why a standing army was needed after the French had been defeated in battle.

The Quartering Act, signed May 15, 1765, provided that Great Britain could house its soldiers in American barracks and public houses, as granted by the Mutiny Act of 1765, but if its soldiers outnumbered the housing available, could quarter them in “inns, livery stables, ale houses, victualing houses, and the houses of sellers of wine and houses of persons selling of rum, brandy, strong water, cider or metheglin”, and if numbers required in “uninhabited houses, outhouses, barns, or other buildings.” Colonial authorities were required to pay the cost of housing and feeding these troops. Simply stated, the British Army was granted the right to colonial private property without fair compensation to the owner.

Learning Opportunity

The term Quartering is not common in society today. However, when the lessons begin to cover the grievances of the colonists written into “The Declaration of the Thirteen United States of American,” the background is helpful. This is simply a discussion about rights. Do citizens have the right to their own property? Under King George III and the British government, no colonist had such rights. Even today, there is much sensitivity to this issue when subjects like eminent domain are considered. The question for any group of students is whether circumstances could exist where a person’s property could be taken without fair compensation?

The Stamp Act – 1765

Stamp Act Stamp

Also called “Duties in American Colonies Act 1765,” it was a direct tax imposed on the colonies and required for all printed materials produced in London. These products were required to carry an embossed revenue stamp. This was significant because of the scarcity of printing presses in the colonies and the heavy dependence on Britain for such products. Things like legal documents, magazines, newspapers and other types of paper products were affected. The tax had to be paid in valid British currency, not in colonial paper money. Again, the purpose was to help pay for the British troops stationed in North American after the British victory in the French and Indian War. Since colonists were the beneficiary of this military presence, the British government felt that the colonies should be required to pay for a portion of that cost.

Hands-On Opportunity

Today, many suppliers of period reproduction items from the 18th century carry playing cards. On the box of cards is an embossed revenue stamp. It is often fun to pass around the cards, so the idea of a tax stamp can be brought to life.

Learning Opportunity

The significance of the Stamp Act was to spread the anger to almost every colonist. While the price of rum affected some, even the higher costs of imported products, paper products such as magazines, newspapers, even playing cards impacted every family in some way. This one Act might be viewed as the very tipping point of the Revolution. Rebellion against King George III escalated quickly. While the Stamp Act itself was ended rather quickly, the damage was done. Too many colonists were ready to break ties with Britain.

Townshend Acts – 1767

The Townshend Acts (also called the Intolerable Acts) were a series of laws passed by the British Parliament specifically targeting trade in the colonies. They were named after Charles Townshend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer , who proposed the program. Most historians agree that there were five laws: The Revenue Act of 1767; the Indemnity Act; the Commissioners of Customs Act; the Vice Admiralty Court Act and the New Your Restraining Act. The purpose of the Townshend Acts was to raise revenue in the colonies to pay the salaries of governors and judges so that they would be independent of colonial influence. Their roles were to enforce compliance with trade regulations, to punish New York for failing to comply with the Quartering Act and to establish the principle that the British Parliament has the right to tax the colonies. The Townshend Acts met with resistance prompting occupation of Boston by British Troops.

Learning Opportunity

There is a lot of detail in the Townshend Acts and it is not recommended that you go through this tax by tax. The principle that evolved from this was the cry of “Taxation Without Representation.” Colonists had no input to whether the taxes were fair or not. They could not vote and pick their government leaders or their judges. Just a good discussion on the present system of elections and the right of American citizens to elect their officials is appropriate. Additionally, you might consider the introduction of present “rule-making,” the granting of rights to non-elected officials to create rules (laws) we use in the United States. The question to discuss might be how today’s modern rulemaking is like the Townshend Acts.

British Troops Occupy Boston – 1768

The Massachusetts House of Representatives began a campaign against the Townshend Acts by sending a petition to King George III asking for the repeal of the Townshend Revenue Act. This would become something known as the “Circular Letter,” going to other colonial assemblies asking them to join the resistance. In Great Britain, Lord Hillsborough, the newly appointed office of Colonial Secretary became alarmed by the actions of Massachusetts. In April of 1768 he sent a letter to colonial governors in America, instructing all colonial assemblies to be dissolved along with rescinding the Circular Letter. None complied.

In May of 1786, the HMS Romney arrived to strengthen the British Military Presence in Boston. Upon arriving, the ship Liberty was seized on suspicion of smuggling. The owner of the Liberty was John Hancock. Numerous colonial sailors were being forced into the British navy and anger began to permeate the colonies. On October 1, 1768, the first of four regiments of British troops arrived in Boston. Boston was now under siege.

Learning Opportunity

The experiences in 1768 led colonists to understand the importance of protecting peaceful assembly and the ability to partition a government with a complaint. What did the King do? He attempted to dissolve the colonial governments and send troops. Later, as students look at the complaints of colonists and our Bill of Rights, we can begin to understand why we became a Constitutional Republic, protecting certain “unalienable rights.”

The First Death of the American Revolution – February 22, 1770

Christopher Seider (or Snider) (1758—1770) was the first American killed in the political strife that later would become the American Revolution. Only twelve years old at the time, Seider was shot and killed in Boston on February 22, 1770. His funeral became a major political event, with his death heightening tensions that erupted into the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770.

The Customs House has been renamed “Butcher’s Hall” and a gun can be seen firing from a window -an oblique reference to the death of Seider in Paul Revere’s most famous etching of the Boston Massacre.

Seider was born in 1758, the son of poor German immigrants. On February 22, 1770, he joined a crowd mobbing the house of Ebenezer Richardson located in the North End, Richardson was a customs service employee who had tried to disperse a protest in front of Loyalist merchant Theophilus Lillie’s shop. The crowd threw stones which broke Richardson’s windows and struck his wife. Richardson tried to scare them by firing a gun into the crowd. Seider was wounded in the arm and the chest but died that evening. Samuel Adams arranged for the funeral, which over 2,000 people attended. Seider is buried in Granary Burying Ground along with the victims of the Boston Massacre which occurred just 11 days later.

Richardson was convicted of murder that spring, but then received a royal pardon and a new job within the customs service, claiming he had acted in self-defense. This became a major American grievance against the British government.

The Boston Massacre – 1770

Boston Massacre by Paul Revere

The Boston Massacre is one of the most noted events in the history of the American Revolution. Here we are introduced to several people, Paul Revere and John Adams. The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770. By now, Boston was an occupied city. The civil unrest had prompted King George III to send troops to keep down any thoughts of rebellion. On a cold night, a squad of British soldiers, were being pressed by a heckling, snowballing crowd, let loose a volley of shots. Three persons were killed immediately and two died later of their wounds. Among the victims was Crispus Attucks, a man of black parentage. The British officer in charge, Capt. Thomas Preston, was arrested for manslaughter, along with eight of his men.

A young Boston attorney, John Adams, came to their defense after understanding what had transpired that night. After a trial with a jury seated which were colonists, all were acquitted. This did much to show the people of Boston that the rule of law works. However, we now introduce Paul Revere, a talented silversmith and engraver. More importantly, an active member of the “Sons of Liberty.” Revere creates a printing plate of a scene, depicting the cold-blooded killing of 5 colonists. The printing plate would be used to produce thousands of posters that quickly spread through the colonies. Anger grew, and this etching is considered a principle catalyst to the Revolution.

