Happy Birthday, Oscar Wilde!

On this day in 1854, the great writer, poet and all-around witty genius, Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland to parents Sir William Wilde and Jane Francesca Wilde

I am determined to celebrate this day in some way, although I am not sure how, yet. Oscar Wilde is one of my biggest inspirations in writing.

I suggest using this day to read something written by Wilde. Whether it be his only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray; one of his many plays, such as The Importance of Being Earnest; one of his short stories, such as Lord Arthur Savile's Crime; or one of his many poems or essays.

All his work is available online. You can read a good selection of his work here or, if you have an ereader, you can download any number of his stories, plays, etc. here. I, personally, have the great tome The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde which is 1200+ pages. Perhaps I'll pick up where I left off.

This Day in History 07.19.10

This is something worth mentioning! On this day in 1848 in Seneca Falls the first women's rights convention began.

From wikipedia:


Starting at 11 o'clock, Elizabeth Cady Stanton spoke first, exhorting each woman in the audience to accept responsibility for her own life, and to "understand the height, the depth, the length, and the breadth of her own degradation." Lucretia Mott then spoke, encouraging all to take up the cause. Stanton read the Declaration of Sentiments in its entirety, then re-read each paragraph so that it could be discussed at length, and changes incorporated. The question of whether men's signatures would be sought for the Declaration was discussed, with the vote looking favorable, but the motion was tabled until the following day when men themselves could participate. The first session adjourned at 2:30 p.m

After a pause for refreshment in the 90° heat, an afternoon session began with Stanton and then Mott addressing the audience. The Declaration of Sentiments was read again and more changes were made to it. The resolutions, now numbering eleven with Stanton's addition of women's suffrage, were read aloud and discussed. Lucretia Mott read a humorous newspaper piece written by her sister Martha Wright in which Wright questioned why, after an overworked mother completed the myriad daily tasks that were required of her but not of her husband,she was the one upon whom written advice was "so lavishly bestowed." Twenty-seven-year-old Elizabeth W. M'Clintock then delivered a speech, and the first day's business was called to a close.

In the evening, the meeting was opened to all persons, and Lucretia Mott addressed a large audience. She spoke of the progress of other reform movements and so framed for her listeners the social and moral context for the struggle for women's rights. She asked the men present to help women gain the equality they deserved. The editor of the National Reformer, a paper in Auburn, New York, reported that Mott's extemporaneous evening speech was "one of the most eloquent, logical, and philosophical discourses which we ever listened to."

Elizabeth Cady Stanton's Declaration of Sentiments Full Text

This Day in History 03.05.10

On this day in 1770, five Americans were killed by British Troops in what would be called the Boston Massacre.

The five killed were:

Ropemaker Samuel Gray
Mariner James Caldwell
Sailor Crispus Attucks 

All who died instantly.

A few hours after, 17 year old Samuel Maverick died as a result of a ricocheted bullet to the head. In a result of his wounds on that day, Irish immigrant Patrick Carr died two weeks later.

This event was used as a huge piece of propaganda to fuel anti-British sentiments. This only added to the fire of the revolution that was to come.

This Day in History 02.22.10

On this day in 1732, George Washington was born in the colony of Virginia.

I don't think I need to write up a whole post about this fella, do I?

Happy Birthday to the father of America!

This Day in History 02.15.10

Born on this day in 1820, Susan B. Anthony is probably the most known leader in the fight for the women's vote.

Devoting her entire life to the cause, Anthony gave almost 100 speeches a year on the subject. In 1869, along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, she started the National Woman's Suffrage Association and was voted its Vice President.

In 1872, she was arrested for voting illegally. Read the spectacular speech she gave afterward here.

Between 1884 and 1887, she along with Stanton, Matilda Joslyn Gage, and Ida Husted Harper, wrote The History of Woman Suffrage.

Anthony died in 1906 - 14 years before the passing of the 19 Amendment - at the age of 86.

