#liberty! the american revolution

[philhoffman]

Tonight's Monday Philm is actually a miniseries: Liberty! The American Revolution, first broadcast in 1997. Or, I Watched Six Hours Of This PBS Documentary All At Once So You Don't Have To!

It really wasn't that bad—I'm actually a historian specializing in 19th-20th century U.S. by training 🤓 so while the Revolution is a little earlier than my area of study, I've always had a soft spot for it. Just watching this made me a little nostalgic. I've seen parts of this series before (probably in middle school tbh) and of course I've watched PSH's few bits, but this was my first time watching the whole thing.

Overall pretty good! A little dated, as quarter-century old documentaries are expected to be, and the focus was a little narrower than I might've hoped for from a six-hour series, but it was well-made. SO many actors are in this. Like, I knew several to expect (like Stephen Lang, another favorite actor of mine, voicing Washington), but then Austin Pendleton and Jane Adams and Isiah Whitlock Jr. and Philip Bosco showed up!

I'm curious about how Phil got involved with this project. Released in late 1997, about a month after Boogie Nights, so filmed before his public "breakthrough" in that film. I wonder if this was another role he did, partly like Twister (and around the same time), to afford to move back to NYC lol? Not that it would just be about money—seeing Austin Pendleton pop up made me think he might've gotten Phil involved. And the project is neat, it's history, something Phil probably would've been interested in on his own. We may never know!

PSH is portraying Joseph Plumb Martin, an actual American soldier who kept a diary throughout his wartime service. While doing some research for this post I learned Martin was 16 (!!!) when he joined the militia, so Phil in that first still is supposed to be a teenager lmao. Makes much more sense when you realize Martin was in his mid-20s by the end of the war (the last still) and much closer to Phil's actual age. And like, it's a PBS documentary—they're not blowing the budget on costumes for characters with maybe 2 minutes of screen time—but they still do a pretty good job showing how he became a man over the course of the war.

Martin also kinda has the most character development over the course of the series? He's the primary (maybe only?) American soldier depicted and so carries the burden of portraying the entire demographic's wartime experiences. A little cheesy at times but Phil's sincerity is impressive—his willingness to throw himself into any role without self-consciousness—and I can't lie some of those line readings gave me chills ! Nearly all of the actors do a great job bringing the real diary entries and letters etc. to life—so brash, so funny, so honest and afraid and hopeful.

This series brings up many innate and complicated feelings about my country! Too numerous to dive into here, since this is already a remarkable long review compared to how long Phil is actually in it.

But Phil loved a good July 4th bash so tomorrow, if applicable, make some of his cookie dough s'mores and go see fireworks or maybe just watch him be miserable and freezing at Valley Forge in this series! 🇺🇸

[kwebtv]

Liberty! The American Revolution - PBS - November 23-25, 1997

Documentary (6 Episodes)

Running Time: 60 minutes

Hosted by Forrest Sawyer

Narrated by Edward Herrmann

The series consists of six hour-long episodes. Period photographs and location filming are intercut with stage and screen actors in appropriate period costume reading as figures of the time, including Campbell Scott (Thomas Jefferson), Philip Bosco (Benjamin Franklin), Victor Garber (John Dickinson), Alex Jennings (King George III), Roger Rees (Thomas Paine), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Joseph Plumb Martin), Terrence Mann (Gen. John Burgoyne), Colm Feore (Alexander Hamilton), Sebastian Roché (The Marquis de Lafayette), Donna Murphy (Abigail Adams), Austin Pendleton (Benjamin Rush) and Peter Donaldson (John Adams). Stephen Lang read the words of George Washington, but is not seen on camera. (Wikipedia)

[culperscomet]

5th grade history class gave my a special interest like no other

historically inaccurate amrev media you are so dear to me

[hyperlatte]

lafayette from Liberty's Kids I hope you like and subscribe thank.s. also look at that vegan iron... quite outrageous am I right

[marsingtonn]

I think y’all would like this tw**t from a Matt Rose video

Benesuckmydict

[illustratus]

[mmmcchicken]

I'm dropping (a bit old) john laurens yap here. Please correct anything you must + provide the source.

and we know very limited about John but whatever !!

Laurens was described by Hamilton to have honey blonde hair when clean. His hair was generally said to be light brown/blonde. As seen on portraits, he had soft features, blue eyes, and a big nose. He was described to be very handsome, and IMO I agree!! We don't know exactly how tall he was, but he was most likely over 6 feet. One day before Laurens' 15th birthday, his father wrote to James Grant; ''my Little Jack, now as big as I am...'' (Jack being John's nickname). We don't know Henry Laurens' height, but if he was as tall as Henry at 15, he certainly grew to be taller. In 1778, Henry wrote to John ''A Taylor has cut off as much of your Scarlet as will make he says a Wascoat for 6 feet 3 inches...'' which suggests that John could have been 6'3. It's not clear what exactly Henry means in the letter but as said, John was probably over 6 feet. Laurens was one of the strongest abolitionists of the time despite coming from one of the bigger slave plantations and growing up where slavery was normal. John could speak English, French, Italian, Greek, Spanish and Latin. We know that he was fluent in English and French but we don't know about his fluency in the other languages.

