Baron Von Steuben

Baron Von Steuben

       On Febraury 23, 1778 George Washington went over to Valley forge to meet Baron Von Steuben. Baron Von Steuben was a lieutenant General from a noble Prussian family, who faithfully fought in his army and was living on income from numerous of his estates. Washington like Steuben's  sincerity. The soldiers loved his style and broken English. Steuben wanted to be recognized as an American citizen by helping Washington with his army. Steuben seemed gave a good impression to Washington, he was accompanied only by his secretary, a servant, and a dog he loved to death, Azor. What was Steuben's role in the war? Well, without him, the war could have ended much sooner that it actually did, with the soldiers freezing to death in Valley Forge, or waste all their ammo taking potshots at the British.
   Born a commoner in 1730, Captain Steuben served on the staff of Frederick the Great during the Seven Years' War. After the war ended, Steuben was dismissed from the army when Frederick the Great cut military spending drastically. By the mid 1770 he had become baron, but was broke, and needed a better position. He stroke luck when he met Benjamin Franklin in Paris, who recognized him as a talented and experienced soldier who could bring the much needed order to the Continental Army. Congress appointed Steuben as a Major General and the Inspector General of the Continental Army. Steuben put great effort into the soldiers and trained them to march, use the bayonet, and execute orders quickly on the battlefield.
     The time came and when the Continental Army finally went out of Valley Forge in June 1778, the trained and hardened  Americans gave a much stronger fight to the British at Monmouth. After the battle, Washington sent Steuben to help Nathanael Greene in the South and later the Baron a battalion to command at Yorktown. Washington's  final letter to Steuben thanked him or all his faithful help and effort. Steuben became an American citizen and died in 1794. Without doubt, Steuben was a key factor in the patriots side, and they probably couldn't ave done it without him.

Continental Army Strengths and Weaknesses

   Continental Army Strengths and Weaknesses

   Americans needed an army. The British appeared to be almost unstoppable, and a simple militia wouldn't stop them.  The Continental Army was something quite unique, even with all odds against them, they won the war. It's funny to think the whole context of the story, the incredible difficulties they faced, and just how silly patriots seem now a days. Their incredible passion, intelligent and keen minds, brave hearts, and sheer luck made America the free country it is today. While it might seem obvious, their strentghs and weaknesses go deeper than what the eye might see. What were they?   

       It seemed like everything was against the patriots. Their weaknesses shined and darkened what made them so great. The British underestimated them through the whole war, but you can't really blame them.There were never enough men in the Continental army. Like the British, Americans had a hard time making people join the army, considering most people wanted to join the militia where they served for shorter time periods. One thing is undeniable, most of the soldiers who joined the continental army were going to go through anything to win the war. A key factor the patriots had to their favor was the British never learned from their mistakes, using the same old fashioned tactics over and over. While the British announced they were coming from kilometers away,marching like turtles, the patriots took cover and picked them off in the open, pretty clever.     

      The patriots had someone indispensable, who no British general could ever match; George Washington. Washington knew when to retreat so his army could keep fighting another day. Burning the soldiers out was something he would never do. He cared about his soldiers and understood how complicated their situation was. After having a miserable and costly winter in Valley Forge, he gave every soldier who held through another months pay and a bottle of rum. How nice of him.Lucky or incredibly keen? The continetal army was one of a kind, and to this day, their work will never be forgotten.

Thomas Paine 

 Thomas Paine is an extremely important character in the American Revolution. It probably wouldn't have happened without him. He was a wise man, ironically he failed out of school, and then became a seamanMetaphorically, I like to see him as a your best friend who tells you to not be a coward, to just ask the girl out. Thomas Paine is the author of the famous pamphlet "Common Sense". 

He single handedly impulsed and gave the colonists the confidence to declare revolution, but his radical views on religion would destroy his life, and on the final moments of his life, very few people attended his funeral. 


     Thomas Paine was born on January 29,1737 Thomas was born in Thetford, England. He failed put of school by the age of 12 , he was then homeschooled by his father, but didn't succeed. At the age of 19, he went on an adventure to the sea, which didn't last too long and found himself as a tax officer in England a few years later. He failed at the task yet again, getting discharged from his office two times in four years , but later published the essay called "The Case of the Officers of Excise" arguing for a pay raise for the officers. He moved to Philadelphia in 1774. In 1775 he published his first pamphlet "African Slavery in America" criticizing slavery in America, showing how much of an advance thinker he was for his time. 

 Sadly, Paine wasn't always a succesful man. After being imprisoned by Louis XVI for writing against te church system (which was his most famouse work of the time) his life took a turn. By the end of his life he discovered that his contributions to the American Revolution had beed destroyed by religious views. Declined by the public and left by his friends, he died on June 8, 1809 at the age of 72 in New York City.

George Washington

George Washington

George Washington was born in 1732 and died on 1799. He was the first president of the United States of America. He served as President from April 30, 1789, until March 4, 1797 (two terms).

George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia. His father died when George was 11 years old. He had limited schooling, but taught himself to be an expert woodsman, surveyor, and mapmaker. Washington grew to be over 6 feet tall which was very strange in Colonists.

As a young man, Washington joined the Virginia militia during the French & Indian War. After many heroic battles, Washington became a colonel and the leader of Virginia's militia. The British eventually won the French and Indian War. He had a home named Mt. Vernon which is very famous. 

In 1775, Washington was chosen as the Commander in Chief of the Colonial Army. In 1776, the Colonists declared their independence from the British. General Washington led Patriot troops who were poorly trained, barely paid, badly equipped, and outnumbered by the British. It seemed like a hard work but Washington managed to get them forward. Washington helped in numerous battles for the independence if the US until 1781 when he won it. He was very smart because he attacked when he was supposed to attack and retreat when they were supposed.




Washington refused a third Presidential term, saying in his farewell speech that a longer rule would give one man too much power. Washington died on December 14, 1799, at his home, Mt. Vernon in Virginia. After his death, the US capital was moved from Philadelphia to a location on the border of Virginia and Maryland near Washington's home, and was named Washington in his honor. Washington keeps being the capital of the United States of America.

President George Washington Biography

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-EcyNz9vCE

Thomas Jefferson

 

Thomas Jefferson was born April 13, 1743, at Shadwell, Virginia and died July 4, 1826 in Monticello. He is well known for being the author of the Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom. He also became the third president of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia. He gave voice to the aspirations of a new America as no other individual of his era. As public official, historian, philosopher, and plantation owner, he served his country for over five decades. His father Peter Jefferson was a successful planter and surveyor and his mother Jane Randolph a member of one of Virginia's most distinguished families.

Having attended the College of William and Mary, Jefferson practiced law and served in local government as a magistrate, county lieutenant, and member of the House of Burgesses in his early professional life. As a member of the Continental Congress, he was chosen in 1776 to draft the Declaration of Independence, which has been regarded ever since as a charter of American and universal liberties. The document proclaims that all men are equal in rights, regardless of birth, wealth, or status, and that the government is the servant, not the master, of the people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jefferson became the President of the United States from 1801 -1809. He ran against John Adams. Adams leaned toward a government run by the wealthy. Jefferson wanted a government run by all men. Jefferson’s election showed that Americans wanted a leader who believed that all men were equal. On July 4, 1826 Jefferson died at his beloved home. He was eighty-three years old. The day was also the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.