Main Street
July 4th: Unsung Heroes of the American Revolution
(upbeat music) Happy Fourth of July from Main Street. We hope you are enjoying the holiday. Today on the show, we bring you a special Fourth of July edition that contains music of the revolutionary period with compelling and entertaining stories that detail events and people not typically covered in history books. The program features quotes, poetry, and information that celebrates the many heroes who have often been ignored by historians. The show is titled "Unsung Heroes of the American Revolution." Here's Shelley M. Johnson. (upbeat music) (guitar music) This is a special to commemorate the Fourth of July. It's significance to the world and the roles unsung heroes like African and Native Americans, women, and abolitionists played during the Revolutionary War as they fought for freedom and liberty. I'm Shelley Johnson. (upbeat music) The Fourth of July is when we celebrate the birth of the United States. It's a time of celebration with parades, cookouts, and fireworks across the nation. July 4th marks the day that the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776. It was written by Thomas Jefferson and efficiently signed by the majority of the Continental Congress on August 2nd, 1776. It was a declaration of sovereignty from England as a separate country free from the governance of the crown. True sovereignty would not come for several years until the war officially ended and that required unity to win. At the time of the declaration, Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying, quote, "We must all hang together, or assuredly, "we shall all hang separately," unquote. The official declaration by the 13 colonies fueled the spirit of independence and the pursuit of liberty. Although not everyone agreed, the momentum and firestorm it sparked were not to be stopped. Even Thomas Jefferson recognized the extraordinary significance of the declaration in a letter he wrote to John Adams where he said, quote, "The flames kindled on the 4th of July, 1776, "have spread over too much of the globe "to be extinguished by the feeble engines of despotism. "On the contrary, they will consume these engines "and all who work them," unquote. In short, the British and their empirical rule were despots who colonists considered a blight on their freedom. Their declaration gave other countries around the world hope and is said to have inspired the French Revolution and other changes. The Revolutionary War has been described by many historians as the fight against British tyranny and oppression. Insided by many British atrocities, including unfair taxation in the New World, colonists led a fierce battle for independence, liberty, and freedom. Despite the overriding theme, not all people were granted freedom. That may have been the prevailing sentiment, but that pinnacle was not a plateau to be granted to all. Slavery was still an abominable practice that was legal in all 13 colonies, enslaving native and African Americans alike, but not all African Americans were slaves. Some were granted their freedom before the war, and they joined the ranks of abolitionists who were beginning to be a very vocal force in the colonies. Many people were instrumental in forming the United States and the colonies winning their independence from England. Some we've read about in the history books and many we haven't. I wanna focus on stories of unsung heroes you may not have heard about, and their contributions to America's liberation, including African Americans, Native Americans, and women, and the vital roles they played not only for liberty from England, but the eventual abolition of slavery. First, I wanna frame some of the events that occurred. The American Revolution that gave birth to our nation lasted eight years. The war created a nation like no other, but was not without hard fought battles and discontent on both sides. The actual war began in April 1775, when British troops and colonial militiaments skirmished in the battles of Lexington and Concord, in what's now been called the shot that was heard around the world. An all-out war was in full force by the next summer. What sparked the discontent? Colonists felt alienated, overtaxed, and underrepresented by the crown. They felt Britain was tyrannical in its rule of the new world. They wanted representation where they lived. A major catalyst was the proclamation of 1753, which restricted the expansion of the colonies. Over taxation also found many of the flames of discontent. In an attempt to counter massive debt incurred during foreign wars, Great Britain had enacted unpopular taxes, like the Tea Act, the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and the Townshend Acts. The Glancing Blow was the Tax Stamp Act. The colonies screamed taxation without representation. It caused major discord. Patrick Henry, famous for the phrase, "Give me liberty or give me death." Was extremely outspoken about the Stamp Act. It taxed all printed paper and required that all paper come from London. He was an opinionated attorney and patriot who continued his quest well after America had won its independence. So committed was Patrick to liberty and state and individual rights. He fought for the addition of the first 10 amendments in the U.S. Constitution, called the Bill of Rights. Patrick was not the only colonist to express his angst and rise up in protest. We've certainly all heard about the mayhem colonists caused with the Boston Tea Party when they dumped tea overboard in Boston Harbor. These events were just a precursor to a full-out rebellion as rebels rose in numbers. As the frustration grew against Britain, colonists began to compose songs to air their objections and their resolve to overcome England's harsh rule. Small concerts were held with original