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Week 6 Homework Directions: Read the biographies below and summarize how each person affected the Revolutionary War. Haym Salomon (1740–1785) Many people can easily name the leaders of the American Revolution. However, not everyone can identify the people who paid for America’s fight for independence. One of these men was Haym Salomon. If not for him, the American Revolution might have taken a very different turn.Salomon was born in Poland. In his early 30s, he came to America. He might have fled Poland because of his activities in support of Polish independence. Salomon arrived in New York City and eventually became wealthy. He also became active with the Sons of Liberty, a group of patriots who actively resisted British authority. In 1776, the British arrested and jailed Salomon because they thought he was a spy. However, they decided that his knowledge of French, Polish, Russian, and Italian made him valuable. They sent him to work for Hessian troops, who were their allies in the war against the United States. That did not stop Salomon from supporting American independence, however. He later told the Continental Congress that he had been “of great service to the French and American prisoners and assisted them with Money and...helped them off to make their Escape.” The British arrested Salomon again in 1778, but he escaped and went to Philadelphia. There, he helped establish the first synagogue in the city and opened a business. He used his money and financial knowledge to help the Americans make use of loans from France. He also helped the Americans secure other loans and used his own money to equip American soldiers. By 1784, the U.S. government owed Salomon more than $600,000. It might be said that he cared more about using his wealth to help his new country than to help himself, for he died a poor man. Wentworth Cheswell (1746–1817) Born in colonial America as the grandson of a former enslaved person, Wentworth Cheswell lived a life of community service. His example of duty, achievement, and good citizenship had a lasting effect on both his community and the young United States.Born in Newmarket, New Hampshire, in 1746, Wentworth Cheswell was the only child of Hopestill, an African American, and his wife Katherine. Hopestill Cheswell was a highly skilled builder, who was wealthy enough to send Wentworth to the Dummer Academy. This school
was usually reserved for privileged, white children. Cheswell returned to Newmarket to become the schoolmaster. He quickly became an important citizen of the town as well as a landowner. He married Mary Davis, and they had 13 children. Cheswell became one of Newmarket’s leading citizens. He was first elected as the town constable, which is similar to the post of police chief. He was one of the first members of the schoolboard, which oversaw the education of the town’s children. Later, after holding various other town posts, he was elected as a selectman, a leader of the town. It was now 1776, and the war for independence from Britain had begun. Cheswell contributed to the Patriot cause early on by helping to build rafts to protect nearby Portsmouth Harbor. And, like Paul Revere, Cheswell made a later midnight ride to warn the citizens of New Hampshire that the British were coming to attack Portsmouth. The Continental Congress was looking for support from towns throughout the colonies. Cheswell, along with 162 other men in Newmarket, signed the Association Test, promising, at great risk, to oppose British forces. In 1777, Cheswell enlisted in the army and fought at the Battle of Saratoga. Bernardo de Gálvez (1746–1786) In his short life, Bernardo de Gálvez accomplished great things. He was a skillful military leader for Spain and helped to bring victory to a new nation during the American Revolution. He was also a compassionate leader, helping those in need. Bernardo de Gálvez was born in the Malaga province of Spain to Matías and Josepha Madrid y Gallardo de Gálvez. He entered the military and was promoted through the ranks. Later, he joined his uncle, a military leader, in New Spain. In 1769, Gálvez led forces in the northern part of New Spain against the Apache to protect the economy of the region. He eventually was sent to Louisiana in 1776 to lead the Louisiana Regiment, and he became Spanish governor of Louisiana. At this point in his career, Gálvez’s story becomes part of the story of the American Revolution. At the request of American colonial leaders, he was responsible for keeping the British out of the port of New Orleans. As a result of his help, American troops were able to use the Mississippi River to gain access to much-needed supplies. Then, in 1779, the king of Spain declared war on the British, and Gálvez pulled together an army to fight them. Gálvez had many great victories against the British before defeating them in Pensacola, Florida, and capturing their naval base in the Bahamas. He was ready to continue on to Jamaica when the war came to an end, and he then helped draw up the terms of the treaty. In 1784, Bernardo de Gálvez was appointed