Hand-on Opportunity

The etching is readily available online and can be found in both a black and white (original) and color versions. It is of a scene near the Custom House and Faneuil Hall in Boston where the shootings took place. Most students, today, understand social media. It drives opinion at the speed of light. There was, however, social media during the colonial period. For this part of the study, consider researching and finding the many samples of posters that were used expressly for altering public opinion. Paul Revere’s etching is just one appropriate example. Pamphlets were also used. Thomas Paine’s Common Sense pamphlet is still the most widely distributed printing based on population size in American History. It is still in print today. Having samples of these items, maybe even a sample page or two of Ben Franklin’s newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette will begin to show students the power behind the pen.

Teaching Opportunity

This would be a good time to discuss how the media, simple printed pages delivered by horseback have evolved into interactive social media. The question to ponder is whether we still see misrepresentations of newsworthy events? How can we know the truth? While Paul Revere misrepresented the event and angered patriots who then were willing to go to war, was this OK or not? To be considered is: impact on individual rights; the dangers of activism; the benefits of applying the law equally to all people; whether a cause can be great enough to ignore the truth?

The Significance of The Pine Tree

Tea Act – 1773

Brick Tea

This is another one of the defining moments in American history. Colonists react dramatically to the oppression from Great Britain, ultimately triggering the Revolution. The Tea Act of 1773 was one of several measures imposed on the American colonists by the heavily indebted British government in the decade leading up to the American Revolutionary War. The act’s main purpose was not to raise revenue from the colonies but to bail out the floundering East India Company, a key partner in the British economy. The British government granted the company a monopoly on the importation and sale of tea in the colonies. The colonists had never accepted the constitutionality of the duty on tea, and the Tea Act rekindled their opposition to it. Colonial resistance culminated in the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773, in which Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty boarded three East India Tea Company ships in the Boston harbor and threw 342 chests of tea overboard. The value of the tea was 10,000 Pounds Sterling (approximately $400,000 in U.S. Dollars today).

Hands-On Opportunity

We think of tea as dried leaves, or paper bags of dried leaves that are soaked in hot water to make the drink, tea. However, that is not what tea looked like in the 1700’s. To ship anything from as far away as India was expensive, even without considerations for the tax. Therefore, tea leaves were pressed into bricks. Reproduction bricks of tea are commercially available from reenacting suppliers such as Jas-Townsend and Sons. The bricks could be tightly packed into crates saving space. To make tea, a piece of compressed tea would be broken off and placed in a pot of boiling water. The tea bricks can be easily passed around a classroom.

Hands -On Learning Opportunity

Tea was the drink for the times. Things like coffee and soda were not available in the colonies. To enjoy a hot drink on a cold day, colonists would drink tea. What we consistently see in taxation is the selection of things that people use, like and are popular. Taxes can be used to punish or to raise money for a government by taxing popular items. Taxes on unpopular items are not a very practical thing. Consider a discussion on the popular items taxed in our society today.

The Quebec Act – 1774

The passing by the British Parliament of the Quebec Act in 1774 led to further anger in the Colonies. The Act guaranteed religious freedom for Roman Catholics and restored French civil law in the conquered colony of Québec – raising the ire of anti-Catholic American Protestants who resided in the colonies. The act:

Expanded the Canadian province territory to take over part of the Indian Reserve, including much of what is now southern Ontario, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and parts of Minnesota.
Reference to the Protestant faith was removed from the oath of allegiance.
It guaranteed the free practice of the Catholic faith.
It restored the use of the French civil law for matters of private law, except that in accordance with the English common law.
It restored the Catholic Church’s right to impose tithes.

Religion, and the right to practice as you wish was a long-standing issue within Great Britain. Their insistence upon the King’s variant of the Anglican Church and the head of the church as the Archbishop of Canterbury was responsible for driving out many of the early settlers in the colonies. The Quebec Act would later manifest itself into what we all know today as the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights.

Hands-On Opportunity

Depending upon your venue and comfort zone, this is an excellent place to introduce the Bible as used by both Patriots and Loyalists. The Patriot Bible was the “Geneva Bible of 1599.” This was the first version of a Bible translated into English from the original Greek and Hebrew sacred scripts. This version of the Bible is significant because, for the very first time, a mechanically printed, mass-produced Bible was made available directly to the general public which came with a variety of scriptural study guides and aids, which included verse citations that allow the reader to cross-reference one verse with numerous relevant verses in the rest of the Bible, introductions to each book of the Bible that acted to summarize all of the material that each book would cover, maps, tables, woodcut illustrations and indices.

The Loyalists Bible could be called the King James Bible of 1611. King James I did not like the Geneva Bible. He thought that the many study guides, references and citations were confusing. James set out to create a Bible, true to its roots, translated directly from original scripts but with a very differing objective. Most of the people in these times could not read and their access to a Bible was through church where the verses were read aloud. When translators were assembled to do the work, there was a subtle directive to create a translation that would create visions of its meanings when heard. It is often interesting to show the difference between the two Bibles. There was a long and contentious history of abuses perpetrated by governments over specific religious beliefs. Two differing Bibles is just one example.

Learning Opportunity

Pages from the Geneva Bible

If you can find reprinted Bibles of the period, you can review the use of letters, spelling and other changes in the early English language. As time progresses, language and the meaning of words progress too. This is most important as each generation attempts to communicate with each other. While we may use the same words, the meanings may not be the same to each person. Hence, the “Generation Gap” exists.

Colonial Grievances Summary

This would be a very good point to summarize the major complaints building in the minds of the colonists just prior to the Revolution.

The colonies were required to pay for a war that they were not permitted to fight for themselves. Part of payment was to also help Britain pay for the Seven Years War, something that did not even involve the colonies
Colonial citizens could not stand up their own army.
Colonies could not govern themselves by creating local groups of representatives.
Colonial citizens could not peaceably complain about their taxes and lack of representation.
Their governors and judges were not colonials, they were sent from Britain to rule over them.
When tried for a crime, a colonist could not have other colonists as their jury.
When colonies produced products for exports, they were required to sell them through a single source, the East India Tea Company and solely for the benefit of England prices that the East India Tea Company set.
When they purchased products, they could not pick the lowest cost producer. Again, they had to purchase everything they imported from the East India Tea Company, usually at a higher price.
They could not practice their own forms of religion, they had to belong to the Anglican Church of England.
British troops were “quartering.” Taking their homes and supplies for themselves without fair compensation.
The colonies had no say so over what was taxed or how high the tax should be.
If caught attempting to purchase commodities from sources other than the East India Tea Company, their ships and cargo were seized. This happened to John Hancock and was the principle reason he entered the Revolution.
Even the purchasing power, the value of currencies used by the colonies was under the control of the British Government.

Learning Opportunity

At this point in your camp, present to them a list of historical events in chronological order. Discuss how this escalating list of actions against the rights of the colonists would have provoked them to action. You can compare this list with the actual grievances listed in the Declaration.

Next Section: The American Revolution

1
Linda Alchin. https://www.landofthebrave.info/colonial-life.htm.
2
Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_American_currency.
3
Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_India_Company.
4
https://www.officialdata.org/
5
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/teachers/lesson_plans/pdfs/unit1_6.pdf
6
Colonial Williamsburg. http://www.history.org/foundation/journal/summer02/money2.cfm.
7
Britain’s debt was over 15 times GDP while today, U.S. debt is running about 7 times GDP. Gross Domestic Product reflects the ability of a country to pay back the debt
8
Linda Alchin. https://www.landofthebrave.info/taxes-in-the-colonies.htm.

