Lesson 6: Our Lives, Our Fortunes

 

Battle of Bunker Hill

Our Lives, Our Fortunes

The United States of America had it's beginning when 56 men courageously put their signatures on the Declaration of Independence. The document set forth the moral justification of a rebellion against the divine right of kings. At issue were whether men's rights were God-given or whether these rights are dispensed by governments to their subjects. Who were the men and women that courageously fought for freedom? (This is the text of a powerpoint presentation that I use to teach about these men. Each page has a photo or painting of the person.)

Robert Morris - Financier of the Revolution

Robert Morris “established a network of agents, based in both the colonies and various foreign ports, charged with procuring supplies for the Continental war effort.” He was “attack[ed]…for allegedly using his position in Congress for his own financial benefit, but in early 1779 a congressional committee cleared Morris of all charges….Morris led a group of merchants in creating the Bank of Pennsylvania, which provided funding for the purchase of supplies by the Continental Army.” (Wikipedia)   He is known as the financier of the American Revolution because “he personally underwrote the operations of privateers, ships that ran the British Blockades at great risk and thus brought needed supplies and capital into the colonies.” (https://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/morris_r.html)  He lost 150 ships which were sunk during the war. He advocated for financial policies that would restore the credit of the nation after the war was over.

Molly Corbin - Artillery Volunteer

Margaret “Molly” Cochran Corbin was one of the wives who, during the Revolution, were tagged as “Camp Followers.”  These women followed their husbands, cooking, washing laundry and doing whatever domestic chores needed to be done.

On November 16, 1776, while they were stationed in Fort Washington, the fort was attacked by British and Hessian troops.  Margaret’s husband, John, was assisting a gunner who was ultimately killed during the battle.  John then took over as gunner until he was killed. Margaret, known as Captain Molly, had no time to mourn and continued firing the cannon alone until she was wounded, severely injuring her shoulder and chest and mangling her jaw.  She never fully recovered from the wounds and was left without the use of her left arm for the rest of her life.

Caesar Rodney - President of the State of Delaware

Rodney was a leading patriot in his colony. He was elected President of the State of Delaware for a three year term, a duty that he assumed even as he served as Major-General of the Delaware Militia. In this office he played a crucial part not only in the defense of his own colony but in support of Washington's Continental Army, for Delaware had a record of meeting or exceeding its quotas for troops and provisions throughout the revolutionary conflict

Catharine "Caty" Littlefield Greene - Party Queen

Shortly after her wedding, her husband Nathanael was put in command of the Rhode Island militia, and shortly thereafter made a general in the newly formed Continental Army. Catharine traveled all over the thirteen colonies during the course of the Revolution. She visited New York City during the American occupation, wintered at Valley Forge, and made her way to the Carolinas when her husband was made commander of the Southern army. Caty was instrumental in planning and throwing social events for the officers of the Continental Army, who appreciated getting a break from the discomforts of camp. She gave birth to five children before the war ended.

George Wythe - Educator

George Wythe was homeschooled by his mother. He was elected Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1777. The following year he was made one of the three Chancellors of the State of Virginia, a post that he served in for the rest of his life. George Wythe was revered as a man on great honor and integrity. He was the mentor of Thomas Jefferson who helped him become a great statesman. He was a republican in all things, and a quiet abolitionist. He freed his slaves and made provisions for their support until they could earn a living for themselves. 

Catherine "Kate" Barry - Scout

Known as the “Heroine of the Battle of Cowpens”, Catherine  (Kate) Barry volunteered as a scout for the American forces. Familiar with every Indian trails and shortcut around her plantation in South Carolina and being an excellent horsewoman, Kate was crucial in warning the militia of the approaching British. The Battle of Cowpens took place on January 17, 1781.   Before the battle, Kate was instrumental in rounding up militia, including her husband Captain Andrew Barry, to support General Daniel Morgan and his troops. It is written of Kate Barry that she knew no fear, and where duty pointed she dared to go, and where her love and affections centered, she would risk any and all dangers to guard and protect those whom she loved.

James Wilson - Supreme Court Justice

In 1775 James Wilson was elected to the Continental Congress, where he assumed a position with the most radical members-a demand for separation from Britain. James Wilson's powers of oration, the passion of his delivery and the logic he employed in debate, were commented on favorably by many members of the Congress. He was, however, in a bind. Pennsylvania was divided on the issue of separation, and Wilson refused to vote against the will of his constituents. Many members felt that it was hypocritical to have argued so forcefully and so long for Independence, only to vote against it when the occasion came. Wilson, with the support of three other members who were sympathetic to his position, managed a delay of three weeks, so that he could consult with people back home. When the vote came, he was able to affirm Pennsylvania's wish for Independence. A fellow delegate said of him, “Government seems to have been his peculiar study, all the political institutions of the world he knows in detail, and can trace the causes and effects of every revolution from the earliest stages of the Grecian commonwealth down to the present time."

