A Hand Full of Events from March 22 – 28, 1776.

A Hand Full of Events from March 22 – 28, 1776.
Greetings, today we visit the week of March 22 – 28, 1776.
This was an eventful week in the nation’s history, not with the occurrence of one huge incident, but with a series of smaller events.
These include:
This was an eventful week in the nation’s history, not with the occurrence of one huge incident, but with a series of smaller events.
The Congress deemed that occupation of Canada was essential on March 24, 1776.
Congress awarded a gold medal to George Washington and his army.
On March 26 the state of South Carolina approved a new state constitution.
To watch the entire video, visit the link below.

This an excerpt from my book, 1776.
I am still writing this book, which I hope to release in April or May of this year. It will be part of the
Time Line of United States History Series
Meanwhile, you can enjoy the book 1775, which is available on the website, http://www.mossyfeetbooks.com. Just click the “Timeline of United States History” on the lower left hand side of the home page.
A box set that includes all six volumes of the series is available at that link at an economical price.

Transcript:

Greetings, today we visit the week of March 22 – 28, 1776.
This was an eventful week in the nation’s history, not with the occurrence of one huge incident, but with a series of smaller events.

First up, the Congress authorized the states to set up admiralty courts on March 23. Various states had begun issuing letters of marque to privateers almost as soon as hostilities broke out. These letters established the men that received them as sort of legalized pirates. They could attack and seize British ships as prizes, bring them back to port and sell the cargo and the ship. The crewmen served as hostages. After the sale of the cargo, the owner of the ship, the captain and crew received varying percentages of the sale. The issuer of the letters of marque, the state government, received a percentage, as well. It was the task of an Admiralty Court to decide if a prize was legal. During the course of the war 12 of the 13 colonies established admiralty courts. New York, since it was occupied by the British, did not establish one.

The occupation of Canada had, thus far, had proven a failed enterprise. The Congress had sent a delegation to Canada to study the situation and give Congress a report. Congress received this report and studied it. The Congress deemed that occupation of Canada was essential on March 24, 1776.

Congress commenced the practice of issuing gold medals for the “very highest achievements [were] entitled to such a distinction, and that the value of a reward is enhanced by its rarity!”
Congress awarded the first gold medal to George Washington and his army for their “wise and spirited conduct in the siege and acquisition of Boston.”

On March 25 a force led by General Benedict Arnold defeated a Canadian force at St. Pierre during a battle for the village that overlooked Quebec.

On March 26 the state of South Carolina approved a new state constitution. The constitution established a lower house, an upper house, president, vice president and chief justice. Meant to be temporary, this constitution was replaced in 1778.

Washington’s army had driven the British from Boston only a few days before, however Washington knew that the British were by no means finished. He suspected that the British would attack New York. He dispatched General John Sullivan with six regiments of troops to take up defensive position around the city.

Congress had authorized Silas Deane to travel to France to assure the French government that the Americans were going to declare independence and to persuade the French to sting their traditional enemy by supplying aid to the Americans.

I would encourage you to visit and subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. If you like my videos, please hit the “Like,” button. The more likes I get the more You Tube will show it to other people, allowing me to grow the channel. I also invite you to visit my website, http://www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast and thank you for listening.