The Pine Tree

The Great Law of Peace and the symbolism of the pine tree are both significant aspects of American culture and history. The Great Law of Peace, also known as the Constitution of the Iroquois Confederacy, is a governing system that was established by the Haudenosaunee (also known as the Iroquois or Six Nations). The Iroquois Confederacy was a political and cultural alliance formed by six Native American nations: the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. The Great Law of Peace provided a framework for governance, conflict resolution, and the preservation of individual rights and collective harmony within the Confederacy. Benjamin Franklin would use concepts of the Iroquois Constitution when working on our own U.S. Constitution.

The symbolism of the pine tree holds great importance in Iroquois culture and represents concepts such as peace, strength, and unity. In the Iroquois creation story, it is believed that the first humans were born beneath a great pine tree. The pine tree is considered the “Tree of Peace,” and its branches are said to represent the nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. The roots of the tree symbolize unity and interconnectedness among nations. According to Iroquois tradition, the founding fathers of the Iroquois Confederacy buried their weapons beneath the roots of the Great Tree of Peace. This act symbolized their commitment to resolving conflicts peacefully and maintaining harmony within the Confederacy. The pine tree and its associated symbolism continue to be respected and revered as a powerful emblem of peace, strength, and unity among the Iroquois people.

It is also worth noting that while the pine tree holds significance in Iroquois culture, it also had symbolic importance during the American Revolution. The pine tree represented resilience, resourcefulness, and the fight for independence during that historical context.

The Pine Tree Flag of the American Revolution is also known as the “Appeal to Heaven” Flag. It featured a white flag with a green pine tree in the center. The flag had its origins in New England, particularly in the state of Massachusetts, and was used during the early years of the American Revolution by the Continental Navy. The Pine Tree Flag was notably flown by the first ships commissioned by George Washington’s administration in 1775. The origin of the design came from General Washington’s secretary, Colonel Joseph Reed. In a letter dated October 21, 1775, Colonel Reed suggested a “flag with a white ground and a tree in the middle, and the motto AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN to be used for the six ships.” On July 26, 1778, the Massachusetts General Court established the flag of the “State Navy.”

The six original ships commissioned by George Washington were:

USS Alfred: The USS Alfred was a 24-gun ship of the line, originally a merchant vessel named Black Prince. It was one of the first ships purchased by the Continental Congress and was later renamed Alfred in honor of Alfred the Great.
USS Andrew Doria: The USS Andrew Doria was a 14-gun brigantine. It was named after the Genoese admiral Andrea Doria, who was known for his naval expertise.
USS Cabot: The USS Cabot was a 14-gun brigantine, also known as a brig. It was named after the Italian explorer John Cabot, who was credited with discovering North America.
USS Columbus: The USS Columbus was a 24-gun ship, originally a merchant vessel named Nonsuch. It was renamed Columbus in honor of the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus.
USS Providence: The USS Providence was a 12-gun sloop. It was named after the city of Providence, Rhode Island, and played a significant role in various naval actions during the Revolutionary War.
USS Washington: The USS Washington was a 32-gun ship of the line, originally named HMS Scammel and previously part of the British Navy. It was captured by the Continental Navy and renamed Washington in honor of George Washington.

These six ships formed the initial core of the Continental Navy, and their contributions helped pave the way for the establishment of a permanent naval force in the newly formed United States.

Pine lumber was important to the world’s shipbuilding. It would be the arrival of the Pilgrims in Plymouth in 1620 that led to the harvesting and exporting of pine lumber. From 1652 to 1682, colonists adopted the pine tree as a symbol on flags, and currency, including variants of the Flag of New England and coinage produced by the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The New England Eastern White Pine was prized for shipbuilding because of its quality and height. The phrase “An Appeal to Heaven” was often seen above or below the pine tree on the flag. This phrase originated from the political philosopher John Locke’s writings, particularly his book “Two Treatises of Government,” which greatly influenced the American colonists. He maintained that when all other options had been exhausted, the colonists had the right to appeal to a higher power, such as God, for their cause. Locke’s principles were:

Natural Rights: Locke argued that individuals possess natural rights that are inherent and preexisting, including the rights to life, liberty, and property. These rights are not granted by the government but are derived from human nature.
Limited Government: Locke advocated for the concept of limited government, emphasizing that governments are established to protect individuals’ natural rights. He believed that governments should have specific powers granted by the consent of the governed and should not infringe upon people’s rights.
Social Contract: Locke proposed the idea of a social contract, which implies that individuals willingly enter a political society and consent to be governed. According to this concept, the government’s legitimacy comes from the consent of the governed, and its purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of the people.
Right to Revolution: Locke asserted that if a government violates the natural rights of its citizens and fails to fulfill its obligations, the people have the right to resist and overthrow that government. This right to revolution is a last resort for the protection of individual liberties.
Religious Tolerance: Locke advocated for religious tolerance and freedom of conscience. He believed that individuals should have the liberty to practice their religion without interference from the government. Locke’s ideas on religious freedom greatly influenced later thinkers and the development of liberal democratic societies.

Now back to the history of the Pine Tree in America. Britain needed a reliable supply of 24-inch diameter trees for the Royal Navy. Within the colonies, government surveyors would mark trees to be supplied to the Crown (Royal Navy) with a “broad arrow symbol.” The British Crown claimed ownership of all white pine trees in the American colonies through the Timber Act, seeking to maintain control over the valuable resource for the Royal Navy’s shipbuilding. The act restricted colonists from cutting down or using white pine trees over a certain size without obtaining a special license and paying fees to the Crown. Colonists preferred to sell the trees on the open market for a higher profit. This forced seizure of colonial trees by Britain and led to the “Pine Tree Riot.” The Pine Tree Riot, also known as the Pine Tree Disturbance, was a protest that took place in New Hampshire in 1772. It was a response to the enforcement of the British Crown’s controversial Timber Act, which aimed to control the cutting and harvesting of white pine trees¹.

The Pine Tree Riot was sparked by the arrest of several New Hampshire residents who were caught cutting down white pine trees without a license. On April 13, 1772, a group of about forty armed colonists, led by local blacksmith and Revolutionary sympathizer, Ebenezer Mudgett (also known as Captain Jack), gathered in Weare, New Hampshire. They confronted and overpowered the British-appointed deputy sheriff, Benjamin Whiting, and his men, who were attempting to enforce the Timber Act. The protesters forcibly released the prisoners and seized their seized tools and equipment. They then marched to the home of loyalist and mill owner James Carr, where they toppled and destroyed his sawmill. The rioters symbolically raised a flag bearing a pine tree and the words “An Appeal to Heaven,” reflecting their grievances and the sentiment of resistance to British authority. This would represent one of the early acts of defiance against British control in the American colonies. It demonstrated the growing tension between the colonists and the British Crown over issues of taxation, control of resources, and individual rights. The event helped fuel the revolutionary spirit and resistance that would later contribute to the American Revolution. Therefore, the pine tree came to represent the strength, resourcefulness, and independence of the American colonies.

Leading up to the Revolutionary War, the pine tree would become a symbol of colonial anger and resistance. Less frequently, its motto also read “An Appeal to God.” According to legend, the Pine Tree Flag might have flown at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June of 1775. The pine tree would also be used on a red field with the green pine tree in the upper left corner. One of the most famous incidents involving the flag was during the Battle of Saratoga in 1777 when Benedict Arnold, then a general in the Continental Army, raised it over his headquarters.

Over twenty years ago, the editors of Lostpine.com were reflecting on how to choose a domain name and a logo for our website. Coincidence had placed our history of owning three homes over our lives on streets that had the word “pine” in them. And here we were, again, on a street and neighborhood not only containing the word pine but filled with large white pines, the types used for masts of ships. While coincidence guided our home locations, God’s providence guided our desire to publish a blend of God’s Word and American History. You see, it is history that holds God’s very footprints, and provides us with the assurance that God is real. (See ABOUT US – on why we too chose the pine as our symbol)

1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Tree_Riot

The American Revolution

The American Revolution¹ would begin in April of 1775 and end in September of 1783. While it was war against Great Britain, it was very much also a civil war within the colonies. Loyalists wanted to remain part of the empire or Britain. Patriots wanted complete autonomy and freedom, to be an independent nation.