This Day In History 12.16.09

On this day in 1773 Bostonians said, "No taxation without representation!" in a BIG way! Boston was not the only city to refuse the King's tea that day, but they were the only ones to actually throw it overboard!

An Eyewitness Account of the Boston Tea Party

This Day in History 11.19.09

On this day, November 19, in 1863 President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the Solders' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Considered one of the greatest speeches in American history, it only lasted two minutes. No photograph exists of Lincoln making this speech because the photographer didn't realize the speech would be so short. By the time he was set up to take a picture, Lincoln had finished.

Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth
 on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and
 dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
  Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing
 whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so
 dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-
field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of
 that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave
 their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether
 fitting and proper that we should do this.
  But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate…we cannot
 consecrate…we cannot hallow…this ground. The brave men,
 living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it
 far above our poor power to add or detract. The world
 will little note nor long remember what we say here, but
 it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the
 living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished
 work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly
 advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the
 great task remaining before us…that from these honored
 dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which
 they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here
 highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain;
 that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of
 freedom; and that government of the people, by the people,
 for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

On This Day In History 11.11.09 - Two Extraordinary Women

On this day in 1744, Abigal Adams was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts. She is known for her extraordinary letters she wrote her husband during his time in the Continental Congress and as our 2nd First Lady. She died in 1818 living to the great old age of 73.

Also on this day, in 1880, was the death of Lucretia Mott. Mott was an advocate of women's rights (sometimes credited as the first feminist), abolitionist, Quaker and social reformer. In 1866, along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Lucy Stone she started the American Equal Rights Association and was elected its first president. Mott died in Abington, Virginia, living to the age of 87. In 1983, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

This Day in History 10.23.09

On this day in 1850, the first meeting of the National Women's Rights Convention was held in Worcester, Massachusetts. 900 people attended.


Speakers Included:
William Lloyd Garrison
Reverend William Henry Channing
Wendell Phillips
Harriot Kezia Hunt
Ernestine Rose
Antoinette Brown
Sojourner Truth
Stephen Symonds Foster and Abby Kelley Foster
Abby H. Price
Lucretia Mott
Frederick Douglass

Lucy Stone spoke last urging for women's property rights.

We want to be something more than the appendages of Society; we want that Woman should be the coequal and help-meet of Man in all the interest and perils and enjoyments of human life. We want that she should attain to the development of her nature and womanhood; we want that when she dies, it may not be written on her gravestone that she was the "relict" of somebody.

Stone paid to have booklets made of the proceedings and called them Woman's Rights Tracts. I can't find a copy of the booklet from the convention of 1850, but I did find a link to download the booklet from 1851 here. Stone did this for the first six conventions and sold them at her lectures.

Positive response in the New York Tribune inspired Susan B. Anthony's involvement in the Women's Rights Movement and a copy of the booklet of the convention inspired Harriet Taylor to write The Enfranchisement of Women the following year in England.

This Day in History 10.17.09

On this day in 1777, the Americans defeated the British at Saratoga.

Here's the real interesting bit: There are several monuments and statues commemorating the great victory. Why is this interesting? I'll tell you.

Benedict Arnold injured his leg during the battle. This monument is for him, but you won't find his name anywhere on it.

It gets better.

The Saratoga Monument (first picture shown) has four niches:

Daniel Morgan

Horatio Gates

Philip Schuyler

Benedict Arno- Wait. Where is he?

America obviously does not pay tribute to traitors, no matter what they did beforehand. While America was appreciative of Arnold's sacrifice at Saratoga, his later actions erased it.

Just the fact that a fourth niche was created and then left empty makes a pretty bold statement, doesn't it?

Download an e-book from Google Books about the battle put out by the The Saratoga Monument Association.

Also, on this day in 1781, General Cornwallis surrendered to the Americans at Yorktown.