Laurens got Martha Manning pregnant and ended up marrying her out of pity (supposedly to protect her reputation too and to keep illegitimacy of their child.) He wrote to his uncle ''...Pity has obliged me to marry...'', When Laurens left for war, he left his pregnant wife in another country. When John was chosen by congress to be a special minister to France and had him travel there, Martha traveled with their daughter to reconnect with him upon hearing about his arrival in France. But John supposedly made no effort whatsoever to visit them; he completed his mission and went back to America. Martha later died during the trip and their daughter, Frances, was sent to live with her aunt.

John Laurens is believed to have been gay... The man didn't seem to express any attraction towards women, though I think his sexist beliefs played a role in this, as well as his lack of effort to humble his wife. His letters to Alexander Hamilton, and Francis Kinloch also suggest he had an eye for men... ESPECIALLY Kinloch's and his correspondence.

Henry Laurens wrote ''Master Jack is too closely wedded to his studies to think about any of the Miss Nanny's''. But it's important to note that he was a teenager at that time and not every teen develops those feelings at the same time. But I would imagine that since he was as tall as his father at 15, he was early in puberty... Romantic/sexual feelings usually come with puberty, but what do we know? Anyways. John expressed a lot of sexist opinions, even towards his own sisters, which can be read in letters. Most men were sexist, but John seemed to be more ''strict'' on the subject... This definitely plays a part in his supposed ''homosexuality''.

John hid the fact that he had a wife and child from Hamilton for nearly two years. Why? The reason is unknown. It's only up to debate. My guess is that he just wanted to try to ''forget'' them in some way, seeing as he literally left them... Why would you bring up that you have a family that you abandoned? But maybe it was because he never found the right time to tell him, or was it to get a better chance with Hamilton? We will never know, sadly. But what we DO know, is that Laurens referred to his wife as ''dear girl'', and Hamilton, and supposedly ONLY Hamilton, as ''Dear boy''. We know for a fact that Hamilton was close to Laurens and was special to him, but why did he call his wife that? Out of pity? He didn't necessarily show any real attraction towards her... But whatever the reason is, it's kinda cute.

We know that Henry Laurens was emotionally manipulative of John, which is like read in letters... So there is no denying that, really. BUT John was close to his father, attachment issues tsk, tsk tsk... But jokes aside, when John told his father that he wasn't super interested in becoming a lawyer or merchant like his father wanted, Henry wrote this to his brother; ''if he enters upon the plan of Life which he Seemed to pant for when he wrote the 5th. July, I Shall give him up for lost & he will very Soon reproach himSelf for his want of Duty & affection towards me, for abandoning his Brothers & Sisters, for disregarding the Council of his Uncle, & for his deficiency of common understanding, in making Such a choice_ if these reflections prevail not over him, nothing will_ he must have his own way & I must be content with the remembrance, that I had a Son.'' Basically, Henry said he would disown John if he pursued his interests in medicine. So, John ended up becoming a lawyer/statesman to please his father. There are more examples of John trying to please his father, but let's not take that now... HOWEVER, after John had died, Henry wrote of him in response to John Adams' letter; ''Thank God I had a Son who dared to die in defence of his Country'' ... We get a lot of mixed signals from Henry... Though I do believe he loved him, at least somewhat.., even if he was controlling/manipulative. Henry wasn't too nice to his other children either, but since this is about John I'm not gonna talk about that.

John's brother James died at the age of 9-10 (1765-1775)

James, or Jemmy, was supposedly scaling the outside of their house and tried to jump to the landing outside of John’s window but fell. He received life threatening injuries and cracked his skull. The doctors had figured that the injuries were too severe to save him and John described it to his uncle four days later; "At some Intervals he had his senses, so far as to be able to answer single Questions, to beckon to me, and to form his Lips to kiss me, but for the most part he was delirious, and frequently unable to articulate. Puking, Convulsions never very violent, and latterly so gentle as scarcely to be perceived, or deserve the Name, ensued, and Nature yielded."

Since John was supposed to watch over James during this time, John felt guilty and as if it was his fault. James' death was very difficult for John, and it weighed heavily on him.

Henry did little to alleviate those feelings of guilt, which suggests that he either didn't care enough, or that a part of him also blamed John. (I am not saying he 100% did, but it would not be surprising if he so did, considering how he treated John.)

He could also have been in too much grief to console John... Which, as said, would not be too surprising considering his treatment of John. But nevertheless, he did not do much to help John and John's guilt.

TW: mentions of suicide.