Approximately 25,000 American Patriots died during military service – the biggest cause of death was disease – often in unsanitary British prisoner of warships. Approximately 42,000 British sailors deserted in the war, only to become future citizens of America. Information on the Revolution and its battles is plentiful, and it is not the intent of this Camp Manual to document this. However, there are some notable events that can work well in a class setting to stimulate discussion.

Loyalists and Patriots

Loyalists ² were American colonists who remained loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King’s Men. Historians have estimated that between 15 and 20 percent of the 2 million whites in the colonies in 1775 were Loyalists, or about 300,000-400,000 men, women and children. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution. Prominent Loyalists repeatedly assured the British government that many thousands of loyalists would spring to arms and fight for the crown. The British government acted in expectation of that, especially in the southern campaigns in 1780-81. In practice, the number of loyalists in military service was far lower than expected. Across the colonies, Patriots watched suspected Loyalists very closely, and would not tolerate any organized Loyalist opposition. Many outspoken or militarily active loyalists were forced to flee, especially to their stronghold of New York City. William Franklin, the royal governor of New Jersey and son of Patriot leader Benjamin Franklin, became the leader of the Loyalists after his release from a Patriot prison in 1778. He worked to build Loyalist military units to fight in the war, but the number of volunteers was much fewer than London expected.

When their cause was defeated, about 15% of the Loyalists (65,000–70,000 people) fled to other parts of the British Empire, to Britain itself, or to British North America (now Canada). The southern colonists moved mostly to Florida, which had remained loyal to the Crown, and to British Caribbean possessions, often bringing along their slaves. Northern Loyalists largely migrated to Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. They called themselves United Empire Loyalists. Most were compensated with Canadian land or British cash distributed through formal claims procedures. Loyalists who left the U.S. received £3 million or about 37% of their losses from the British government. Loyalists who stayed in the U.S. were generally able to retain their property and become American citizens.

Patriots ³(also known as Revolutionaries, Continentals, Rebels, or American Whigs) were those colonists of the Thirteen Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution and in July 1776 declared the United States of America an independent nation. Their rebellion was based on the political philosophy of republicanism, as expressed by spokesmen such as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Thomas Paine. They were opposed by the Loyalists who instead supported continued British rule.

As a group, Patriots represented a wide array of social, economic and ethnic backgrounds. They included lawyers like John Adams and Alexander Hamilton; planters like Thomas Jefferson and George Mason; merchants like Alexander McDougall and John Hancock; and ordinary farmers like Daniel Shays and Joseph Plumb Martin. Patriots also included slaves and freemen such as Crispus Attucks, a free man and the first martyr of the American Revolution; James Armistead Lafayette, who served as a double agent for the Continental Army; and Jack Sisson, who, under the command of Colonel William Barton, was leader of the first successful black operation mission in American history, resulting in the capture of British General Richard Prescott.

Learning Opportunity

Discussion should center around the loyalty to a King such as King George III versus individual freedoms. Is it better to be taken care of, to have your protection and economic wellbeing the responsibility of someone else or whether being a free person, responsible for your own wellbeing is better. Remind the students of the impact of debt on the colonies and the grievances that Patriots had with the King. Were the Patriots being reasonable?

Mystery at the Old North Church on April 18, 1775

A sketch of Boston’s Old North Church, as it was in 1882.

Early in 1775, the colonists had been gathering arms and gunpowder, storing them in Concord, MA. Paul Revere, re-enters history. Revere had been operating as part of Boston’s Sons of Liberty. For months, he had served as the group’s messenger, carrying information as far away as Philadelphia. When the leader of the Sons of Liberty, Dr. Joseph Warren, learned that General Gage’s army would march on Lexington and Concord to confiscate the weapons, he called on Revere (and another young man, William Dawes) asking them to ride into the countryside to warn area militia members. Dawes was to take the land route out of Boston through the Boston Neck. Revere would cut across the bay in a small boat and then ride to Lexington.

With Boston under curfew, British soldiers were on guard to arrest anyone caught wandering the streets after dark. If both Revere and Dawes were detained, their warning would not reach Lexington. A back-up plan was needed; Revere recalled the view of Charlestown from atop the Old North Church where he rang the bells as a teenager. Revere would choose to engage an intimate friend, business associate and a congregational member, John Pulling for help.

John was the perfect choice. Both Paul and John were members of Boston’s Committee of Correspondence, whose principle role was to gather intelligence and track the movements of British troops within the Colonies. If caught hanging the lanterns, John hoped he could provide a believable reason for being in the church, he was a vestryman, a church elder who would have the right to be there any time of day. So, on April 18th, John Pulling was ready to go to the church and hang two lanterns from the steeple window on the north side facing Charlestown. This would be the signal that the British Regulars were coming by sea. Robert Newman, the sexton (janitor) had the keys to the building and lived just across the street from the church.

Dawes left by horseback taking the land route while Revere went to his boat in Boston Harbor and was rowed across by two friends. The men used a petticoat to muffle the noise made by the oars. Soon, 700 British soldiers embarked on their journey to Lexington. While Revere and Dawes planned to deliver their messages to Lexington personally, using the lantern method, they would have a fast way to inform the backup riders in Charlestown about the movements of the British; these back-up riders, about 40 of them, could also deliver the warning message.

Two if By Sea

It was about 10:00 PM when Robert Newman opened the church door with his key and John Pulling joined him inside. A third patriot, Thomas Bernard, stood guarding the door. John Pulling lit the lanterns and proceeded with the task of climbing to the top of the steeple and hanging the two lanterns that would signal the British troops were now disembarking by sea. The lanterns were hung for less than a minute, but this was long enough for the message to be received in Charlestown. The militia waiting across the river were prepared to act as soon as they saw them. At Lexington and Concord, 49 patriots were killed, 39 wounded and 5 missing; and 73 British regulars died, 174 were wounded and 26 were missing in action.

Hands-On Opportunity

The lanterns were tin, and the steeple was the tallest building in Boston. Simple candlelight can be seen for miles. This is an excellent time to talk about how people, before telephones, could signal each other.

Learning Opportunity

History remembers Robert Newman as raising the lanterns. ⁴ Yet, John Pulling is barely mentioned. The British arrested Newman but released him and immediately pursued Pulling. John, hiding in a wine barrel in his home, eluded the search party and escaped. Later that night, Sara, his pregnant wife, left to join him in a cooper’s house in Cohasset MA. They would lose everything and John, upon returning a year later, would be in ill health and die. The challenge for students is to understand that there is bias in history. John Pulling had fired the church rector that week for preaching against the patriot cause. This would cause the Old North Church to selectively remember history in a way favoring the Loyalist’s view. The question is “Did Robert Newman turn in John Pulling?” Newman was released by the British and despite heavy losses at Concord, never re-arrested by the British. Only Pulling was pursued.

There is much additional history on this subject. Revere’s famous ride did not happen quite the way the story is told. Revere was detained, Dawes fell off his horse, both arrived after the battle had begun. It would be the backup riders that saved the day.