compositions that resonated with the disgruntled settlers. Music had to speak to the common people. Music that mirrored the colonists' frustration with the ruling empire prevailed. They mocked the English leaders and their lack of representation in parliament. A taxing we will go was one of these tunes. ♪ One single thing untaxed ♪ ♪ For more England could not show ♪ ♪ For money we have brought it wrong ♪ ♪ A hand thought to tax the new ♪ ♪ And the taxing we will go will go ♪ ♪ Will go and the taxing we will go ♪ ♪ The power supreme of Parliament ♪ ♪ Our purpose did assist ♪ ♪ And the taxing laws abroad were sent ♪ ♪ Which the rebels do resist ♪ ♪ And the taxing we will go, we'll go, we'll go ♪ ♪ And the taxing we will go ♪ ♪ Shall we not make the rascals ♪ ♪ Men who grit and supreme power ♪ ♪ The sword shall we not to them turn ♪ ♪ The hunt, blood, and bulls are sure ♪ ♪ And the taxing we will go, we'll go, we'll go ♪ ♪ And the taxing we will go ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ We'll force and fraud in one unite ♪ ♪ To bring them to our hands ♪ ♪ Then lay a tax on the sun's light ♪ ♪ And a king starts on their lands ♪ ♪ And the taxing we will go, we'll go, we'll go ♪ ♪ And the taxing we will go, we'll go, we'll go, we'll go ♪ ♪ And the taxing we will go ♪ (upbeat music) (upbeat music) Music not only assuaged weary colonists, but provided an important role in both the British and rebel armies with the use of the drums and the fife. Fife and drum cores were commonplace. George Washington gave them utmost importance for troop communication and regimentation. Fife and drum signals gave essential directives that troops could hear over a raging battle. Signals off the drum could be a call for medical help if a soldier was wounded. The patriots were not the majority at the beginning of the war, but they certainly were the most vocal and steadfast in their quest. Those who fought for freedom from Britain were called many things, sometimes undesirable. The more polite descriptions included patriots, revolutionaries, colonials, Yankees, wigs, or continentals. Those who fought for the crown were royalists, loyalists, Tories, kingsmen, or redcoats. The patriots' cause was a grassroots effort that eventually garnered support worldwide as others resonated with the goal of rejecting oppressive empirical rule. That support was essential because the rebels were outgunned and outmanned by the British. The patriots won by strategy, guerrilla warfare, espionage, and sheer skill. Patriots did not play by the rules. They jumped out from behind trees to take on their foe. They didn't even have enough uniforms. They may have been a ragtag army, but they were fiercely confident and highly skilled marksmen. They also had a very astute commander in George Washington. They knew how to outsmart their foe. They were innovative. Patriots faced more dramatic supply shortfalls than the British did, but they knew how to forage and live off the land. Their time as pioneers had made the resourceful. It also helped that they were passionate and had devoted allies. - Some historians have referred to the Revolutionary War as a civil war on a global scale. Other nations got involved. France took the side of the colonists in 1778. Their help was invaluable and played a key role that forced the British surrender to the Continental Army at Yorktown in 1781. Spain and the United Netherlands also came to the aid of the Patriots. 1781 is the date for the Patriots won their independence, but formal recognition was not given until 1783 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. It took a total of 165 principal engagements throughout the war for the rebels to win their independence from England. That was even challenged years later by the British with the War of 1812. The majority of the Revolutionary battles took place in what is now Tennessee, Arkansas, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Alabama, and Florida. There were 16 major battles that included more famous ones like the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the Battle of Bunker Hill, Battle of Saratoga, the Siege of Charleston, the Battle of Kaupens, and the Battle of Yorktown. The largest engagement was the Battle of Long Island involving 40,000 soldiers. It had the most casualties for the Patriots with 2,200 men struck down compared to 350 for the British and Hessians who had joined forces to help the loyalists. Conflicts went beyond the homeland, too. In 1775, the Continental Navy prevailed by capturing new Providence Island in the Bahamas. Naval battles were also fought in the British Isles and in India. In spite of the many casualties Patriot forces took, colonists strengthened their resolve and spirits by composing more songs of the day that portrayed the British as foolish buffoons who should lay down their arms and just go home. By my face, but I think you're all makers of bulls with your brains and your brooches, your guts and your skulls get home with your muskets and put up your swords. Look in your books for the meaning of words. You see, La Mihan is how much a mistake and foreconquered by discord can never be beaten. How brave you went out with your muskets, all bright and thought to be frightened, the folks with the fight, but when you got there, how they powdered your pums, all the way home, how they peppered your pums. And isn't it, hon, is of comical cheer to be proud in the face and be shot in the rear? And what have you got now with all your designing but a town without vittles to sit down and dine in and look on the ground like a parcel of noodles and sing? How the Yankees have beaten the doodles? I'm sure if you're wise, you'll make peace or a dinner for fighting and fasting will soon make you thinner. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) It took many people to win the war against England. Historical records show that both African and Native Americans fought in the Revolutionary War and many slaves fought on the side of England with the promise of emancipation. In the beginning of the Patriot fight, slaves of the time were heavily in pursuit of their own liberty. Understandably, they were enticed by whichever side could help them achieve this. Over 9,000 African Americans fought on the side of the Patriots. 5,000 were combat troops. Nearly 20,000 favored the crown due to their promise of emancipation if they served. Britain encouraged slaves to fight. They lured their recruits with the promise of freedom from slavery. It was a strategic maneuver designed to weaken the rebels. The hope was that to arm slaves with weapons would create an insurrection and bring the colonial economy to a grinding halt as it deprived southern states of needed workers. A proclamation was issued by Lord Dunmore, royal governor of Virginia, that stated any slave who escaped from his master and joined the British army would earn his freedom. That strategy worked. The army soon grew to 800 soldiers. Dunmore's Ethiopian regiment fought several battles before disbanding after being decimated by smallpox. The word spread among the plantations. Slaves continued to seek their freedom amid the chaos of the colonial rebellion. Women and children slipped away along with military-aged males. Slave owners had a difficult time recapturing them. Slaves in Maryland and Virginia were especially skillful and evading capture from their masters in the title regions of the Chesapeake Bay because they knew the terrain. The British continued to assemble new recruits with slaves who had evaded their honors. In addition to the Dunmore proclamation, a huge peak in enlistment occurred following the Phillipsburg proclamation that was issued by Sir Henry Clinton. These proclamations motivated many slaves to flee their masters. Nearly 100,000 of them fled for a promise of freedom. The scurples of the British and their tactics were often nefarious and inhumane just to win the war. African-Americans were caught up in their snare. There was a turning point in 1781 that trapped the British Army at Yorktown, Virginia. Many enslaved people there had contracted smallpox. In a last-ditch strategy to weaken the rebels, British General Charles Cornwallis ordered all of the infected people to return to their plantations. He hoped an ensuing epidemic would decimate the healthy population of the South. The plan failed. The British lost the battle at Yorktown that October. It was a striking blow that virtually ended the British Army's attempt to quell their rebels' fight for American independence. A ceasefire eventually ensued and peace talks began. Despite the rumors of the dubious intent of the British, they did hold true to their promise to free the slaves. The British did honor their promise of emancipation for the escaped slaves who had sided with loyalists. As the peace treaty was being drawn up and eventually signed in 1783, royal officers refused to return the former slaves despite much pressure by farmers and slave owners who wanted their property back. The British said they would not recognize any slave as property who sided with the British prior to the ceasefire in 1782. The former slaves were granted their freedom amidst massive anger from the colonial rebels. A total of 50,000 former slaves who crossed over to the British side left North America in 1783 with the British Army. That was a major bone of intention to the rebels who had won the war. In addition to the ravages of war, the South was hard hit by a depleted workforce and filled with anti-British sentiment after losing a large portion of their enslaved workforce. Many of the 50,000 who left with the British settled in the Caribbean and Nova Scotia. Others settled in Great Britain and West Africa. Black soldiers who served in the Continental Army and states militias participated in every major battle from the beginning of the war to the end. They served in militias and minute companies. They were spies, minute men, soldiers, seamen, ship pilots, commissary workers, servants, and laborers. What many may not know is the vast majority of the militias and the Continental Army were integrated and included whites as well as African and Native Americans. It was reported that they received the same pay, clothing, provisions, and equipment as their white comrades. Over 230,000 soldiers served on the side of the Patriots. Colonial militias comprised 145,000 men. More than 12,000 soldiers were provided by France. Of the 9,000 black soldiers who served in the quest for freedom, many served for four and a half years. That was much longer than the average for white soldiers. African Americans made a valuable contribution to the cause. Even though their numbers were a small percentage to the total troops, their man-hours were one quarter of the total effort in the supportive roles they played for the Patriots. The stories of African Americans who fought for the rebels are numerous and laudable. Some have been called martyrs for the Patriots side. The first hero of the American Revolution was an African American named Christmas Addicts. He became a symbol of black American patriotism at a martyr. Christmas was a runaway slave, sailor, and rope maker. He was gunned down in 1770 by British troops outside of Customs House in Boston after he joined a protest against British occupation of the city. British troops had been dispatched to Boston to enforce highly unpopular taxes. The British Parliament had passed on to the colonies without any colonial input. As the protest grew more contentious, British soldiers shot Christmas as he shouted, "Kill 'em, kill 'em, knock 'em over." While the mob of colonial protesters pummeled