Did you know...?

Not all the Loyalists living in the British colonies (that eventually became the United States of America) were rich old duffers with business connections.  Many of them were just regular people trying to live their lives and obey the law.  This is a declaration by a group of Loyalists who lived in Queen's County, New York, published in 1775.  They expressed their "earnest Desire" to "remain peaceable and quiet" above all things.  To many people at the time, the idea of revolution or rebellion was horrifying, as it would tear apart the rule of law and introduce, many feared, widespread and endless anarchy in the continent.  Fortunately, that did not prove to be the case, but it is important to remember that just because they disagreed with the revolutionaries doesn't mean they were evil or had bad intentions.  Many were just common people afraid that their world was being destroyed around them.

What do you think?  Did the Loyalists have the right to resist the American Revolution?  What else do you know about them?  Comment below!

Boston, Waaay Back When... or at least in 1775!

Go on Google Maps some time and check out modern Boston. Then open this up and compare them. Use Corps Hill (now Copps Hill) as a reference point; you will need it. You'll be amazed by how much has changed. Boston has gotten a little bigger over the years, but this is where it all started.

The map was published in 1775, so it, too, has fallen out of any right of ownership. Share with your friends, and maybe they'll begin to understand why they hate driving in Boston, too!

As Blogger has an image size limit, you can click the link below to get a properly navigable image of this map. It's almost as good as stepping in the Revolutionary horse droppings yourself!

Map: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Boston%2C_1775bsmall1.png

Tecumseh

I present to you Tecumseh, a leader of the Shawnee people before the War of 1812. He died October 5, 1813, in the Battle of Moraviantown, also known as the Battle of the Thames. Tecumseh and the Shawnee were allies of the British in the War of 1812.

Image source:
Hodgins, J. George. A School History of Canada, and of the other British North American Provinces. Montreal: John Lovell, 1865, 135.

Information source:
Hodgins, J. George. A School History of Canada, and of the other British North American Provinces. Montreal: John Lovell, 1865, 135-136.