Lexington and Concord – April 19, 1775

Lexington Green

It was early in the morning, before daybreak, on April 19, 1775, when the Battle of Lexington began. The British were given secret orders to capture and destroy Colonial military supplies reportedly stored by the Massachusetts militia at Concord. Captain Parker assembled 77 men near Lexington realizing they were too small to take on the British force. “Stand your ground. Do not fire unless you are fired upon, but if they mean war, let it begin here,” he encouraged his men. A British lieutenant rode ahead of his ranks, waving his sword in the air and shouting to the patriots, “Lay down your arms, you damned rebels, or you are all dead men!” At that point, an unknown shot came from someone in the ranks or maybe from someone hiding behind a wall or tree. “A shot that would be heard around the world.” The British soldiers then opened fire on the Americans. Badly outnumbers, the minutemen quickly fled. The British suffered only one casualty.

Lexington Green would never be the same. The first to die in the Revolutionary War that day would be John Brown, Samuel Hadley, Caleb Harrington, Jonathon Harrington, Robert Munroe, Isaac Muzzey, and Asahel Porter. Jonas Parker, Captain Parker’s cousin, would crawl to his own doorstep and die. About 400 Regulars marched on to Concord to search for arms and smaller groups of 100 divided up to cover the countryside. Here, however, is where things changed. Due to the warnings by Revere and the many riders seeing the signal lanterns at the Old North Church, the British troops encountered several thousand minutemen. The British Regulars began their retreat to Boston. As the day ended, 73 British regulars died, 174 were wounded and 26 were missing in action. Our Patriot forces suffered 49 killed, 39 wounded and 5 missing. It would be the first of many battles but for this day, a victory for the Patriots.

Hands on Opportunity

Reenactor Portraying a Minuteman

Providing that the venue will allow such items, this is a perfect place to introduce the flintlock musket. Loaded from the muzzle with black powder and ball, it was the weapon of choice for the entire war. Because of the difficulty of loading during a battle, most engagements ended in hand to hand combat using bayonets, tomahawks and swords. Introducing the simplicity of a soldier’s life is appropriate. It is suggested that teachers obtain and read the diary of Joseph Plumb Martin, a young minister’s son who joined and fought with George Washington. It is the only record of daily life, unbiased by rank.

The colonial government would make many promises to those who would enlist in a militia, but few would be kept. Our colonial army was always short on supplies, short on clothing, and often, more suffered from disease than from wounds.

Learning Opportunity

The fundamental learning moment here is that when people lose the capacity to protect themselves, their freedom is often removed from them. Our forefathers believed deeply that all people need to retain the right to bear arms. While our 2nd amendment offers civil protections and protections against foreign forces, our right to bear arms protects us against an unscrupulous leader. ⁵

“Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments, to which the people are attached, and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of.” ~ James Madison, Federalist No. 46, January 29, 1788

Battle of Bunker Hill – June 1775

The British Troops were an occupational force in Boston. This would open the initial phase of the American Revolutionary War. It would be here that the New England militiamen (also called minutemen) would surround the town of Boston. The siege began April 19th, after the battles of Lexington and Concord. The militia from the many communities surrounding Boston would block access to the area, thus limiting British resupply to its operations. It would be at this time that the Continental Congress chose to adopt the militia and form the Continental Army. George Washington would be unanimously elected as the Commander in Chief. In June of 1775, the British seized Bunker Hill and Breeds Hills, but the casualties they suffered were so heavy that they could not break the siege.

More than 15,000 colonial militia assembled near Boston on nearby hills. The colonists also fortified Breed’s Hill in Charlestown, across the Charles River. They withstood cannon fire from British ships in Boston Harbor and fought off two assaults by British troops. Although technically, the colonists were forced to retreat, and the British won the battle, over 1,000 British soldiers were killed. England was given notice that to win against the colonists would not be easy.

In November of 1775, Washington sent a young book seller turned solider named Henry Knox to bring heavy artillery that had been captured at Fort Ticonderoga to Boston. While technically complex, Knox was successful. By March of 1776, the artillery was used to fortify Dorchester Heights, overlooking Boston and its harbor. The Americans, led by George Washington, would eventually force the British to withdraw from the town after an 11-month siege. British commander William Howe, realizing he could no longer hold the town, ended the siege and evacuated.

The Burning of Falmouth October 18, 1775

The destruction of Falmouth was an attack by a fleet of Royal Navy vessels on the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts (site of the modern city of Portland, Maine). The fleet was commanded by Captain Henry Mowat. The attack began with a naval bombardment which included incendiary shot, followed by a landing party meant to complete the town’s destruction. The attack was the only major event in what was supposed to be a campaign of retaliation against ports that supported Patriot activities in the early stages of the American Revolutionary War.

Among the colonies, news of the attack led to rejection of British authority and the establishment of independent governments. It also led the Second Continental Congress to contest British Naval dominance by forming a Continental Navy. Both Mowat and his superior, Vice-Admiral Samuel Graves, who had ordered Mowat’s expedition, suffered professionally because of the act. Such a provocation became a tipping point, thus accelerating the war of Independence drawing even more patriots into the cause.

Hands-On Opportunity

This is an excellent place to introduce a colonial map of the times. Be aware that while 13 colonies joined together to seek independence from Great Britain, there were three additional colonies that remained British throughout the revolution. These were East Florida, West Florida and The Royal Proclamation of 1763 enlarged the colony of Canada under the name of the Province of Quebec, which with the Constitutional Act 1791 became known as The Canadas.

Learning Opportunity

This event can offer an opportunity to discuss how news of unjust acts upon innocent people can become a call to action. The burning of Falmouth occurred just prior to winter. Homes, food stores, clothing, etc. were all destroyed. The citizens of a town not even involved yet in the war were made to suffer. When we see unjust actions leading to the suffering of men, women and children, even today, it is in our nature to become angry and want to help.

Declaration of Independence – July 4, 1776

The Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America

The Declaration of Independence is not its proper title. Entitled, “The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America,” it signifies a time in our nation’s history where there was unity in our government. Colonies, pushed to their limits by excessive taxes, military actions against its citizens, and eroding freedom, took the dramatic step of separating from Great Britain. The document, only one page penned on vellum, would be adopted July 4, 1776. The document outlined grievances against Great Britain. The actual vote was July 2, 1776. There would be 56 signers ⁶ of the document. Over half would lose everything they had and many their very life.

It is more than just a list of complaints, but it catalogs the natural rights, including the right of revolution. The most noteworthy of its statements is that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These words very well may be the most potent and consequential words in American History.

We Hold These Truths – Do You Know What This Means?

After finalizing the text on July 4, Congress issue the Declaration in several forms. It was initially published as a printed sign to be displayed publicly throughout the colonies. The most famous version, the signed copy, is on display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

History of the Declaration

The clearest call for independence up to the summer of 1776 came in Philadelphia on June 7. On that date in session in the Pennsylvania State House (later Independence Hall), the Continental Congress heard Richard Henry Lee of Virginia read his resolution beginning: “Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.” The Lee Resolution was an expression of what was already beginning to happen throughout the colonies. When the Second Continental Congress, which was essentially the government of the United States from 1775 to 1788, first met in May 1775, King George III had not replied to the petition for redress of grievances that he had been sent by the First Continental Congress. The Congress gradually took on the responsibilities of a national government. In June 1775 the Congress established the Continental Army as well as a continental currency. By the end of July of that year, it created a post office for the “United Colonies.”

You can find additional resources for understanding the 27 grievances in the Declaration HERE. The resources compare each grievance to the historical events that triggered its inclusion, and the U.S. Constitution articles and amendments that made sure these things would not impact a free nation again.