British soldiers with ice, shells, and coal, Christmas took two fatal musket balls to the chest. He was the first in five casualties of the Revolutionary War, who had died that fateful day in what is now known as the Boston Massacre. Christmas was immortalized as the first martyr of the American Revolution. Not all African American slaves were lured to fight alongside the British. They joined forces with the Patriots in hopes that they too would be granted freedom for their dedicated service. One former slave joined forces with the rebels and the Cottal army in the hopes that liberty would also be bestowed on slaves. His name was Windsor Fry. Windsor marched into Boston with the Rhode Island army of observation. He was barely 20 when he enlisted at the beginning of the war. The service kept him from being willed to his slave on his youngest son to continue a life of servitude. Windsor won his freedom after serving in the Patriot Forces. He fought valiantly until the war ends. Despite the fact that the rebels did not offer the same guarantee of freedom from slavery as the British, the Continental army did have a few regiments that allowed enslaved black men freedom once they'd served their country on the side of the rebels. Colonel Christopher Green led one of these regiments. Colonel Christopher Green led an integrated regiment in the Continental army that died on the battlefield. The regiment was formed in February of 1778 after a law passed by the Rhode Island Assembly. It was said every able-bodied Negro mulatto or Indian man's slave in this state could enlist. The Assembly's proclamation promised every slave so enlisting shell upon his passing, muster before Colonel Christopher Green, be immediately discharged from the service of his master or mistress and be absolutely free as though he had never been encumbered with any kind of servitude of slavery. This promise led many slaves to join forces with the rebels as one of the only paths to liberty and freedom. Unfortunately, the window of opportunity to freedom slammed shut quickly. The Rhode Island Assembly rescinded their decision after pressure from slave owners and deleted this clause only four months after passing it. Native Americans also played a key role in the Revolutionary War. They supported both the British and Patriot armies as soldiers, scouts, and diplomats. Their service was essential to the Patriots and winning the war for independence. Their involvement was fraught with discontent and uncertainty as each nation decided which side was the best to preserve their lands and independence. The first Native Americans joined forces with the rebels as the militia laid siege to Boston in 1775. The Revolutionary War could not have been won without the help of Native Americans. Both the loyalists and the Patriots knew the value Native allies had. They were fierce warriors who had proven their resilience and strength during the French and Indian War. George Washington actively sought their alliance. The British tried to curry favor after seeing how skilled they had been at launching colonial raids on the frontiers and working as scouts for European armies. There were over 250,000 Native Americans who lived east of the Mississippi at the beginning of the war and the ensuing conflict stirred intertribal unrest. Alliances were divided as well as agreement on what level of participation tribes would play in the conflict. The first of the Native American communities who took the side of the Patriots did so at Stockbridge, Massachusetts. 17 men joined an army of militia men as a laid siege to Boston in 1775. Native Americans also joined the British to defeat the Patriot invasion of Canada between 1775 and 1776. The divided loyalties split many Native American communities in half. The Cherokee Nation had one group that sided with the Patriots and another, the British. The Iroquois Confederacy, which comprised six Native American nations in New York, had the same kind of division. The Oneida and Tuscarora were unified in siding with the Americans, but the Mohawk fought on the side of the British. The Revolutionary War came at a great cost to Native Americans, disrupting hundreds of years of peace between those six nations as they went to war with each other, once again. Native American involvement in the war came at a significant cost to autonomy and territory. It led to the breakup of the Iroquois Confederacy, along with huge losses of land and their independence after the war. Native Americans had no representation in the Second Continental Congress. They were not allowed to attend negotiations that would have offered protection for their lands from the encroaching colonial settlements and control. Congressman at the time claimed the war did not concern Native people. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Mohawk leader Joseph Brant rose to the challenge to protect Native American interests. He formed the Western Confederacy to stop colonial intrusion. That effort was soundly defeated in the Northwest Indian War, leading to more land confiscation under the Treaty of Greenville in 1795. Women from all walks of life played an important role in winning the war against the British as well. We've all heard of Betsy Ross, who was hired by George Washington to make the first official US flag for the 13 Colonies. Although she's immortalized in the history books, some say the story of Betsy's not entirely true and more apocryphal. Nevertheless, there were many women who played key roles in the War of Independence. Some even fought on the battlefields undetected as women. The first woman on record to impersonate a man and fight on the battlefield was 23-year-old Deborah Sampson. She enlisted as Robert Shirtluff. Other women were spies and camp followers. Many accompanied their husbands. Molly Pitcher