Elizabeth Freeman - Slave

Freeman heard the newly ratified Massachusetts Constitution read at a public gathering in Sheffield, including the following: “All men are born free and equal…” Inspired by these words, Bett sought the counsel of Theodore Sedgwick, a young abolition-minded lawyer, to help her sue for freedom in court. According to Catherine Sedgwick's account, she told him, "I heard that paper read yesterday, that says, all men are created equal, and that every man has a right to freedom. I'm not a dumb critter; won't the law give me my freedom?” The court assessed damages of thirty shillings and awarded both plaintiffs compensation for their labor.

Roger Sherman - Proposed the Connecticut Compromise

Sherman proposed an idea that an agreement between large and small states that the legislature would have one house that had members by population and the other (The Senate) would have an equal representation of state’s interests. The compromise was so significant because the entire document was held up over slavery questions. What was ultimately included in the constitution was a modified form of his plan, partly because the larger states disliked it.

Nanyehi "Nancy" Ward - Peace activist 

Conflict between the Patriots of the American Revolution and the braves of the Cherokee nation led to soldiers invading Cherokee territory from Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina in 1777, and destroying all the major Cherokee towns except the one where Nanyehi lived. She was spared because she worked for peace and economic prosperity while co-existing peacefully in the new nation. Some of her own people consider her a traitor because she was against armed resistance of the loss of lands and lifestyle.

Benjamin Rush - Doctor

Benjamin Rush was elected to the Continental Congress in 1776. He heavily criticized the military capabilities of George Washington and became entangled in efforts to oust him from leadership of the Continental Army.  Forced to resign or be fired by the Continental Congress, Rush returned to private medical practice in Philadelphia.

After the war, his contributions to the field of medicine were highly beneficial.  Courageously, Rush remained in Philadelphia to treats hundreds of patients during the 1793 Yellow Fever epidemic.  As a medical director, he sought new treatments for the mentally ill and implemented many innovations to improve patient care in hospitals. 

Deborah Sampson - Soldier

In early 1782, Deborah Sampson wore men's clothes and joined an Army unit in Middleborough, Massachusetts under the name Timothy Thayer. She collected a bonus and then failed to meet up with her company as scheduled because she had been recognized by a local resident. Her deception uncovered, she repaid the portion of the bonus that she had not spent, but she was not subjected to further punishment by the Army. In May 1782, Sampson enlisted again, this time in Uxbridge, Massachusetts under the name "Robert Shirtliff.” During her first battle she received two musket balls in her thigh. She didn’t want to be treated for fear of being discovered so she left the hospital and removed one ball herself. The other remained in her body for her whole life. She was honorably discharged at West Point, New York, on October 25, 1783, after a year and a half of service even though her commanding officer knew her gender.

Arthur Middleton - Founding Father

Arthur Middleton was captured by the British when Charleston was overrun 1781, and held prisoner for more than a year. Most of his fortune was destroyed during the Revolution. He was engaged in politics until his death on the first of January, 1787.

Sybil Ludington - Heroine

Sybil Ludington has been celebrated as the female Paul Revere because of her ride through Putnam and Dutchess Counties to warn the militia that British troops were burning Danbury, Connecticut. British General Tryon and his forces set about selectively burning down homes and stores in Danbury.  While destroying the properties, the British discovered several hundred cases of wine and rum. After consuming more rum than they ought to and lacking military discipline, the drunken soldiers cruelly set about igniting more fires.

A messenger was dispatched to her father, Colonel Ludington, with the news of the attack, reaching the Ludington home exhausted and unfamiliar with the area.  It isn’t clear whether she was asked or volunteered, but Sybil set out on what has become her famous ride to alert the militia. Sixteen-year-old Sybil traveled 40 miles from her home, steering clear of British soldiers and Loyalists before returning home the next day.

Read "Our Sacred Honor" for more of what happened to the more commonly known signers of the Declaration. Courtesy National Review

Study the Battle of Bunker Hill at UShistory.org

Why was that battle a turning point?

Image Credit: John Trumbull / Museum of Fine Arts, Boston / Public Domain