In August 1775 a royal proclamation declared that the King’s American subjects were “engaged in open and avowed rebellion.” Later that year, Parliament passed the American Prohibitory Act, which made all American vessels and cargoes property of Great Britain. And in May 1776 the Congress learned that the King had negotiated treaties with German states to hire Hessian mercenaries to fight in America. These actions convinced many Americans that the mother country was treating the colonies as a foreign entity. One by one, the Continental Congress continued to cut the colonies’ ties to Britain. The Privateering Resolution, passed in March 1776, allowed the colonists to fit out armed vessels to attack the enemies of these United Colonies. On April 6, 1776, American ports were opened to commerce with other nations, an action that severed the economic ties fostered by the Navigation Acts. A “Resolution for the Formation of Local Governments” was passed on May 10, 1776. At the same time, more of the colonists themselves were becoming convinced of the inevitability of independence. Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, published in January 1776, was sold by the thousands. By the middle of May 1776, eight colonies had decided that they would support independence. On May 15, 1776, the Virginia Convention passed a resolution that “the delegates appointed to represent this colony in General Congress be instructed to propose to that respectable body to declare the United Colonies free and independent states.”

It was in keeping with these instructions that Richard Henry Lee, on June 7, 1776, presented his resolution. There were still some delegates, however, including those bound by earlier instructions, who wished to pursue the path of reconciliation with Britain. On June 11 consideration of the Lee Resolution was postponed by a vote of seven colonies to five, with New York abstaining. Congress then recessed for 3 weeks. The tone of the debate indicated that at the end of that time the Lee Resolution would be adopted. Before Congress recessed, therefore, a Committee of Five was appointed to draft a statement presenting to the world the colonies’ case for independence.

The Committee of Five

The committee consisted of two New England men, John Adams of Massachusetts and Roger Sherman of Connecticut; two men from the Middle Colonies, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and Robert R. Livingston of New York; and one southerner, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. In 1823 Jefferson wrote that the other members of the committee “unanimously pressed on myself alone to undertake the draught. I consented; I drew it; but before I reported it to the committee, I communicated it separately to Dr. Franklin and Mr. Adams requesting their corrections … I then wrote a fair copy, reported it to the committee, and from them, unaltered to the Congress.” (If Jefferson did make a “fair copy,” incorporating the changes made by Franklin and Adams, it has not been preserved. It may have been the copy that was amended by the Congress and used for printing, but in any case, it has not survived. Jefferson’s rough draft, however, with changes made by Franklin and Adams, as well as Jefferson’s own notes of changes by the Congress, is housed at the Library of Congress.)

Jefferson’s account reflects three stages in the life of the Declaration: the document originally written by Jefferson; the changes to that document made by Franklin and Adams, resulting in the version that was submitted by the Committee of Five to the Congress; and the version that was eventually adopted.

Signing of the Declaration of Independence

The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were now independent states, and thus no longer a part of the British Empire. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration is a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. The birthday of the United States of America-Independence Day-is celebrated on July 4, the day the wording of the Declaration was approved by Congress. The Declaration justified the independence of the United States by listing colonial grievances against King George III, and by asserting certain natural rights, including a right of revolution.

Hands-On Opportunity

Delaware Quarter Celebrating Caesar Rondney’s Famous Ride

Life size reproductions on parchment-like paper are readily available. Students should become familiar with the list of complaints and the names of the signers. There are many stories about the signers that would be appropriate for this part of the discussion. John Hancock, signing large enough for King George III to see his signature was angered over the confiscation of his ship, the Liberty. Caesar Rodney, commander of the Delaware delegation, rode 80 miles through a thunderstorm to break a tie vote. This ride is credited with pulling over several other colonies to make the Declaration unanimous.

Other stories can include an introduction to Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin and other signers that would later become of American History. A good exercise here is to let the students sign their name with a quill and ink. A great exercise, especially when one considers no spell checker, no way to erase a mistake, just perfection.

Learning Opportunity

As men signed the Declaration, there were 45,000 British Regulars in over a hundred ships off the coast of the colonies. They would immediately invade and hunt each signer e as a criminal, ready to face the gallows. What makes people accept the risk of death? The colonies could have remained under the protection of the King but chose freedom over life itself. Therefore, as a nation, we can never squander the sacrifices of our forefathers. America is unique in the world, granting freedom and opportunity to all.

Florida’s Connection to the American Revolution

Hewitt’s Mill – An Example of Using Field Trips to Teach History

Next Section: The War

1
Biography Online. https://www.biographyonline.net/facts-american-revolution/.
2
Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyalist_(American_Revolution).
3
Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_(American_Revolution).
4
Google Books. Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. March 1878. Pg. 163
5
Concealedcarry.com. https://www.concealedcarry.com/gun-quotes-from-our-founding-fathers-2nd-amendment/
6
US History.ORG. http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/index.html

We Hold These Truths

We know these words well: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” They first appear with respect to the United States in our document entitled “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America.” Later, these concepts would be further affirmed in our United States Constitution. But what does it really mean?

John Locke

The concept is older that our country. It was largely inspired by John Locke whose philosophy is one of the principal sources often referenced on this topic.¹ John Locke was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the “Father of Liberalism”. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists. Empiricists believed in the theory that all knowledge is based on experience derived from the senses. John Locke would be exiled from England 1683 for his radical views. In about 1680, Locke wrote:

“The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges every one: and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind, who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions… (and) when his own preservation comes not in competition, ought he, as much as he can, to preserve the rest of mankind, and may not, unless it be to do justice on an offender, take away, or impair the life, or what tends to the preservation of the life, the liberty, health, limb, or goods of another.”

Another important influence on our freedoms was the Virginia Declaration of Rights written by George Mason and passed on June 12, 1776. It reads:

“That all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.”

Decomposition of “Life, Liberty and Happiness”

When something is self-evident, it means that the circumstances are so obvious that we can see them without the help and guidance of others. There is something, imparted inside each human being, that recognizes the truth of these rights. God, at the very moment of creation, not only established natural laws such as the maximum speed of light but humanity, the right to life, freedom, and even the blessings of having a joyful heart. God is within each of us waiting to be discovered through common sense.

Equality is described here at the point of creation. It does not go on to define a necessity for equality to exist at any later state in time. Think of two seeds, both created equally, ready to sprout into two plants. To one, is given fertile soil, water, warmth, light and care. To the other, poor soil, inconsistent care and watering. What will these two identical seeds both become? From the same equal seeds sprout two dramatically different plants. One plant can serve the world, the other just drains from the world resources and bears no fruit. The same is true of human life. Our forefathers recognized that all life must be given the opportunity for nurturing and care. Equality produces abundant lives when properly nurtured by society. Once established abundant lives serve others and continue to nourish our world.

To Endow something is to set something up, typically to establish and fund something, that will continue on indefinitely. The foundation for all human understanding must then be to believe that everything, matter, light, life even the vastness of the universe comes from a power greater than ourselves. Our God, therefore, is the only one who can endow these certain rights that cannot ever be rescinded by mankind. Why, because these are God’s rights, unalienable rights to hand to humanity through His generous grace.

Unalienable and inalienable are the same term. It means that something is not transferable to another or cannot be taken away or denied. In the US Constitution, certain freedoms, and liberties are considered having inalienable principles and values. They cannot be removed and are secured through our Bill of Rights. We do not live in a “Majority Rules” world nor do we live in a “The Spoils Go to the Victor” world. The rights that are defined here go to the weak, poor and helpless as well as the rich, strong and famous.

