Really a grans sed sense of his biology. Last time we were looking at his youth. A youth that we say is often times wrapped in romance, in myth, it is hard to get at. It is a period where it is least documented and it is an interesting period. But of course he is most known to americans and perhaps to folks around the world as a great military commander. The general that led the americans through the american war for indense and eight long years of war. And his identity as a warrior is a crucial one. Thinking about who is George Washington, how did he think of himself, as, and why does it matter today. He is still studied regularly in the great military disciplines well as the war college. Washington is a fundamental figure in the establishment of american tradition of leadership in arms. He was the first officer of the American Army. The United States army dates its on birth to his service. And the Continental Congress of him taking over the army that we will talk about a little bit.
Republic, which is a radical experiment for its time. There were very few republics in the world. So, this is a risky venture, because it expects a lot of people. In a monarchy, the duty of the people is essentially to obey. But in a republic, the citizens must anticipate. They need to vote. They should follow issues. They should be involved in campaigns. And so, a republic asks much more of people. And this is the foundational generation for this american republic. Yet, this is also the peak period for Alcohol Consumption in america. So, there is a paradox in which the political thinking, the political ideology said we need a republic with a virtue. An electorate where the people are committed to the wellbeing, the common good of the country and should be willing to set aside their self interest to advance the common good. That is virtue. Yet, this is a time when people are drinking as never before, and you can see the statistics here that historians have come up with. In 1790, the pe
Of virginia. Ok, we have been talking in this class about the american republic, which is a radical experiment for its time. There were very few republics in the world. So, this is a risky venture, because it expects a lot of people. In a monarchy, the duty of the people is essentially to obey. But in a republic, the citizens must participate. They need to vote. They should follow issues. They should be involved in campaigns. And so, a republic asks much more of people. And this is the foundational generation for this american republic. And yet, this is also the peak period for alcoholic consumption in america. So, there is a paradox in which this is a period where the political thinking, the political ideology said we need a republic with a virtue. In other words an electorate , where the people are committed to the wellbeing, the common good of the country and should be willing to set aside their self interest to advance the common good. That is the concept of virtue. And yes, this i
Of the museum at the corner of third and Chestnut Street in old city philadelphia. Philadelphia was the headquarters of the revolution. This is where delegates came. This is where the protest against british oppression first mounted. This is where the declaration of independence was written. So this really is the most central element of the American Revolution, the birth of our nation, which is why this museum is located here. Just down the street from me is the first bank of the states. Alexander hamiltons branch bank when he launched our nations banking system. It is also the first building constructed by the United States of america. So we, truly, are where the nation began, and it is the right place to tell the entire story of the American Revolution. It is our mission in this museum. Behind me, you see cannons from the era. These are part of the city of philadelphias collection. Every one of these canons is old enough that it could have been used to fight the revolution. Behind me
How did the revolution survive its darkest hour . Because, of course, while all of this lofty language about liberty and rights and creating constitutions and remember the ladies is going on, the Largest Overseas expedition in european history is headed towards new york. So the mural that you see beside me here is an eyewitness depiction, which weve blown up as a mural, showing 5000 british warships and about 6,000 british and hessian troops in landing boats about to land on manhattan baynd in kept bay kips on september 15, 1776. At the time, one of the soldiers saw the ships gathering in new york harbor and later said i thought all london was afloat. So, it was one thing to declare independence, to tear down the king, to declare that you are now living in the American Revolution, but to actually achieve american independence was going to be an effort of many, many more years of struggle. And the first thing americans had to do was just survive the onslaught that was coming in the form