It is highly speculated that John was suicidal. We have a couple of written exchanges where John discusses suicide with friends and family. In February 1774, John wrote to Henry Laurens about two men who had attempted suicide. We don't have the whole letter, but here is a part of Henry's response; ''...But, my Dear Son, I trust that your opinion on that Question is So firm, that you are armed with Such irrefragable proofs of the Impiety as well as Cowardice of Self Murther, as puts you out of danger of being made a Convert to Error...'' (Not gonna put all of it). Another time, when John was a prisoner of war and didn't handle imprisonment well, Hamilton wrote to John ''For your own sake, for my sake, for the public sake, I shall pray for the success of the attempt (of being exchanged) you mention; that you may have it in your power to act with us. But if you should be disappointed, bear it like a man; have recourse, neither to the dagger, nor to the poisoned bowl, nor to the rope.'' It is clear that Hamilton (and Henry, despite how he treated John) were worried about John's thoughts of suicide. John's last letter to Hamilton was probably one of the, if not the, most emotional. He wrote ''Adieu, my dear friend; while circumstances place so great distance between us, I entreat you not to withdraw the consolation of your letters. You know the unalterable sentiments of your affectionate Laurens.'' John died about a month later. On the day of his death, John and his men surprised a troop of British soldiers that outnumbered them. Instead of retreating, John chose to immediately attack. He did not really actively end his own life, though it seems as if it was planned or that he was trying. Which is just sad. Also, it's not sure that Hamilton's last letter to Laurens ever got to him before he died. (In that letter he tells John to quit his sword and come to congress with Hamilton)

I don't know what else to add actually but here you have it!! This is as accurate as I can get it, especially cause it's like mostly based on letters... Uhm. But yay!

[americanrevolutionxx]

📸 high_tide_ on TikTok

[uwmspeccoll]

Milestone Monday

A Brewed Rebellion

On this day, December 16, 1773, the Boston Tea Party took place, a significant event in American history. It was a political protest by the American colonists against British taxation without representation. The Tea Act of 1773 allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to the colonies. This undercutting of local merchants and enforcing a tax on tea was the catalyst for this protest.

On the night of the incident, a group of colonists, known as the Sons of Liberty, dressed as Mohawk Indians to conceal their identities and boarded three British ships anchored in Boston Harbor. They threw 342 chests of tea, worth around the equivalent of one million dollars today, overboard into the harbor.

Samuel Adams primarily led the Boston Tea Party, which was organized by John Hancock. However, the identities of many of the participants remain a mystery. Notably, Francis Akeley is the only individual known to have been arrested and imprisoned for his role in the event. 

The images come from:

Dorothy Q: Together with A Ballad of the Boston Tea Party & Grandmother's Story of Bunker Hill Battle by Oliver Wendell Holmes with illustrations by Howard Pyle, published in Boston by  Houghton, Mifflin and Company in 1893.

-View more of our Milestone Monday posts

-Melissa, Special Collections Graduate Intern

[new-american-revolution]

The Trump administration has declared war—on immigrants, on the LGBTQIA+ community, on women, on people of color, on the very Native Americans whose land we stand upon. He has insulted and provoked nations across the world, shown utter disdain for diplomacy, and made clear his intent to gut Alaska’s natural resources for profit. He promised to “make America great again,” but instead, he has spread terror among its people, turned us into the pariah of the world, and fashioned himself into a near-religious idol.

He has ignored cries for mercy. He has targeted the vulnerable, the innocent, and the marginalized. He has sown hatred, pitted neighbor against neighbor, and shifted blame onto those he deems lesser. Sound familiar?

Tyranny thrives on silence. It feeds on the fear of those who know injustice is happening but do nothing. I, for one, refuse to cower. I refuse to surrender my voice, my rights, or my country to the grip of authoritarian rule. I will stand with my siblings—of every gender, every race, every creed—who call this nation home. We will not be bullied into submission. We will not stand by as history repeats itself.

The average age of an empire is 250 years. America was founded in 1776, and the cracks are showing. The men who once fought to break free from tyranny left us with a declaration—a reminder, a warning, and a promise:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness… That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

These words were not meant to be relics of the past. They were meant to be a blueprint for action. The world has grown. Humanity has changed. Our understandings of what it means to be free has broadened.

We are not the first generation to witness the rise of oppression, but we have the power to be the generation that stops it. The time for complacency is over. The time for excuses is done. The time for a new Declaration of Independence—from fear, from corruption, from tyranny—is now. If America was ever truly the land of the free and the home of the brave, then let us prove it—not with empty words or blind patriotism, but with action, with defiance, with an unrelenting demand for justice. Stand with me. Stand with those who have been silenced, trampled, and cast aside. Stand against the forces that would see us divided, afraid, and obedient. The foundation of this country was laid by those who dared to believe in freedom—real freedom. I believe in freedom for all. That promise has been broken time and again, but we do not have to accept its ruin. We can fight for it. We must fight for it. And we will.

This is our rallying cry.

[falling-through-a-trapdoor]

Were you normal growing up or were you weirdly into Lafayette in Liberty’s Kids?

[on-partiality]

WHY ARE THERE LIKE NO SHOWS OR MOVIES ON THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION LIKE ALL WE GET IS TURN, 1776, HAMILTON AND LIBERTY'S KIDS???

[floofyquenchiest]

Washington from "We the People" dump:3

I luv hib

[schnitzel-f0ndue]

Lk! Henri and Lafayette! Silly pies!!

[hyperlatte]

This is what yeah. Cowboy say yes okay yes

[tricornonthecob]

"For these we strive"

-------------------------------

James joins the Philadelphia Light Horse AU. Inaccuracies abound I'm sure.