Life is what mankind does not create but can only nurture or destroy. This is the one right granted directly to the individual, the right to life. Whether old, young or yet to be born, the right to life exists, granted by directly by God. Like seeds, you can nurture or deprive your life of the nutrients it needs. This is your freedom. The assurance you are being given in our Constitution is that no one else has the right to terminate your life. Violence, war, drugs, poverty exist because of the free will granted to humanity at creation. Greed, corruption, the lust for power are destructive forces in our world. They do not and should not, however, remove your right, anyone’s right to life.

Liberty is at the heart of our country’s foundation. Subservient to a king, our early colonies labored under the heavy hand of tyranny. Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or because of political views. Liberty is not free and does not come without risks. When rights and liberties are relinquished, they are hard to regain. Liberty can never be owned by anyone or any group. Liberty is personal, it is your right to exist, provided that the rights and liberties of others are not infringed.

The pursuit of happiness is the most misunderstood right we have. The problem isn’t with the pursuit, but how a person defines happiness. During the formation of our country, you would have found the general attitude as noted in The Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 affirming that

“the happiness of a people and the good order and preservation of civil government essentially depend upon piety, religion and morality, and . . . these cannot be generally diffused through a community but by the institution of the public worship of God and of public instructions in piety, religion and morality.”

Disappointment can come when we succumb to the world’s philosophy of consumption. Happiness is not who has the most, the best things, enough things and it is not about who dies with the most toys. The “pursuit of happiness” being an inalienable right, is one that you can not, should not ever give away and one right that our government has been tasked to protect. It suggests a relationship between government and humanity’s moral ends that are always in conflict, if not in outright contradiction. God is involved!

Should government take away from those with plenty to give to those with little because it is morally right? While history documents this struggle, one point clearly evolves to give clarity to happiness: Happiness must be yours to discover and yours to secure. No government, no other people can tell you how to be happy. We are expected to humanely punish the law breakers but more importantly, to create and enforce fair and just laws. God is not asking for the wealth of our great nation, He is asking for its hearts. God has already told us what He wants of us, act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Him.

1
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Locke]

Florida’s Connection to the American Revolution

Florida Before the American Revolution¹

Map – Colonies of East and West Florida

The colony of East Florida was bordered by the Apalachicola River, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean. Its capital was St. Augustine. East Florida had good, fertile soil and was excellent for farming. In an attempt to bring settlers to East Florida, the British offered land grants to settlers who would come to farm and also defend the new British territory. The first governor of East Florida was James Grant. Grant did more to increase the population of East Florida than anyone else. He remained friends with the Seminole Indians and traded goods with them. Grant also encouraged settlers from North and South Carolina, Georgia, and other British colonies to come and start plantations, or large farms. Many British brought enslaved Africans with them to work on the plantations. The slaves cleared land, built homes, took care of farm animals, and planted and harvested crops. Many plantations were successful with various crops such as citrus fruit, sugar cane, rice, and cotton. Some plantations raised Indigo plants for making dark blue dye.

West Florida consisted of the land between the Mississippi River and the Apalachicola River. It included parts of modern day Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Pensacola was the capital of West Florida. West Florida had thick pine trees and sand. It was not good for farming and did not grow in population as much as East Florida.

The Colonies in 1776²

To Britain, there were more than just 13 American colonies. The two Floridas had been originally Spanish, and Canada (areas of Quebec and Nova Scotia) had been originally French but Great Britain gained control of them following the end of the French and Indian War. However, it was the representatives from only thirteen British colonies that signed the Declaration of Independence and officially started the Revolutionary War.

While West and East Florida were invited to send delegates to the still forming Continental Congress, both colonies declined the offer and remained loyal to Britain.³ When the Revolutionary War started, for most in the southern colonies including Florida, the Revolutionary War wasn’t a war for independence but a Civil War against King and his Country. According to the National Park Service, East Florida was protected by the local militias which were made up of Loyalists who fled from Georgia and the Carolinas. There was a professional regiment of British regulars but they were ineffectual due to their small number mixed with the large territory they were assigned to protect. Even here much like most of the rest of the Revolutionary War the battles were mostly won by local militias and not the professional armies.

Castillo de San Marcos

British troops garrisoned both the Castillo de San Marcos (which they called Fort Saint Mark) and Fort Matanzas. The city served as the home base for the East Florida Rangers and a launching point for several expeditions against Georgia patriots. American forces also launched several campaigns against St. Augustine, but none succeeded. There were, however, a number of battles and skirmishes in the northeast corner of Florida and southeast corner of Georgia as the two armies battled for control of the area between St. Augustine and Savannah.

Because East Florida remained in British hands throughout the Revolutionary War, the city became an important destination for Loyalist refugees from throughout the thirteen northern colonies. The population of St. Augustine grew during this period and numerous new homes and other structures were built while many older Spanish buildings renovated. The canon of St. Augustine provided a formidable obstacle to any attack against the ancient city. As a result, it never fell. St. Augustine was also noted as a prison location during the war. Several signers of the Declaration of Independence fell into British hands during the war and were brought to St. Augustine as prisoners of war. These were Thomas Heyward Jr., Arthur Middleton, and Edward Rutledge. Josiah Smith, a merchant and patriot who also was imprisoned there, kept a 425 page detailed journal detailing this ordeal, a great source for scholars today.

The East Florida Rangers

In 1774, Colonel Patrick Tonyn took over as the next Governor of East Florida and inherited what was still a backwater colony with a few scattered plantations in dire need of economic assistance. However, Tonyn was not able to focus on solving the economic woes of the colony. Instead he had to focus on the larger problems facing all of the British colonies along the east coast, the threat of war. Even before its outbreak, Tonyn faced such problems as the closing of the port of Charleston during the Stamp Act crisis. Without the needed supplies from the port, East Florida’s capitol almost ran out of foodstuffs.

Fort Matanzas

The East Florida Rangers (also called the King’s Rangers) were a band of loyalist militia raised by Thomas Brown in 1776. A Ranger was engaged to serve for 3 years receiving clothing, provisions and 1 Shilling a day! Brown was born in Whitby in Yorkshire and emigrated to America in 1774, when he was 25. He settled in Georgia and founded the community of Brownsboro. In August 1775 he was confronted by a crowd of patriots who wanted to know where his loyalties lay.

Thomas Brown

When Brown told them that he refused to take up arms against Britain a brawl ensued and Brown suffered a fractured skull. Apparently he was then tied to a tree where he was “roasted by fire, scalped, tarred, and feathered”⁴. To use modern terminology, this experience “radicalized” Brown and he set about mobilizing Georgia’s loyalists and the local Creek Indians. He was particularly successful in securing Creek support for the Crown and in 1779 he was appointed Superintendent of Creek and Cherokee Indians. In the meantime, however, he led a group of mounted loyalists which became known as the East Florida Rangers or Brown’s Rangers. The unit’s name references Florida rather than Brown’s home state of Georgia probably because the authorization for the unit’s formation came from Colonel Patrick Tonyn, the governor of East Florida. In 1779 the East Florida Rangers were later reformed as a regiment of infantry.

You can find the original orders here: http://www.royalprovincial.com/military/rhist/eastfr/eastords.htm

The First Incursion Into East Florida⁵

The First Expedition by the Americans into East Florida left in August, 1776, shortly after word of the signing of the Declaration of Independence reached Georgia. Although eventually called off in October of that year, this expedition built a line of forts between Florida and Georgia including Fort Howe, Fort McIntosh and additional forts at Darien and Beard’s Bluff. Indians attacked a detachment of men while on the way to Beard’s Bluff. Then John Baker, Commander of the Georgia forces, was betrayed by two guards who stole the expedition’s horses and left the Americans unprotected in the swamps of south Georgia. One of these guards, Daniel McGirth, would later become “noted” for a notorious military career. There were numerous incursions and raids made by the American rebels into East Florida with these repelled by the East Florida Rangers and the British Army.

