Tag: 1776

1776: Washington at Year’s End

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:

How did George Washington use language to convince his Continentals to remain in arms even after the difficult year of 1776?

CONTEXT:

As the year 1776 drew to a close, the American war effort was in crisis. The British occupied New York. Congress had abandoned Philadelphia in the face of the British advance and moved to Baltimore. General George Washington (1732-1799) worried, as his army was scheduled to dissolve; many one-year enlistments would elapse at year’s end. On December 23, Thomas Paine’s published The Crisis, and Washington had the series of essays read to his troops camped up and down the Delaware River in an attempt to improve morale.

On Christmas Eve his army crossed the Delaware River and defeated the British at the Battle of Trenton the next morning in less than one hour . The Americans then crossed back into Pennsylvania; on December 28 they crossed back to Trenton, planning to launch another attack on the British. But a more immediate problem existed; in three days, the Army’s enlistments would expire.

On December 30, Washington gathered his men and addressed his troops as a comrade in arms, asking them to stay six more weeks and offering a ten-dollar bounty (on December 27 Congress had authorized Washington to offer bounties for enlistment). When volunteers were asked for, no one stepped out. One soldier spoke up and reminded the General of all they had sacrificed; exhausted and lacking proper equipment, they were looking forward to going home. Seated on his horse, Washington rode along the line of men and spoke the words below.

TEXT:

My brave fellows, you have done all I asked you to do, and more than can be reasonably expected; but your country is at stake, your wives, your houses and all that you hold dear. You have worn yourselves out with fatigues and hardships, but we know not how to spare you. If you will consent to stay one month longer, you will render that service to the cause of liberty, and to your country, which you probably can never do under any other circumstances.

INQUIRY:

  1. How did Washington acknowledge the soldiers’ sacrifices? Why was that important?
  2. After Washington’s words, soldiers grouped and discussed. One man said “I’ll go if you will.” What feeling did this comment convey? Would you have agreed to stay?
  3. Another soldier whispered, “We can’t go home under such circumstances.” What feeling did this comment convey? Would you have agreed with this soldier?
  4. The men responded in small groups at first until finally 200 of the regiment had agreed to stay. Washington then spoke to each additional regiment personally, and eventually he had 3000 soldiers remain. What was the effect of Washington addressing each regiment in person?
  5. The men who stayed in the Army were not required to reenlist on paper–Washington said he would trust each man upon his word. What did this say about Washington’s attitude toward his Continental Troops?
  6. What appeals to emotion did Washington use in this speech? Why do you believe they worked?
  7. What was the tone of Washington’s speech? Cite examples.
  8. Do you believe this speech displays leadership on Washington’s part? Why or why not?

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Chernow, Ron. Washington: A Life. New York: Penguin Books, 2010.

“George Washington to Robert Morris, 31 December 1776,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-07-02-0389. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 7, 21 October 1776–5 January 1777, ed. Philander D. Chase. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1997, p. 497.]

1776: Paine’s Crisis

1776: Paine’s Crisis

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

Which rhetorical devices does Thomas Paine use to rouse American morale in the face of military defeat?

CONTEXT

On December 19, 1776, Thomas Paine (1739-1809) published The American Crisis, a pamphlet sold on the street of Boston opposite the Court House. This was the first of a 13-part pamphlet series he published between 1776 and 1783.

1776 had been a difficult year for the American Army. After the announcement of the Declaration of Independence in July, August brought military defeats and the British captured New York City. Over 60% of Washington’s troops had left the Army, been killed or captured, and enlistments for many of those who remained were due to expire in just 13 days, on December 31. Morale was low and it appeared the Army might evaporate.

Thomas Paine was well-known for his literary support of the American Revolution. He had written another pamphlet, Common Sense, in January, 1776; it sold over 100,000 copies in the first three months, and it helped explain the necessity of the American Revolution. Now, as the American troops retreated from New York City, Paine, who was with the Army, again began to write. He penned The American Crisis to stir American patriotism and improve morale, and General Washington ordered this new pamphlet to be read to all his men. Drawing courage from Paine’s words, the Continental Troops crossed the Delaware River and defeated Hessian troops at Trenton on Christmas night. This victory helped breathe new life into the American cause.

This excerpt is from the introduction to The American Crisis.

TEXT

THESE are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country but he that stands it NOW, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly;-‘Tis dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to set a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed, if so celestial an article as Freedom should not be highly rated...

INQUIRY

  1. How does Paine construct his opening sentence as an appeal to ethos?
  2. Identify three examples of consonance (repetition of consonant sounds) in the first sentence. What is the effect of using this device, both when reading the pamphlet and when hearing it read in public?
  3. Identify the antithesis in the second sentence. What is the effect of this comparison?
  4. According to Paine, what gives things value? Do you agree? Why or why not?
  5. What does Paine consider to be a highly rated article? How do you know?
  6. Paine speaks of both heaven and hell in this section. What type of appeal is this? What is the effect?
  7. What imagery does Paine use in this excerpt? Cite at least three examples and give the effect of each.
  8. Which do you think is the most important sentence in this excerpt? Why?
  9. Do you agree with Paine’s reasoning? Why or why not?
  10. With this pamphlet and the American victory that followed, momentum in the American Revolution shifted toward the Americans. What is the importance of momentum in any type of contest, for instance a sports game? Give examples.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbpe.03902300/?st=text

https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/how-thomas-paines-other-pamphlet-saved-the-revolution