This Day in History 09.21.09

On this day in 1780 Benedict Arnold hands over the plans of West Point to the British which has henceforth associated his name with the title of 'traitor'.

In the American army, Arnold was known as the captor of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775 and for his bravery in the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. In the latter, he sustained an injury that ended his combat career for a while.

After watching others take credit for his successes and being passed over for promotions and objecting to the alliance with France, Arnold decided to switch sides in 1779. Obtaining command of West Point in July of 1780, Arnold did so in order to be able to present it to the British.

He was exposed when the American forces captured British Major John André who was carrying papers containing the plot.

Arnold managed to escape down the Hudson to the British ship Vulture, just missing George Washington's army. He entered the British army as brigadier general.

Washington was calm when told of the betrayal. He tried several ways to get Arnold back - in order to hang him, that is - including offering the British André for Arnold, which they refused and André was hung. Washington sent men into New York to kidnap Arnold which would have succeeded if Arnold had not changed living arrangements. Washington then set an order that Arnold was to be hung if ever captured.

Arnold died in 1801 in London.

There are several memorials in the United States dedicated to Arnold, including:

-At Saratoga where there is a memorial, but no mention of his name. It instead says: In memory of the most brilliant soldier of the Continental army, who was desperately wounded on this spot, winning for his countrymen the decisive battle of the American Revolution, and for himself the rank of Major General.

-At West Point on plaques commemorating all the generals from the Revolution. One plaque has no name and reads 'Major General. Born 1740'.

In London, on the house that he resided bears a plaque describing Arnold as an 'American Patriot'.

This Day in History 09.17.09

September 17, 1787. The United States Constitution was adopted by the Constitutional Convention (or Philadelphia Convention) in Philadelphia. It then went on to be ratified by each of the 13 states in the name of "The People".

The Convention took place from May that year until the 17th of September. George Washington was elected president of the convention. The debates were kept secret from the public, so that the delegates could speak freely. Every state sent delegates, except for Rhode Island.

The purpose of the convention was to replace the Articles of Federation, which was ratified seven years earlier and was the first constitution of the United States of America.

The Constitution would not take effect until nine states had ratified it. On June 21, 1788 New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution. Once the Congress of the Confederation received confirmation, they started planning for the start of operations under the Constitution to begin. On March 4, 1789 the Constitution went into effect and the Congress of the Confederation was hereby known as the United States Congress.


Further Reading:

Constitution of the United States - Official
United States Constitution: Primary Documents of American History

This Day in History 09.12.09

On this day in 1814 began the Battle of Baltimore, the last official battle of the War of 1812.

I've been looking forward to making this particular post, seeing as how it's one of my all-time favorite battles and probably the second greatest battle of the War of 1812, right after the Battle of New Orleans.

The Battle of Baltimore started weeks after one of the darkest events of this new country: the Burning of Washington. Many federal buildings were burned to the ground by the British, including the White House.

The British were so confident by the success at Washington that before setting out to Baltimore, they stopped by Alexandria, Virginia on August 20 and a raid lasted there until the 9th of September. The British gained much by this raid, but for Baltimore, this gave them ample time to build up their defenses and get better prepared for the inevitable battle that was to come.


The Battle of Baltimore was made up of two events: the Battle of North Point and the Bombardment of Fort McHenry.

North Point was located five miles outside the city and was part of the city's defenses, led by Major General Samuel Smith. Anticipating the British's move, he sent a column led by General John Stricker just outside of Baltimore. Stricker learned that the British were encamped just three miles away. Instead of being sitting ducks waiting for an attack, Stricker decided to provoke the British, led by General Robert Ross. Leaving his lunch, Ross got on his horse to fetch the main British Army, but an American sniper hidden in some trees cut him down before he had the chance. Before dying, Ross handed over command to Colonel Arthur Brooke. Brooke decided to assault the Americans head-on, but the British took on heavy casulties and retreated. Brooke decided to wait to see how the sea battle went.