The Battle of Thomas Creek

“Florida Scout” by Davis

The southernmost post in Georgia was Fort Howe (previously known as Fort Barrington), on the banks of the Altamaha River, and the northernmost Florida outpost was at Fort Tonyn, in present-day Nassau County, Florida. East Florida Governor Patrick Tonyn had under his command a regiment of rangers led by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Brown, and several hundred British Army troops under the command of Major General Augustine Prevost. Tonyn and Prevost squabbled over control of the East Florida Rangers regiment, and disagreed on how the province should be defended against the recurring forays from Georgia. Prevost was under orders to stay on the defensive, while Tonyn sought a more vigorous defense. To that end Tonyn deployed the East Florida Rangers along the St. Mary’s River, which (then as now) formed the border. Brown and his men, sometimes with support from Creeks and Seminoles, engaged in regular raids into southern Georgia, harassing the defenders and raiding plantations for cattle to supply some of the province’s food needs.

Following the Historical Florida’s Marker Program, the Battle of Thomas Creek⁶took place in what is now the county of Nassau just south of the city of Callahan on U.S. 1 highway and Thomas Creek [map]. On May 17, 1777, Lt. Col. Samuel Elbert led a mix of troops from the Continental Army and Georgia militias on a mission to capture and occupy St. Augustine. They were stopped by Maj. J.M. Prevost of the British Regular Army and Col. Thomas Brown of the East Florida Rangers. These groups were aided by Indian allies. The American forces were thoroughly routed and fled in retreat due to a lack of supplies, morale, the oppressive heat and superior numbers of the enemy troops. Some Americans in their rush abandoned their horses and fled into the swamp. According to the National Park Service American losses were eight killed, nine wounded and thirty-one captured. Of the thirty-one captured fifteen were killed by Indians before the British were able to stop them. Only forty-two American soldiers escaped to the safety of Georgia.

The Battle of Alligator Bridge⁷

In February 1778 Georgia’s assembly authorized Governor John Houstoun to organize a third expedition against East Florida. He was opposed in this idea by the Continental Army’s Southern Department commander, General Robert Howe, who (like his counterpart Prevost) sought a more defensive posture. Plans for began to take shape in March, taking on some urgency after East Florida Rangers captured and burned Fort Howe in a surprise attack. After this event the Loyalists ranged freely throughout Georgia’s backcountry, and began recruiting in the upcountry of Georgia and the Carolinas. These actions led Georgia’s leadership to conclude that a British invasion of the state was being planned, and military preparations began to accelerate.

In addition to land forces, both sides had coastal naval forces to marshal. Governor Tonyn deployed several ships in the Frederica River, separating Saint Simons Island from the mainland, seeking to neutralize several row galleys in the Georgia arsenal. On April 15 Colonel Samuel Elbert decided to launch an attack against three of them that were anchored near Fort Frederica. In a naval action on April 19, Elbert and the row galleys came upon the becalmed ships, and captured or destroyed four of them.

General Howe reluctantly agreed to support the expedition, and in early April, Georgia’s 400 Continental troops began to move south, occupying the site of Fort Howe on April 14. Over the next month this force grew as Georgia militia and South Carolina Continental arrived, swelling the force to some 1,300 men by early May. General Howe arrived at Fort Howe on May 10, and began organizing the march south. The conditions in the camp were unpleasant: the weather was hot, and there were frequent desertions (leading to at least 11 executions). The expedition force finally began crossing the Altamaha on May 28, but moved very slowly, crossing the Satilla on June 21 and reaching the St. Marys River on June 26.

Governor Tonyn and General Prevost were aware of the American progress. Brown and Indian forces continued to perform reconnaissance, occasionally skirmishing with the Americans and testing the security of their camps. General Prevost moved some of his troops forward, placing most of them on the main route to St. Augustine.

At this point the expedition almost broke down because General Howe and Governor Houstoun could not agree on how to proceed. Houstoun wanted to march directly toward St. Augustine, forcing a confrontation with the main British force, while Howe wanted to first capture Fort Tonyn. With the two leaders at an impasse, Howe ordered forces he commanded toward Fort Tonyn, while the Georgia militia under Houstoun’s command stayed put. Brown, alerted to this movement, abandoned and burned the fort, retreating into the swamps toward the Nassau River. Howe occupied the ruins of Fort Tonyn on June 29. The way south from the fort led to a bridge across Alligator Creek, a Nassau River tributary about 14 miles (23 km) away, at which Prevost had placed detachments of the 16th and 60th Regiments and some Loyalist rangers led by Daniel McGirth. They had constructed a redoubt of logs and brush to defend the bridge. These forces, numbering about 200, were under the command of General Prevost’s younger brother, Major James Marcus Prevost.

On June 30 Howe sent a force of 100 cavalry under James Screven south to locate Brown. Brown ordered a company of men to circle around behind them while the rest of his men hid along the road heading south from the fort. The men Brown sent to flank the Continentals were betrayed by deserters and ambushed, with most of them captured or killed. Brown began moving down the road toward the Alligator Bridge, but was overtaken by Screven’s company shortly before he got there. As a result, Brown’s men were chased directly into the established British position at the bridge.

There was some initial confusion, because neither Screven’s nor Brown’s forces had regular uniforms, so the British regulars thought all of those arriving were Brown’s men. This changed quickly however, and a firefight broke out. Prevost’s regulars quickly took up positions and began firing on Screven’s men, while some of Brown’s men went around to come at their flank. In pitched battle, men on both sides went down, Screven was wounded, and some of the Patriot militia narrowly escaped being trapped before Screven ordered the retreat.

The next day Major Prevost moved out with his, Brown’s and McGirth’s men, and surprised a Patriot crew repairing a bridge. Rather than extending themselves, the Patriots decided to retreat, felling trees across the road as they went. The divisions in the American camps, however, meant that there would be no further advance. The Continental forces were out of rice, and appealed to the Georgia militia for supplies. The militia finally crossed the Saint Marys on July 6, adding some strength to the Continental force, which had been reduced by disease and desertion to only 400 effective soldiers. The shortage of food and the ongoing command disagreements spelled the end of the expedition, which began its retreat on July 14. This effectively ended the idea in Georgia of gaining control of East Florida. James Screven was killed in a surprise attack led by Thomas Brown in November 1778.

The site of the bridge has long been supposed to be in central Callahan, where a marker has been placed, but some historians believe that the actual site of the bridge was somewhat farther east.

After the War

In 1781, a joint Spanish-French force captured Pensacola from the British and brought West Florida back under Spanish rule.⁸ However, St Augustine remained firmly within British hands. East Florida was ceded to Spain in the peace treaty that ended the Revolutionary War in 1783. Most of the loyalists left the country of America, heading back either to Britain or the West Indies.

1
http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/trnsfer/trnsfer1.htm
2
https://beyondtourism.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/florida-and-the-american-revolution/
3
http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustinerevolution.html
4
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Brown_(loyalist)
5
http://www.aboutnorthgeorgia.com/ang/Problems_in_East_Florida
6
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Thomas_Creek
7
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Alligator_Bridge
8
From the book, “1775: A Good Year for Revolution” by Kevin Phillips

Introduction

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Section One: Principles of American Democracy

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Section Four: American History - Colonial Period

Section Five: American History - the 1800's

Section Six: American History and Other Recent Important Historical Information

Section Seven: American History - Geography, Symbols and Holidays

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The Magna Carta 1Article by: Claire Breay, Julian Harrison. Medieval origins. 28 July 2014.

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