LAD #4

1. Firstly I learned the manipulative ways which men such as Adams and Washington made themselves a vital part of history. Washington encouraged praising biographies about himself to be published. While Adams depicted himself in a appealing autobiography.
2. Next I did not realize that the war was already underway when Thomas Paine published the pamphlet Common Sense. I had thought that it was propaganda to provoke war, on the contrary the war had been going on for eight months already. In addition I had not considered that his objective would be to ensure that reconciliation with Great Britain would be a lasting project.
3. Also I did not realize to the extent with which Loyalists were being attacked in the South. I figured that the Loyalists would be left alone for the most part. However the article states that the violence in the South against the Loyalists actually had never been greater. Furthermore the Continental Army went out of their way to destroy any property of the Loyalists and even take their land when the War was over.
4. I was not aware the amount of death that occcured in captivity. The article states that 47% of all Continental Army solidiers taken into captivity died. This is a huge amount of people that died after they were captured, that just never get talked about in most history classes.
5. Finally I learned the role the civilians were subjected to during the War of Independence. I was not aware that there were raids of civilian houses and frequent Indian attacks. It seems that most lessons on the American Revolution barely talk about the effect that this war had on the civilians and more generally the actual war itself.