carried water to the soldiers. She took up arms and fought on her husband's place as an artilleryman when he died in the Battle of Monmouth. Some were nurses who assisted wounded on the battlefields. Their involvement is said to have spurred the beginning of an organized nursing system for the military after a plan was created to allocate one nurse for every 10 patients in 1775. There's also Esther de Burt Reed. She was a Brit who was disillusioned by her homeland. She formed the Ladies of Philadelphia and worked to raise $300,000 for the troops by collecting donations door-to-door. Did you also know that there was a female Paul Revere? The midnight ride of Paul Revere is something immortalized by poetry as he reportedly made his trek to Concord 20 miles northwest of Boston and later into Charlestown to warn of the approaching British forces. He's been said to have made history by yelling the British are coming prior to the battles of Lexington and Concord. There was someone else who also did a midnight ride. It's said that civil Luttington, who was a teenager, actually wrote twice as far as Revere later in the war in 1777 through what became New York to alert Patriot troops and militia to take up arms in the Battle of Ridgefield in Connecticut and the Battle of Danbury. Simple may have had it tougher than Paul as well. Her route was treacherous and not without perils. She traversed terrible roads in areas filled with outlaws. She rode through periods of torrential rain for 40 miles. Simple has largely been ignored by history. Her story was published by her grandchildren in 1907. Today she's memorialized with a stamp as well as a board game and she also has a statue that was erected by the daughters of the American Revolution in Carmel, New York, which stands along her 40 mile route. War often has some unlikely bedfellows. The Revolutionary War was no exception. Socialites also joined the fray and were an unexpected group who had rebel supporters. A great many of these elite ladies also were loyalists. It was easy for them to go undetected and play the role of spy to undermine the uprising of the detested rebels. Margaret Peggy Schippen was one of them. She changed the face of history. Margaret Peggy Schippen was born in 1760 to an affluent family in Philadelphia. Surrounded by politics at an early age, she learned a lot and developed her own set of opinions. She was a fierce loyalist. After the war began, she went about life as usual, attending parties and balls hosted by British officers. She was highly effective at wooing many a man and eventually captured the attention of Major John Andre, who was a prominent spy for General Clinton in the British Army. The relationship became one that would eventually lead to a charge of treason by the new patriot government. After Andre left Philadelphia with the military, Peggy saw an opportunity to fulfill her loyalist convictions. She went on to lure a high ranking officer on the other side of the aisle. His name was Benedict Arnold, a key figure in the war against the British and a major general in George Washington's army before he defected to the side of the crown. The two married in 1779. Just a month into the marriage, General Arnold began to conspire against the patriots through the help of his loyalist wife, who was still friends with Andre. This friendship enabled him to pass information to the British in coded letters as Peggy corresponded with Andre. Some say this treacherous correspondence was instigated by Peggy, who is said to have sent military secrets to the British long before her wedding. The trio continued their coded letters for a year until the Culper spy ring uncovered a message that an American general had switched sides and was plotting to help the British take over West Point. Arnold and Peggy moved into West Point with their newborn not knowing their plot had been discovered. After Arnold's treachery was reported, an inquisition commenced. General Arnold fled and left Peggy behind to stall Alexander Hamilton's inquisition. She skillfully captured the sympathy of Hamilton after he discovered her screaming and, quote, frantic with distress, unquote, nearly convulsing with hysteria. She tussled her hair and was found to be in such a shocking state of undress that was inappropriate to be seen by gentlemen of the family, much less many strangers. Put off by her emotional instability, Hamilton became convinced she had no idea what her husband had done. Peggy's unstable behavior created such a distraction and delay it gave her husband time to flee to the British. Author Nancy Rubin Stewart described Peggy's antics and deception as the grandest theatrical performance of her life. Even George Washington thought she was an innocent victim and allowed her to return to her family in Philadelphia with her infant son. Peggy sailed to England the following year, far away from justice. A letter was eventually discovered and it connected Arnold's wife to the plot to commandeer West Point. Peggy was safely on the other side of the Atlantic by that time and spared a conviction. Peggy's remembered by the Patriots as a treacherous beauty who escaped justice. Her memorial plaque in Greater London respectfully calls her a devoted wife and mother. I can't help but ponder how history books would read if Benedict Arnold had never met this treasonous vixen and if he hadn't had massive debt to be tempted to betray the Patriots, his legacy would have been far more respectable. Abigail Adams was another socialite who was a staunch patriot and advocate for women. She was married to John Adams, who became the second president of the United States. He led the American Revolution and served as senior diplomat in Europe. He was America's first vice president. Abigail held much sway with John. She said to have reminded him while