viceroy of New Spain. He moved his family to Mexico City. In this role, he became a beloved leader. He came to the city at a time of famine and disease. He used not only the resources provided by Spain but also his own money to help the people. While viceroy, he had a survey of the Gulf Coast done. The mapmaker named the area Bahía de Galvezton after de Gálvez. Today, it is known as Galveston. Gálvez died in 1786 and was buried alongside his father in Mexico’s Church of San Fernando. His heart was placed in an urn in the Cathedral of Mexico, the largest cathedral in the Western Hemisphere and one that he helped complete. Gálvez’s skill as a military leader and his concern for the well-being of his people sealed his legacy as a hero of both Spain and the United States. James Armistead (c. 1748–1830) James Armistead’s life story is one of bravery and dedication to his country. He was born into slavery around 1748. Despite his difficult beginnings, he became one of the heroes of the American Revolution.James Armistead grew up enslaved in New Kent County, Virginia. In 1781, during the American Revolution, the British had nearby Richmond under siege. Armistead asked to volunteer on the side of the Americans, and was given permission. Thus began the career of one of the greatest spies in American history. The British had promised freedom to enslaved men who joined their side. So, by posing as an escaped slave, Armistead was able to travel freely across enemy lines. He gained the trust of the British and learned of their plans and troop movements, which he reported to the Americans.His most important work was at the Battle of Yorktown, the last major fight of the war. There he was able to gain the faith of General Charles Cornwallis, the leader of the British forces. Cornwallis so trusted Armistead that he enlisted him as a spy on behalf of the British, not suspecting that the spy’s true loyalty lay with the Americans. Armistead worked closely with the Marquis de Lafayette, a French officer fighting with the Americans. Armistead brought the British documents with false information about the number and location of American troops. These documents tricked the British, and proved important to the American success at Yorktown. That victory led the British to surrender and soon brought an end to the revolution. Despite his heroism on behalf of the American cause, Armistead remained enslaved after the war. His first petition for freedom was turned down by the Virginia legislature. However, shortly afterwards, remembering Armistead’s brave and valuable service in the war, Lafayette wrote a statement supporting Armistead’s second petition for his
freedom. In 1786 the legislature approved the second petition, and at the beginning of 1787 James Armistead became a free man. In gratitude for Lafayette’s help, Armistead took the general’s last name as his own, calling himself James Armistead Lafayette for the rest of his life. Armistead acquired farmland in Kent County, Virginia, where he lived until his death in 1830. Marquis de Lafayette (1757–1834) A French noble might seem an unlikely champion of democracy. Yet the Marquis de Lafayette was. In 1757, he was born in France into a life of privilege, although both his parents died before he was 13. However, they left him both immense wealth and a noble title—the Marquis de Lafayette. Soon, Lafayette began his military career. By age 16, he was an officer in the French army. In 1777, Lafayette was inspired by the American Declaration of Independence. He volunteered to serve in the American army without pay. The Americans accepted his offer and made him a major general. At first, Lafayette served as an aide to General George Washington. Later, he commanded part of the Continental Army in Virginia. He also convinced the French government to send troops and ships to help the Americans. Lafayette earned everyone’s respect. He shared the hardships of his soldiers and had sharp military skills. His leadership played an important part in helping the colonies win independence from Great Britain. The new U.S. government honored Lafayette by making him an American citizen. Lafayette soon returned to France, but he remained connected to his second homeland. He wrote to his friend Thomas Jefferson, “I feel an inexpressible delight in the progress of every thing that is noble minded, honorable, and useful throughout the United States,…” In 1789, France had its own revolution, and Lafayette became one of its early leaders. He supported the establishment of a democratic government instead of a monarchy. He helped write “The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.” This document, like the American Bill of Rights, guarantees the people certain basic freedoms. As the French Revolution proceeded, more extreme leaders took power. Soon, Lafayette had to flee for his life. He returned to France only after the revolution was over. In 1824, Lafayette came back to the United States. He visited old friends from the American Revolution. He received a hero’s welcome in cities across the country. Lafayette died in 1834 in Paris, France. Even in death, he showed his love of the country he helped to found. He was buried in Paris but in soil that he had brought back from America. Americans grieved over his death. President Andrew Jackson announced a national
mourning period. Former President John Quincy Adams gave a speech in Congress in remembrance of Lafayette. Across the nation, there are towns, schools, and streets named for the French hero. In Texas, Fayette County was named for him. The county seat, La Grange, was named for his castle in France.