At Fort McHenry, 1,000 soldiers, led by Major George Armistead, were waiting for a naval attack from the British. The attack began the next day, September 13th, when 19 British ships started bombarding the Fort. After back and forth, the British moved back beyond the Fort's cannon's range and continued to fire on the Fort for the next 25 hours, but the damage to the Fort was light. At nightfall, Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane sent a small landing party west of the Fort, hoping to draw General Smith's troops away from the British land troops. Instead, Armistead's guns opened up on them. Brooke, seeing that the fort could not be taken, withdrew to the fleet and Cochrane sent the fleet to regroup before the next assault, which would take place in New Orleans.

On the morning of the 14th, the American flag still waved over the fort, and an unknown amateur poet name Francis Scott Key saw it and took out his notebook. What he wrote that day was called The Defense of Ft. McHenry, later to be called The Star-Spangled Banner.

The Treaty of Ghent, was signed on December 24, 1814, making the Battle of Baltimore the last official battle of the War of 1812.

After the successful burning of the nation's capital, the British thought they'd find an easy fight at Baltimore, followed by surrender. To say the least, they were disappointed.

This Day In History 09.04.09

On this day in 1812 started the Battle of Fort Harrison, three months after the start of the War of 1812.

The day before, Captain Zachary Taylor was warned that the fort would be attacked by a large band of Native Americans. The next day a force of 600 Potawatomi, Wea, Shawnee, Kickapoo and Winnebago warriors approached the fort with 40 approaching with a white flag of truce, asking to parley with Taylor the next day. It was agreed, but that night the fort was set fire and the Battle of Fort Harrison began.

The fort held and by the 12th a company led by Colonel William Russell, along with local militia and the 7th Infantry Regiment arrived at Fort Harrison. The Indian force fled.

The Battle of Fort Harrison is considered the first major land victory for the United States during the War of 1812.

More reading:

Fort Harrison - War of 1812

This Day In History 08.29.09

August 29, 1786. The war was over, but The American Revolution was not. On this date in 1786 Shays' Rebellion began. The Rebellion was named after Daniel Shays who was a veteran of the Revolution.

The "Shaysites" were a group of mostly poor farmers who revolted against debt and crushing taxes. Failure to pay these taxes usually left people in debtor's prison.

The rebellion lasted until January of 1787.

Without a doubt, Shays' Rebellion was one of the biggest blunders of this young nation, who still had a lot of growing up to do.

Useful links:

The Last Battle of the American Revolution
Shays' Rebellion (1786-87) and the Constitution

This Day In History 08.23.09

On this day, August 23rd, in 1775, King George III set out a proclamation stating that the American colonies were at a state of "open and avowed rebellion". The official title A Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition was in response to the events at Bunker Hill in June of that year. King George III stated that all colonists who held up arms against the crown were now traitors.

The Battle of Bunker Hill, while it was a victory for the British, was by no means a grand one. The British lost 226 including a number of officers and had over 800 wounded. What the British also realized that day, was that the ragtag so-called soldiers brought forth by the American colonies were able to stand up to the King's troops.





American history classes tell us that the American Revolution was a war for independence. Well, it was, but not in 1775. Because of taxation and the 'Intolerable Laws' set forth in 1774 the colonists feared that their constitutional rights were being violated, and revolted. In June of 1775 the Continental Army was produced by the Second Continental Congress along with the Olive Branch Petition, which was a document sent to George III in hopes of reconciliation. It was outright refused by the King and he responded with his proclamation.

The Olive Branch Petition

What King George III didn't realize, was that rejection of the Olive Branch Petition gave John Adams the fuel he needed in order to finally make the final push towards independence. It also opened up the minds of the colonists: either they could remain loyal to the crown (Loyalist) or want for independence (Patriot or in the British view: Rebel). There was no middle ground. Everyone had to pick a side.

Recommended reading:

Common Sense by Thomas Paine
1776 by David McCullough