he was in Philadelphia that the new government should remember the ladies or they would also start a revolution of their own. Abigail was also a playwright and prolific author and openly expressed her political viewpoints. American Patriots took many forms from many levels of society. The rough life of the colonial settler made many people tough and determined. It required great moxie and ingenuity to survive the rigors of pioneer life. Pioneer women were strong and made great allies for the Patriots in their fight to win the war. Patriot women were fiercely loyal to the cause and not afraid to show it. Nancy Hart is one who was praised for her bravery. She was a frontier spy and a redhead known for her keen ability to outsmart British or Tory soldiers in the Northeast Georgia backcountry. She was not afraid to take up arms when it was necessary. One account of her bravery occurred after six British soldiers stopped by the heart capen looking for a wig leader. Although the man they wanted had stopped by, Nancy denied he'd been there. The Tories did not believe her and for punishment shot her prized gobbler and insisted she cook it. They entered her cabin, stacking their weapons against the wall and demanded she serve them a drink. Hart did so politely, but not without taking her daughter aside to go for help. The daughter was sent out to fetch a bucket of water and secretly blow a conch shell to alert neighbors the Tories were there. While the men overindulged themselves in drink and a robust turkey dinner, the daughter snuck out of the cabin. Nancy began gathering their muskets and passing them to her daughter through a hole in the cabin's wall. The soldiers realized what was happening when it was too late. Nancy staved off their attempts to gather the remaining guns. Weapon in hand, she gave warning that no one approached her. One man failed to heed, and... She shot him dead. No one argued after that. Nancy held the rest of the men hostage until her husband arrived. When he insisted the Tories be shot, she convinced him a hanging was far more appropriate. Peggy Schippen was a notorious loyalist spy who worked to defeat the rebels, but the British were not the only ones who engaged the work of spooks. Spies have been instrumental in gathering intelligence since the beginning of time, and George Washington would not have won the Revolutionary War without them. He engaged and maintained a highly sophisticated spy network. The Central Intelligence Agency of Today reports that Washington used more intelligence officers than any other American general in chief until General Dwight D. Eisenhower during the Second World War. Washington's network even used ingenious spy tactics like writing letters and invisible ink. African Americans were spies for the rebels, and both men and women were part of the network. One woman was known only as Agent 355. Her actual existence is debated by many, but her story is intriguing. Agent 355 was a woman who acted as a key member of the Manhattan Long Island Intelligence Network for General George Washington. This alliance was later called the Culper Spiring. Agent 355 played one of the most important roles in the group. It has been reported that this female agent was named Anna Strong, who lived in Sotocket on the Long Island coast. Her work was invaluable. She relayed signals to couriers who smuggled intelligence through the Long Island sound onto Talmadge in Connecticut. Agent 355 was very clever in her espionage. She went undetected with her messaging by hanging her laundry on a clothesline. She did this in clear view of British soldiers and ships that traversed the sound. Her laundry carried special meanings. A black petticoat signaled a message was ready for the courier. The number of handkerchiefs she hung out to dry signaled the spot where the message should be picked up. Strong's messages were monitored by another member of the spy ring named Caleb Brewster. He commanded whale boats in Long Island Sound. Anna's signals told him when the coast was clear and where to find the message. The Culper spy ring was a very important network that provided key intelligence during the war. They uncovered a British plot to sink the continental economy with counterfeit currency. They revealed a plan to ambush the French fleet just as it was arriving in Rhode Island to assist the Patriots. This group also exposed America's most famous Patriot trader, Benedict Arnold, who plotted to surrender an American garrison at West Point to the British for 20,000 pounds with the aid of British spy major John Andre, who corresponded with Arnold's treacherous wife, Peggy. African-Americans were the perfect group to spy for both sides of the revolutionary conflict. They were with an earshot of many a political and tactical discussion as they served officers in the political elite. They shared what they heard. Many of their stories have gone largely undocumented, but there are some that were immortalized. One man in particular provided key information that facilitated a Patriot raid in New England. Quarkoo Honeyman is considered the first African-American spy of the American Revolution. It was enslaved by a loyalist named James Honeyman. Quarkoo was a keen and crafty observer as British officers came to visit his master's home. In one particular instance, Quarkoo was able to gather information regarding the whereabouts of British general Richard Prescott. This information was accurate. Patriot forces successfully launched a raid and captured the general shortly after in 1777. Quarkoo's loyalty to the rebels was recognized by the Rhode Island General Assembly in 1782 when they stated the information he gave rendered great and essential service to the state and the public in general. In recognition of his service to the Patriot cause, especially in light