This Month in American Revolution: Tea Act, Ethan Allen, Some Intolrable Acts and Barren Hill and Waxhaws

From the American Battlefield Trust.

MAY 10, 1773

**  Tea Act:  An attempt by Parliament to undercut smugglers by reducing the price of tea to the colonies.

MAY 10, 1775

**  Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys seize Fort Ticonderoga, Second Continental Congress meets.

MAY 20, 1774

**  Administration of Justice Act and Massachusetts Government Act, two of the so-called Intolerable Acts, further anger colonists.

MAY 20, 1778

**  Battle of Barren Hill, Pennsylvania.

MAY 29, 1780

**  Battle of Waxhaws, South Carolina.

--Cooter

Saving America's Battlefields: Battle of Brandywine

From the American Battlefield Trust September 2022 calendar.

BRANDYWINE, PENNSYLVANIA

187 acres saved.

Fought on September 11, 1777, the Battle of Brandywine pitted the Americans, led by George Washington and rising stars Nathaniel Greene and Marquis de Lafayette, against British forces under William Howe and Wilhem von Kynpausen.

A pivotal British victory, Brandywine cleared the way for the Redcoats to capture and occupy Philadelphia, forcing the Continental Congress to flee.

The Trust and its many partners have saved 187 acres of the Brandywine Battlefield, which is  located about 32 miles southwest of Philadelphia near Chadd's Ford, Pennsylvania.

--Cooter

May Events in the American Revolution: Ethan Allen, Tea Act, Charleston Captured and Battle of Waxhaws

MAY 10, 1775

**  Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys seize Fort Ticonderoga.  Also, the Second Continental Congress meets

MAY  10, 1773

**  Tea Act--  An attempt by Parliament to undercut smugglers by reducing the price of tea to the colonies.

MAY 12, 1780

**  British capture of Charleston, South Carolina.

MAY 15, 1781

**  Battle of Fort Granby, South Carolina.

MAY  20, 1778

**  Battle of Barren Hill, Pennsylvania.

MAY  28, 1754

**  The French and Indian War begins.

MAY 29, 1780

**  Battle of Waxhaws, South Carolina

--Cooter

Happy 245th Birthday USMC

Today marks the 245th anniversary of one of the world's greatest fighting forces, the United States Marine Corps.

Today's Corps traces its roots back to the Continental Marines of the American Revolution.  It was formed by Captain Samuel Nicholas by resolution of the Second Continental Congress on 10 November 1775, hence today's birthday.

Nicholas was authorized to raise two  battalions of Marines, and that was the beginning.

Happy BD, Jarheads!!!  --CootJar

Happy 244th USMC!!!

Today marks the 244th birthday of the United States Marine Corps.  I am sure it will be celebrated all over the world, wherever they're stationed, also all retired Marines.

Once a Marine, always a Marine.

The United States Marine Corps traces its origins to the Continental Marines of the American Revolution.  They were formed by Captain Samuel Nicholas, by a resolution of the Second Continental Congress on 10 November 1775, to raise two battalions of Marines.

That date is regarded and celebrated as the date of the Marine Corps' birthday.

I can remember that MASH episode of the Marines celebrating their birthday during the Korean War and Norm getting the pool ball stuck in his mouth.

Happy Birthday, Jarheads!!  --CootRine

U.S. Flag Adopted Today, 241 Years Ago

The Second Continental Congress adopted the U.S. flag this date in 1777.  That would be 241 years ago.

Are your flags up?

Long May It Wave.  --DaCoot

Marines In the American Revolution-- Part 1: The Job and First Commandant

The U.S. Marines were authorized by the Continental Congress 10 November 1775 when two battalions were to be formed.  Their job was conduct ship-to-ship fighting, shipboard security and discipline enforcement and to assist landing forces.

The first commandant, Captain Samuel Nicholas, was commissioned 28 November.  Enlisting took place at Nicholas' family's tavern "The Conestoga Waggon" or, according to Marine lore, the Tun Tavern in Philadelphia.

--Cooter

History of the Fourth of July

From History site.

Also known as Independence Day or July 4th.  It has been a federal holiday since 1941, but its traditions go back to the 18th century and the American Revolution.

On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence and two days later delegates from thirteen colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson.

From 1776 to the present, July 4 has been celebrated as the birthday of American independence with festivals, fireworks, parades, coverts, family gatherings and barbecues.

Happy B-D, U.S.A.!!  --Cootstarsandstripes

Tomorrow Is Flag Day-- Part 2: 13 Stripes and 13 Stars

The flag went from having 13 stars, representing the 13 colonies  to the 50 stars for the states we have today.  Most of the states are located between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, but today it also stretches across the Pacific to Hawaii and northward to Alaska.

Hawaii is the 50th and last state to join the Union.  It was a state when Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941.  back then, the U.S. flag had 48 stars as Alaska was also not a state.

The Flag Resolution passed by the Second Continental Congress on June 4, 1777, said:  "Resolved, that the flag of the 13 United States be 13 stripes alternate red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."

Legend has it that Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress, designed and sewed the first flag.  Some sources say she was a friend of the Washington family.

--RedWhiteBlueDaCoot

Tomorrow Is Flag Day-- Part 1: Has Remained the Same Since 1960

From the June 7, 2017, Hi-Liter "A salute to the flag" by Sandra Machaj.

In 1949, President harry Truman declared June 14 as Flag Day.  United States flags should be flown from public buildings as well as private homes that day.

Sadly, many Americans don't fly their flags on June 14.

Most of the time, I do, unless it slips my mind.  And, I don't just fly one, I fly several for the day.

Most Americans, especially those born after 1960, consider the American flag to be a never-changing design as it hasn't changed since then, but such is not true of its over 200 year history.

The flag we have today is not the same flag as originally authorized by the Second Continental Congress in 1777.

Continued.  --Cooter