of his master's loyalist stance, Quarkoo was designated a free man. Quarkoo's quest for emancipation was a much quicker and easier process than most experienced. Some had to go to great lengths to break free in spite of their patriotic contributions. James Armistead Lafayette is reported to be the most famous black spy of the American Revolution. French General Marquis de Lafayette recruited James to spy for the Patriots in the summer of 1781. James skillfully infiltrated General Charles Cornwallis' camp at Yorktown where he was able to gather key information by posing as a runaway slave who sought freedom with a British army. He was able to gain Cornwallis' trust. This gave him accents to private papers that revealed information about troop size and the health and morale of the soldiers. He conveyed what he discovered to Lafayette. This information enabled the successful defeat of Cornwallis at the siege of Yorktown in October of 1781. James was lauded for his service, but still did not win his freedom. He had to petition the Virginia Assembly many times to earn that right. Once he discovered James' difficulty, Marquis de Lafayette took umbrage at the Assembly's disregard and wrote an affidavit attesting to James' patriotic service. This declaration of loyalty was what was needed. James finally earned his freedom. As soon as he became a free man, James assumed the surname Lafayette in honor of the Marquis. The Battle of Yorktown was a key victory. Upon hearing the General Lord Cornwallis had surrendered to General George Washington, British Prime Minister Lord Frederick North He's reported as saying, "Oh God, it's all over." North reportedly told his associates that he took the news as, quote, "He would have taken a ball in his breast," unquote. The colonies felt much differently and rejoicing they did with their drums and their muskets by their side. [MUSIC PLAYING] Yankee Doodle is a familiar song. It originally had lyrics by the British as a way to mock the monthly makeshift rebel army. George Washington's troops took the debasing comments and stride and instead turned the song into one of pride and defiance. That's now how we know the song is its song today. It was one of patriotism and part of a genre called colonial music. The fight of abolitionists was alive and well during the Revolutionary War. The abolitionist movement in the United States harkens back to early colonial America when a group of German Quakers issued the 1688 Germantown Quaker petition against slavery. This was the beginning of the American abolitionist movement. Evangelical colonists were the biggest opponents to slavery and the slave trade prior to the war. James Oglethorpe, the founder of the colony of Georgia, pushed to ban slavery with the 1735 Georgia Experiment Act. That act was partly done to stop a Spanish partnership with Georgia's runaway slaves. That act was revoked in 1750 after the Spanish defeat in the Battle of Bloody Marsh in 1742. What many people may not know is during the American Revolution, the majority of states abolished the international slave trade, the only dissenting state was South Carolina. Northern states made laws and provisions to work for the gradual or immediate abolition of slavery between the war and 1804. No southern state adopted those policies. In 1807, Congress banned the importation of slaves by making it a crime effective January 1808. The first articles promoting the emancipation of slaves and abolition of slavery were written by Thomas Payne in March 8, 1775, in articles called African Slavery in America. Those were published in the Pennsylvania Journal and Weekly Advertiser. The first abolition society was formed in April 1775 in Philadelphia. It was called the Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage. The group disbanded during the war and reorganized in 1784. Benjamin Franklin was its first president. The first abolition laws in the United States were adopted in 1780 in the Massachusetts Constitution, declaring all men to have rights. It made slavery unenforceable. Abolitionists were very vocal during the war. They included those who were considered the ruling class and those who were enslaved. Elizabeth Frieden, also called Mom bed, was not about to wait for the Patriots fight to end with England to guarantee her emancipation. So inspired by a newly ratified constitution in Massachusetts, she petitioned for her freedom in court two years before the Patriots won the war against the British. She filed suit in Massachusetts in Ramen bed versus Ashley. She won her case becoming the first black woman to successfully sue for Frieden. Her landmark case ended slavery in Massachusetts, the first state to do so. Many became galvanized in the quest to end slavery. It sparked the beginning of the fight that eventually led to the Emancipation Proclamation by President Lincoln during the Civil War. The new sentiment and consideration of life and liberty in the 18th century emboldened many an African-American and others alike. Phyllis Wheatley was a staunch abolitionist and revered poet. She's considered one of the first prominent voices against slavery. She was the first African-American woman to be globally recognized for her poetry. Two of her admirers included President George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. It's reported Phyllis was born in Gambia. At just seven or eight, she was kidnapped. She was sold into slavery to John and Susanna Wheatley of Boston. The Wheatley's taught Phyllis to read and write and create poetry. By 14, Phyllis has published her first poem. It was called "On Massers, Hussey and Coffin." She became internationally famous in 1770 when she wrote an Elegy for revivalist Baptist Minister George Whitefield. Her Elegy was so eloquent, she caught the entire world's attention. Still, there were those who doubted that an enslaved woman could possibly produce such profound works. With the help of some champions, including Susanna Wheatley's English friends, Phyllis published her first poetry anthology in 1773 in London called poems on various subjects, religious, and moral. Phyllis attacked slavery in one memorable poem she wrote with these questions. "Wonder from whence my love of freedom sprung. "Wince flow these wishes for the common good, "by feeling hearts alone best understood. "I, young in life, by seeming cruel fate, "was snatched from Africa's fancied, happy seat. "Such, such my case. "And can I then but pray? "Others may never feel tyrannic sway." The end of slavery was a lifelong goal for Phyllis. So was her desire that fellow slaves be given their proper rights. After the Wheatley family granted her freedom one month after she returned from England, she continued her mission to help other slaves. She corresponded with other very prominent abolitionists. During the war, Phyllis wrote a poem for George Washington in the hopes he would apply the revolution's principles of equality and liberty to people who were enslaved. One century scarce performed its destined round when Gaelic powers, Columbia's fury found. And so may you, whoever dares disgrace. The land of freedoms, heaven defended race. In her writings, Phyllis continued to remind patriots of the conflicting ideology of freedom and the evils of slavery that defied it. She wrote about the Revolutionary War and how slavery conflicted with its intended purpose in this poem. With own own hand, conduct them and defend and bring the dreadful contest to an end. Forever grateful, let them live to thee and keep them ever virtuous, brave and free. But how presumptuous shall we hope to find divine acceptance with the Almighty mind? While yet, O deed ungenerous, they disgrace and hold in bondage Africa's blameless race. Let virtue reign and those accord our prayers. Be victory ours and generous freedom theirs. Phyllis' influential writing made a significant impact on the 18th century. Her work to abolish slavery and create a world where everyone enjoyed liberty and freedom without scorn was monumental. Her poems always had undertones and inferences about slavery and its injustice. She rebuked those who treated African Americans with disdain. (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) Although far from perfect, it offered the best hope in the world's history that honored the individual. That had never happened before. The Revolutionary War in the country it gave birth to represented a radical change in governance that's been admired the world over. The United States that started with the 13 colonies was a complete departure of how countries were ruled. It was innovation at its best. Revolutionary is a term befitting the design of a new republic which developed a constitution that had never been created before. In short, the U.S. Constitution with its Bill of Rights is as revolutionary as the war that achieved it. It's said to be one of the most radical things to happen since the Magna Carta. It was designed as a charter and as a living document meant to enshrine the guarantees of freedom and ensure that no one within the new sovereign republic would fall victim to a tyrannical government with checks and balances in place to make sure the government was accountable to its people and would protect those rights for posterity. The whole concept that individuals were endowed with unalienable rights granted by their creator, not the state, was unheard of. When you add in the concept that people granted rights to the government, not the other way around, it was the first time that people could be free to dictate how they were ruled. They finally had a voice to ensure their rights were always preserved. It was the work of many brilliant minds who had a great deal of foresight, many of whom were barely in their thirties. It's important we remember the meaning of the Fourth of July and the overriding theme of freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This should be afforded to every citizen in our country. Never forget the sacrifices of the people who established our republic and fought for the freedom we now enjoy. Freedom, liberty, and equality should be our mantra, always. I would like to thank my narrators, Ron Samuels, Linda O'Brien, and Bob Looney for their wonderful contributions to this program. Ron Samuels can be reached at RonSamuels.com. Also, I want to thank Anne and Ridley Enslow for their performances of a taxing "We Will Go" and the Irishman's epistle to the officers and troops at Boston. Their music could be found at EnslowMusic.com or on Amazon. I also want to extend a huge thank you for the wonderful finale called "A Soldier's Journey" composed and performed by Joe Rosam. His music could be found on sites like Spotify, Amazon, CD Baby, and YouTube. You can visit his website at jorosam.com. I'm Shelley Johnson. If you want to hear more of my work, I'm the creator and producer of a women's empowerment talk show called "Women Road Warriors" that I co-host with Kathy Takaro. We feature experts in celebrities on a variety of topics to power women on their road to success. You can hear us anywhere you listen to podcasts, including Apple and Spotify. You can also learn more about us at womenroadwarriors.com. I hope you've enjoyed this 4th of July program. Thank you for listening. And that's a wrap for today's Main Street on this 4th of July. Thank you so much for joining us and we hope you continue to enjoy your holiday. Tomorrow, in this time slot, it's the middle with host Jeremy Hopson. He asks, "What were your thoughts on the presidential debate?" And at 7 p.m., of course, it's Ira Flato and Science Friday. Main Street, we'll be back with you on Monday. Monday.